Diabetes and the Pancreas
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) occurs when the insulin-producing beta cells in the islets of the pancreas are destroyed by the body’s own immune system. As a result, individuals with T1D must take daily insulin to control their blood glucose.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals that the size of the pancreas in people with T1D is reduced by approximately 30% compared to healthy controls. Only 1-2% of the mass of the pancreas is composed of islets, so the loss of pancreas volume cannot be solely explained by the destruction of beta cells.
MAP-T1D is an international team of investigators whose primary aim is to understand how the pancreas and its volume changes during the progression, diagnosis, and long-term follow-up of individuals with diabetes.
