The countdown to type 1 diabetes: when, how and why does the clock start? – published online 26/05/2023

Anette-Gabriele Ziegler

The first years of life are characterised by an enormous number of new exposures that challenge and shape our immune system and metabolism. It is during this period that genetically susceptible children have the highest risk of developing autoimmunity against beta cells. In this issue, Anette-Gabriele Ziegler (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-023-05927-2) reviews the interplay between the environment, immunity and metabolism in an attempt to explain why this fertile period for the development of islet autoimmunity in early childhood is critical for the development of type 1 diabetes. The figures from this review are available as a downloadable slideset

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