Authors: Matthew Lacorcia, Pushpak Bhattacharjee, Abby Foster, Melinda Y. Hardy, Jason A. Tye-Din, John A. Karas, John M. Wentworth, Fergus J. Cameron, Stuart I. Mannering
Published: 2025-03-19
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adt2124
Source: Full article
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease where T cells mediate the destruction of the insulin-producing β cells found within the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Autoantibodies to β cell antigens are the only tests available to detect β cell autoimmunity. T cell responses to β cell antigens, which are known to cause T1D, can only be measured in research settings because of the complexity of assays and the large blood volumes required. Here, we describe the β cell antigen–specific T cell assay (BASTA). BASTA is a simple whole-blood assay that can detect human CD4