Biological signs associated with Type 1 diabetes may be detectable in umbilical cord blood at birth, potentially opening a new window for earlier intervention, according to research published in the journal Nature Communications.
The study, led by a team that examines how living systems respond to stress, analysed cord blood samples from babies enrolled in the All Babies in Southeast Sweden cohort — a longitudinal study following mothers and children since the late 1990s. Using machine learning tools, researchers screened samples from children who later developed Type 1 diabetes for proteins linked to inflammation and disease risk.
They found that levels of several proteins at birth predicted whether a child would later develop the condition. Two proved most significant: IDS, which helps break down long sugar molecules that give tissues strength and flexibility, and HLA-DRA, which is involved in activating the immune system. The researchers also identified proteins associated with a lower likelihood of developing the disease, including TIMP3 and ADA, both known to regulate inflammation and support healthy cellular function.
Crucially, the predictive power of these proteins was not heavily dependent on genetics. Including genetic risk data in the machine learning model only marginally improved its accuracy, suggesting the proteins themselves were the primary drivers of disease risk.
Type 1 diabetes, which affects less than 1% of people globally, involves the progressive destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. While it has traditionally been classified as an autoimmune disease, the researchers said growing evidence suggests beta cells themselves play an active role in disease onset — becoming stressed and dying before the immune system shows signs of attacking the pancreas, rather than solely as a consequence of immune activity.
Current screening relies on genetic testing and the detection of autoantibodies, by which point the underlying biological changes may already be well established. The researchers said cord blood biomarkers could allow clinicians and parents to identify and potentially address risk factors far earlier, including exposure to environmental contaminants such as PFAS chemicals, which some of the markers appeared linked to.
The authors cautioned that the findings reflect possibility rather than certainty, and that significant further research is needed before the approach could be applied clinically. The study was conducted in Swedish children and would need to be validated across broader populations. The team said it was also investigating cord blood markers in relation to childhood obesity, depression, autism and inflammatory bowel disease.
(Reuters)
