INNODIA trial shows existing drug may slow the progression of type 1 diabetes

What is ATG and why was it investigated?

Anti Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) is an immunosuppressant drug, meaning it stops your body’s immune system mistakenly attacking and destroying its own cells. It is currently used when someone has an organ transplantation, to stop their body from rejecting the new organ. 

ATG targets immune cells, more specifically the immune cells called T-cells. T-cells are white blood cells which are involved in fighting infection and can also lead to autoimmune conditions, such as T1D. Autoimmune conditions occur when the T-cells mistake the body’s own cells as foreign and destroy them.  

The drug was tested in people aged 5-25 years of age who had been found through screening programmes in the early stages of T1D. It was conducted in 14 hospitals in eight different countries, including four hospitals in the UK. A study published in 2018 showed that ATG was able to keep the balance between attacking and regulating cells within the immune system, helping to preserve insulin secretion in people with early stage T1D. The aim of this study was to define the lowest effective dose of ATG treatment. 

What did the results of the trials show?

Results, published in the Lancet, showed that ATG is safe and effective in preventing the progression of T1D in young people at lower doses than previously investigated.  

The results showed that both the higher and lower doses of ATG worked similarly in preserving C-peptide concentration. C peptide is a protein released into the blood when insulin is secreted, meaning it can be used to see if beta cells are still functioning. The lower dose, however, had fewer side effects when compared to the higher dose. This is a positive result for the researchers as it proved that ATG at a lower dose is safe and effective in people as young as five years old. 

What is INNODIA?

INNODIA started as a global partnership between academic institutions, industrial partners, and patient organisations. They bring together knowledge and experience with one common goal: ‘to fight type 1 diabetes’ (T1D). They work together with pharmaceutical companies, charities and funding bodies to investigate and accelerate research in T1D.  

From its inception, one of INNODIA’s major goals was to undertake clinical trials. In doing this, they wanted to help researchers to prevent further decline in insulin producing cell (beta cell) function in people with newly diagnosed T1D. They also wanted to investigate the immune system responses in T1D and beta cell function.  

To find out more about the INNODIA clinical trials network, please visit their website.

How are Breakthrough T1D involved in this research?

Breakthrough T1D fund the INNODIA clinical trial network across many different projects in a collaborative, working relationship. Our Director of Research Partnerships, Rachel Connor, said, ‘These new results provide strong evidence of another therapy that slows the progression of T1D, and is a major step forward in diabetes research. Low dose ATG protects against the loss of beta cells and so could be a valuable treatment in the early stages of T1D. This would give people the ability to continue making their own insulin for longer, which we know can help to make managing T1D safer, and improve quality of life. This research would not be possible without our collaboration with the INNODIA clinical trials network. This partnership is a critical component in delivering the cutting-edge research that is making treatments to change the course of T1D possible’.