Rauld Celine

Rauld Celine

Novartis

Basel, Switzerland

Spectral flow cytometry immune profiling of PBMCs from Type 1 Diabetes and Healthy donors - Flashtalk and Poster 15

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a complex autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Understanding the immune alterations and pathogenic mechanisms involved in T1D is crucial for diagnosis and treatment. In our study, we used spectral flow cytometry to investigate a broad set of intra- and extra-cellular T cell markers in PBMCs from T1D patients compared to healthy donors, with a focus on Treg markers. We found that T1D patients had a higher frequency of CD8+ CD45RA+ KLRG1+ TIGIT+ TNFR2dim effector T cells (Teff) compared to healthy controls. Additionally, Tregs from recently-diagnosed T1D patients (stage 3) showed higher TNFR2 and CD62L expression compared to long-standing T1D patients (stage 4) and healthy individuals. We also observed differences in specific Treg subsets, with an increase in CD62L+ TNFR2+ Foxp3+ Tregs and CD49b+ memory Tregs in stage 3 T1D patients. These findings suggest that different stages of T1D are characterized by specific alterations in their Teff and Treg compartments.