The Cardiovascular Repository–Type 1 Diabetes (CaRe-T1D) program at UF, supported by the NIH’s NIDDK and NHLBI, is both a biorepository and a scientific consortium. Its purpose is to advance research on cardiovascular complications of diabetes, with a particular focus on understanding differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The CaRe-T1D biorepository collects hearts, kidneys, carotid arteries, epicardial adipose tissue, and blood from organ donors with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or no diabetes, whose legal representatives provide consent for tissue research.
These high-quality specimens are assessed, stored, and carefully annotated with clinical data, and are readily accessible to approved investigators. The mission of CaRe-T1D is to elucidate the molecular and cellular pathways linking diabetes and cardiovascular disease by providing high-quality human tissues for investigator-led analyses using cutting-edge technologies and collaborative data sharing, with the goal of advancing precision medicine and reducing the global burden of diabetes-associated cardiovascular complications.