The risk of developing Type 1 diabetes depends on the action of number of genes in combination with environmental factors. The pathogenic process is unknown, but at the time of diagnosis the autoimmune destruction of the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas has proceeded to a level where an individual is unable to survive without insulin replacement therapy. The main predisposing genetic region for TIDM is the HLA locus on chromosome 6p21.3 (IDDM1). Recent genome scans have identified non-HLA loci linked to TIDM, with much weaker effects than IDDM1. The aim of this work is to have more accurate identification of the genes and of the DNA variants involved in the disease which will lead to a better understanding of the disease.