Islet autoantibody frequency in relatives of children with type 1 diabetes who have a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate characteristics of autoimmunity in individuals who have a type 2 diagnosis and are relatives of children with type 1 diabetes.

Methods: Pre-diagnosis samples (median 17 months before onset) from relatives who were later diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were measured for autoantibodies to glutamate decarboxylase 65 (GADA), islet antigen-2 (IA-2A), zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8A) and insulin (IAA) as well as the type 1 diabetes genetic risk score (GRS2). Associations between islet autoantibodies, insulin treatment and GRS2 were analysed using Fisher's exact and t-tests.

Increased levels of anti-BSA antibodies in children with Down syndrome.

Introduction: Autoimmune diabetes occurs more often in the first 2 years of life in children with Down syndrome (DS) compared with the general population. We previously observed increased frequencies of islet autoantibodies, including insulin autoantibodies (IAA), in children with DS. Assays for IAA using I-labelled insulin require competition to overcome cross reactivity with antibodies to the cow's milk protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Establishing breast feeding in infants with Down syndrome: the FADES cohort experience.

Objective: To describe breastfeeding prevalence and maternal experience in infants with trisomy 21.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Participants from UK recruited through websites, social media and local collaborators: neonatologists, community paediatricians and research nurses.

Development and evaluation of low-volume tests to detect and characterize antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.

Low-volume antibody assays can be used to track SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in settings where active testing for virus is limited and remote sampling is optimal. We developed 12 ELISAs detecting total or antibody isotypes to SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid, spike protein or its receptor binding domain (RBD), 3 anti-RBD isotype specific luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) assays and a novel Spike-RBD bridging LIPS total-antibody assay. We utilized pre-pandemic (n=984) and confirmed/suspected recent COVID-19 sera taken pre-vaccination rollout in 2020 (n=269).

The measurement of autoantibodies to insulin informs diagnosis of diabetes in a childhood population negative for other autoantibodies.

Aims: Some childhood type 1 diabetes cases are islet autoantibody negative at diagnosis. Potential explanations include misdiagnosis of genetic forms of diabetes or insufficient islet autoantibody testing. Many NHS laboratories offer combinations of three autoantibody markers.