Advancing Genetic Risk Assessment for Type 1 Diabetes: Improving Prediction and Clinical Translation

Areas of Interest

• Identification of causal variants that enrich T1D risk prediction in populations of nonEuropean ancestry, including both common and rare variants, with a particular focus on HLA-associated and other risk loci across diverse genetic ancestral backgrounds and in individuals with adult-onset T1D.
• Development of a common and more predictive trans-ancestry genetic risk score (GRS/PRS) through the application of advanced models and interpretable AI approaches, with revised standardized reporting.
• Advancement of T1D risk scores, including array-based and sequencing alternatives, to support clinical validation and regulatory approval through pathways such as 510(k) applications or similar regulatory frameworks.
• Evaluation of combined risk scores for T1D and type 2 diabetes (T2D) to refine disease classification and improve risk assessment, leveraging existing, standardized, and validated T2D GRS to accurately predict T1D risk.
• Launch or follow-up of screening programs focused on the implementation of T1D GRS as an alternative to autoantibody testing.
• De novo recruitment of participants is not supported; only proposals that utilize samples from individuals with clinically defined T1D and appropriate controls, sourced from existing biobanks, repositories, or cohorts, will be considered.
• Development or validation of T2D GRS.

Funding Information

• This Request for Applications (RFA) will award grants to non-profit and for-profit entities such as academic institutions and industry partners of up to $900,000.00 each and up to 3 years.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign non-for-profit organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals and laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal government. Applicants must hold an M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., Ph.D., or equivalent and have a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility.
• For-profit entities, or industry collaborations with academia, are welcomed to submit applications in response to this RFA.
• For clinical studies, applicants must hold an appointment or joint appointment in a subspecialty of clinical medicine and conduct human clinical research.
• There are no citizenship requirements for this program. To assure continued excellence and diversity among applicants and awardees, Breakthrough T1D welcomes applications from all qualified individuals and encourages applications from persons with disabilities, women, and members of minority groups underrepresented in the sciences.

Review Criteria

• Applications will be subjected to confidential external scientific review evaluated on the following:
  • Significance
  • Relevance
  • Approach
  • Innovation
  • Environment
  • Resource sharing plan

For more information, visit Breakthrough T1D.