Our resource hub is home to a wealth of articles, stories and videos about managing and living with type 1 diabetes.
Place your order for our free information packs that support adults and children who have been recently diagnosed.
Our researchers are working on different ways to develop a cure for type 1 diabetes - from growing insulin-producing beta cells in labs to hacking the immune system.
Learn about the technologies that can deliver insulin automatically when needed. And discover the next generation of insulins that are currently being developed.
You could win a cash prize of up to £25,000 when you play the Breakthrough T1D lottery. As well as the chance to win great prizes, you’ll also help fund our research to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.
Invite your friends, family, colleagues or clients to an exceptional black-tie event in the heart of London. Every ticket, every bid, every moment helps us move closer to a cure.
Our ambitious new roadmap is aimed at driving significant advancements in type 1 diabetes research, treatment, and care.
Join the type 1 diabetes community and come together, raising awareness and vital funds for T1D.
We provide a wealth of information and free resources to help you support and empower your patients or students.
Take our free course for schools to learn more about supporting pupils with type 1 diabetes in educational settings.
JDRF has now rebranded to Breakthrough T1D. Our name has changed, our mission has not.
Home > About Breakthrough T1D UK & our impact > Our research > Cure research > Project ACT: Accelerating cell therapies today for cures tomorrow
Breakthrough T1D’s mission is clear: we’re here to improve lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to treat, prevent and, ultimately cure type 1 diabetes (T1D) and its complications. We have a clear strategy of how to achieve that mission. New cure and beta cell therapies are moving at pace and are closer to being available to people living with T1D than ever before.
Our bold vision includes transforming the future with cell therapies, and Project ACT is our how we plan to make that vision real for millions.
Project Accelerating Cell Therapies (Project ACT), is a focused initiative to dramatically speed up cell therapy treatments as cures for T1D.
Project ACT will use Breakthrough T1D’s decades of research experience and strong global partnerships to speed up the development, approval, and use of cell therapies for type 1 diabetes that don’t require long-term immune-suppressing drugs.
T1D develops when the immune system destroys the body’s own insulin-producing beta cells until a person can no longer make enough insulin to keep their blood glucose in a safe range. At this point, a person would need to start injecting insulin to help regulate their blood sugar levels.
Cell therapies aim to restore insulin production by implanting new beta cells, often derived from lab-grown cells. Some early trials are already underway in people, suggesting that these cells could be effective in treating T1D. The next step is to find ways to keep these new beta cells safe in the body without using drugs that have serious side effects. We’re working on this in several ways, including placing them inside a protective barrier or modifying the cells so they are undetected by the immune system.
By replacing the beta cells destroyed by T1D, cell therapies offer a pathway to freedom from injecting insulin. Project ACT aims to accelerate these solutions and deliver them to those who need them most.
Cell therapies could represent a cure for many people with T1D by replacing lost beta cells. Project ACT provides the roadmap to accelerate this, via:
Research
Advocacy
Medical Affairs
Our priority is to bring the first-generation of cell therapies to market, so we can build the evidence needed to bring forward even better treatment options in the future.
In the context of medication, ‘generation’ refers to the order in which different types of the same treatment are developed. As our understanding of T1D improves, researchers are continually developing newer, more advanced treatments. The different treatment generations reflect the continuous progress in understanding T1D and creating more effective and targeted treatments.
We have a track record of bringing better treatments to our community:
We have the experience, the track record, the partners, and the drive to deliver real cures, fast.
Thanks to your support we have already:
Through Project ACT, we will continue to advance our partnerships across industry, academia, government and the NHS, while mobilising other donors to join us as we transform the future of T1D.
To get involved or find out more, please contact Breakthrough T1D’s Philanthropy Team.
This trial gives lab-grown islets and immunosuppressants to people living with T1D.
This trial test lab-grown islets inside a protective casing in people living with T1D.
Learn about how researchers are trying to find a cure for type 1.
Your donations help us fund innovative research projects across the world, giving us the best chance of finding a cure. Together, we will make a world without type 1.
