T1D shares several candidate genes in common to other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus or Crohn’s disease 9,23,59–61 and the target tissues of several of these diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, show a similar IFN signature as observed in T1D4,61. This evidence concerns the gene IFNA1 and autoimmune disease.