# Type 1 diabetes genetic risk scores for the diagnosis of diabetes type in children of diverse racial and ethnic background

> **NIH NIH R01** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $604,311

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
A large and growing number of pediatric diabetes cases cannot be classified at diagnosis with the current criteria,
particularly among non-Caucasian children. The longitudinal observation of the clinical course that is often
needed to classify diabetes causes harmful delays in the correct treatment. Mistakes in diagnosis and treatment
may contribute to the higher frequency of diabetic complications in racial/ethnic minorities. Thus, there is a critical
need for robust criteria that can be applied at diagnosis to inform clinical decisions in children of all racial/ethnic
backgrounds. The long-term objective is to characterize pediatric diabetes at onset to inform clinical
management in a timely fashion and thus, ultimately improve outcomes in racially/ethnically diverse children. As
preliminary data, the applicants have developed and validated type 1 diabetes (T1D) Genetic Risk Scores
(GRSs) that, in adults with unclear diabetes, identify those with T1D, defined by rapid insulin dependence; and
have also demonstrated that a T1D GRS improves the current predictive model for progression to T1D in
individuals at risk. The central hypothesis of this application is that T1D GRSs, in combination with islet
autoantibodies and other factors at diabetes onset, can be used in racially/ethnically diverse children to identify
those who have T1D, defined by rapid loss of C-peptide (measure of beta-cell function), as this is the T1D
characteristic with the largest clinical impact. The rationale for this proposal is that timely characterization of
diabetes, which is particularly difficult in minority children, will facilitate early establishment of the correct
treatment, improve diabetes outcomes and lower the costs of diabetes, which are currently over $327 billion
yearly. Guided by strong preliminary data, this hypothesis will be tested in racially/ethnically diverse children with
diabetes by assessing the ability of T1D GRSs, in combination with other factors, to identify those who have
T1D, defined as insulin deficiency (low C-peptide), in a cross-sectional (Specific Aim 1) and prospective (Specific
Aim 2) manner. This project is significant because it is ultimately expected to improve the treatment of pediatric
diabetes and thus its clinical outcomes, with particular impact on disadvantaged racial/ethnic groups. This project
is innovative because it seeks to shift the current clinical and research practices by proposing to utilize genetics
as a novel, affordable, time-independent strategy to diagnose T1D, identified by a clinically relevant
characteristic.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10769725
- **Project number:** 5R01DK124395-04
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Maria Jose Redondo
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $604,311
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-02-15 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10769725

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10769725, Type 1 diabetes genetic risk scores for the diagnosis of diabetes type in children of diverse racial and ethnic background (5R01DK124395-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10769725. Licensed CC0.

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