Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory.

The Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory has already pinpointed over 40 regions of the human genome that influence who gets type 1 diabetes. Now the team is working out exactly which DNA variants in those regions cause the immune system to attack the pancreas's insulin-producing cells. This matters because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease with no cure. While scientists know that genetics plays a major role, they have struggled to move from broad chromosomal regions to the specific genes and molecular mechanisms that tip someone from health to disease. The lab is closing that gap by correlating DNA differences with changes in gene expression, splicing, protein activity, and the behaviour of non-coding RNAs. If the team identifies the causal genes and pathways, the impact could be diagnostic. Doctors might one day screen infants for high-risk genetic profiles and monitor them for early signs of autoimmunity before symptoms appear. The work could also reveal new drug targets—molecules that, if blocked or boosted, might prevent beta-cell destruction. This is fundamental science: the lab is building a causal map of disease mechanisms. Similar genetic mapping efforts for other autoimmune conditions have already led to new therapies, so the potential for translation is real, though not immediate.