Dr. John Hutton has identified a new autoantigen that interacts with pathogenic T-cells which are important in the development and progression of Type I diabetes. The identified autoantigen has potential to be used therapeutically as an immunotolerogen. The therapeutic ultimately slows the severity or halts progression of disease by preventing T-cell activation, proliferation and promulgation of the destructive autoimmune response. Intervention with autoantigen versions that bind the T-cell receptor but do not activate its destructive cycle would prevent onset of exogenous insulin dependency. Diagnostic applications could demonstrate the onset of autoimmune pathology via detection of autoantigens correlated with disease, detection of autoreactive T-cells and autoantibodies, as well as monitor the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, among various other immunoassays.