UROP Mentors:

Inas Thomas, MD and Andrea Rusnak, MS, CCRP

UROP Research Team

Kathryn Crowe

What is your research project?

TrialNet Type 1 Diabetes: Pathway to Prevention

What are the goals of your research project?

TrialNet is a research group dedicated to the study, prevention, and early treatment of type 1 diabetes. This study aims to define the natural history of type 1 diabetes, prevent or delay the onset of disease in individuals who are at risk, and preserve insulin production in those who have new-onset type 1 diabetes.

Why is this research important?

This research provides opportunities to prevent diabetes in at-risk populations, improve our ability to predict diabetes based on autoantibody testing, improve diabetes outcomes with close monitoring for disease progression, stop disease progression by preserving insulin production before and after diagnosis, and accelerate the clinical development of therapies to prevent symptomatic diabetes.

What drives you to conduct this research?

The idea that we can one day achieve a future without type 1 diabetes.

Is there a Call to Action you would like to encourage?

If you have a relative with T1D, you’re in a unique position to help us learn more about the disease and how to prevent it. Offered through the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention Study, risk screening uses a simple blood test that can detect your risk of T1D years before symptoms appear. If you are in the early stages of T1D, you may be eligible for a prevention study. Take the first step and get screened!

What resources would you recommend to learn more about your research topic?

Contact our research team at UMHS-TrialNet@med.umich.edu or call 734-615-4079 to learn more.