ENDIA

Saying goodbye to Ruby from the ENDIA research cohort is tough.

Her bright spirit and endless enthusiasm have delighted us all.

As she starts her next adventure, her love for learning will continue to inspire.

Farewells are bittersweet, but they open new chapters. Best wishes, Ruby!

💙

There is a lot of amazingness here.

**Amazing Addison (and her big brother and ENDIAN, Finn, and **amazing parents).

**Amazing nurses, Rose and Jacqui who visited the family in Canberra for Addison’s last ENDIA Study visit.

**Amazing contributions to type 1 diabetes research.

Two Studies, One Question: How Important Are Autoantibodies in Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis?

Two recent studies approached autoantibody measurement in early detection from different angles. Here's what they found...

A Dutch study (involving 562 children) and a Moroccan multicentre study (276 children and adults) both found a meaningful minority of people who developed tested negative for autoantibodies (the earliest established marker for development). This consistency across different populations and healthcare systems is notable.

The Moroccan multicentre study highlighted those with were significantly more likely to have other autoimmune conditions alongside their . The Dutch study, focused purely on diabetes management outcomes, and found no meaningful difference between the two groups in how their diabetes developed or responded to treatment.

Both studies reinforced that autoantibody testing at diagnosis matters, to tailor diabetes treatment, and to understand the whole person. Those who have autoantibodies detected warrant monitoring for other autoimmune conditions. People who did not have islet autoantibodies detected warrant consideration of genetic testing to rule out .

Together, these studies make a strong case for more systematic, thorough investigation at rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. For the T1D community, this reinforces that diagnosis isn't always black and white — and that thorough at diagnosis matters for at the right time.

Moroccan multicentre study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.deman.2024.100246
The Dutch Study: https://doi.org/10.1159/000550312

New research from offers reassuring news for families: COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5–14 was not associated with an increased risk of type 1 diabetes.

The study followed every Finnish child diagnosed with over a 16-month period and compared them with matched controls.

Researchers found no significant link between vaccination and risk. Interestingly, vaccinated children tended to have less severe symptoms at the time of their diabetes diagnosis. The researchers suggest this may be because vaccination appointments and healthcare engagement could have led to earlier detection of diabetes symptoms, before they became more serious.

Separately, the researchers also looked at whether SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) infection itself could explain why some children had more severe symptoms at diagnosis during the pandemic period. It could not. This is consistent with ENDIA's previous work, which found SARS-CoV-2 infection is unlikely to increase the risk of developing islet autoimmunity: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.6848

Together, these findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting the safety of COVID-19 vaccination and infection in relation to (early markers of T1D development) in children.

Read the latest article online at https://doi.org/10.2337/dc25-2913

Congratulations to our ENDIA Graduate of the Week — Ashton! 🎉

Ashton has completed his ENDIA journey and we couldn't be prouder.
A huge thank you to Ashton's mum too, whose support and dedication made it all possible.
Behind every ENDIA graduate is a family who showed up, time and time again — and that means the world to us. 💙
Thank you, Ashton and family.
You've played a real part in helping us understand type 1 diabetes.

💙

There have been associations found between the development of and another condition, .

Certain inherited gene variants in a region called HLA (human leukocyte antigen - controls how the immune system recognises threats) are the strongest known genetic risk factors for type 1 diabetes ( ) and coeliac disease ( ). One particular genetic profile — called HLA-DR3 — increases the chance of developing both.

Scientists using TEDDY Study data found, within people already carrying the HLA-DR3 profile, a specific set of three small genetic variations called a "tri-SNP". The tri-SNP acts like a switch — but the switch works in opposite directions for the two conditions.

This "switch" that protects against diabetes seems to increase the risk for coeliac disease, and vice versa.

The tri-SNP helps explain why some people develop type 1 diabetes, others develop coeliac disease, and some develop both.

Understanding this genetic fine-tuning could help build more precise risk prediction models and may ultimately point toward more personalised approaches to monitoring and prevention.

We found this to be a pretty technical paper, but available to read more online at https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.89068

If you are a parent or caregiver of a child living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Australia, please consider sharing your experiences of childcare/preschool to help inform safe and inclusive care, via the The Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes online survey: https://lnkd.in/gr47MB-J

New research study opportunity for parents and guardians of children with T1D who live in Australia!

The ACBRD and The Kids Research Institute Australia want to hear about your preschool/childcare experiences in a short online survey (15-20 minutes). By taking part, you will help improve childcare/preschools to be safer and more inclusive for children living with T1D.

To take part, visit: tinyurl.com/T1D-preschool

Diabetes Victoria | Deakin University

This is the end of study participation for ENDIAN, Emmy.

Emmy was smiley and brave as usual, but perhaps even braver with her big sister, Abby, coming for support and to say goodbye.

Goodbye, Emmy, and thank you for being an ENDIAN. We hope you feel proud of what you have been a part of. Thank you.

There’s a lot to be proud about with the ENDIA Study.

It’s a study of nearly 1300 babies. And here are two of them; babies no more!

These two sisters have grown up as participants in this research since they were born! At their final study visit their proud Mum, and proud Professor, celebrated with gold medals and certificates outlining all they have contributed.

And that contribution is definitely something to be proud of. Well done girls, and .

🌟⭐️💫

Leo! So long.

A big congratulations to Leo on completing his ENDIA journey! 🎉

Almost 10 years old and already a research champion — Leo has been part of the ENDIA Study and his contribution means so much to our understanding of

Thank you to Leo and his mum for showing up for science and helping us to find the causes of . 💙