Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks and destroys its own insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. UF scientists have created a genetic map of the pancreas in patients with diabetes using a method called spatial transcriptomics, in which genetic material is captured from thousands of spots on thin tissue slices.

“You’re looking at a map, almost like a topographical map of an organ or tissue and saying, in this particular ZIP code or region, these are the genes that are highly expressed,” said Todd Brusko. Comparing these expressed genes, genes that have been “turned on,” across the mapped patients with and without diabetes will help researchers identify potential causes and hopefully find effective treatments.

• Todd Brusko