GAD-65 (GLUTAMIC ACID DECARBOXYLASE)-ANTIBODY
Considerable research over the past few decades has identified circulating autoantibodies directed against a variety of pancreatic islet cell antigens (ICA) in patients with
type 1 diabetes and their first-degree relatives.
The autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells generally occurs over a period of time leading to the eventual onset of overt diabetes mellitus.
During this extended pre-clinical phase, the characteristic circulation of antibodies against a variety of islet cell antigens including glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), IA-2
(a tyrosine phosphatase-like protein), and insulin provides early indicators of autoimmune disease activity.
Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (GAD65) Antibodies
First detected in the serum of patients suffering from the rare neurological disorder, Stiff-Man Syndrome,antibodies to the islet cell antigen glutamic acid decarboxylase
(GAD) have been found in 70-90% of prediabetic and Type 1 diabetic patients (including approximately 7-10% of adult onset diabetics with Type 1 diabetes), and have been shown to be the most sensitive single marker for identifying persons at risk of developing diabetes. Antibodies to GAD65 are generally more prevalent in older children and
late-onset Type 1 diabetics, and in some patients, have been detected as many as ten years prior to the onset of clinical disease.
