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JDRF has now rebranded to Breakthrough T1D.
Our name has changed, our mission has not.

Treatment research

Treating type 1 means helping people achieve better glucose control, with less effort. It also means looking for ways to prevent or cure the complications that can develop from living with type 1. Our research is improving lives by developing new ways to treat type 1 diabetes, until we find a cure.
Content last reviewed and updated: 07.05.2024

Hybrid closed loop technology

Technologies to deliver insulin automatically when it is needed

Illustration of the hybrid closed loop technology system, funded as part of treatment research for type 1 diabetes by Breakthrough T1D UK.

Technologies to treat type 1 diabetes have already come a long way. We now have pumps that can deliver insulin automatically, and sensors that can give real-time measurements of blood glucose levels.

Insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors reduce some of the mental burden of living with type 1 but still require input from the wearer. Now, new hybrid closed loop technology, which Breakthrough T1D UK supporters have helped fund, has been developed to reduce this burden even further.

Hybrid closed loop systems link a continuous glucose monitor with an insulin pump via a smartphone app. The sophisticated system allows the insulin pump to automatically deliver the right dose of insulin at the right time based on readings from the glucose sensor.

Find out more about our hybrid closed loop technology research.

Complications of type 1 diabetes

New ways to prevent, detect and treat the complications that living with type 1 can bring

A woman with type 1 diabetes who is walking down the street with two friends. Her friends are supporting her as she has visual difficulties - a complication of the condition. Breakthrough T1D UK are funding research into complications and treatments for type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes can lead to long term damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart, which we refer to as the complications of type 1. These complications are often associated with unstable blood glucose levels, so it’s important to try and keep your blood glucose levels in range as best you can.

Our complications research aims to help people with type 1 and their healthcare professionals detect complications as soon as they start to develop. Once identified, we want complications to be treated quickly and efficiently with treatments developed specifically to work for people with diabetes.

The ultimate goal for complications research is to find out who is at most risk of developing certain complications and protect these people from ever getting complications from their type 1.

Find out more about our complications research.

Novel insulins

The word novel simply means new – novel insulins are the next generation of insulins being developed

A scientist in the lab working on novel insulins as part of treatment research for type 1 diabetes

Fast-acting insulins

The types of insulin people with type 1 use are much slower than the insulin their bodies used to be able to make. Researchers are developing insulins which can work faster and faster. We need faster-acting insulins so that people with type 1 don’t have to inject insulin a long time before they eat.

A fully closed loop artificial pancreas system would need little or no input at all from the person using it. Without ultra-rapid insulins, we can’t make fully closed loops because the insulin inside the insulin pumps doesn’t work fast enough. This means the wearer must currently warn their technology that they are about to eat or exercise, to give their insulin pump enough time to adjust.

Glucose-responsive ‘smart’ insulins

Another group of novel insulins are known as ‘smart’ insulins because they can respond to varying levels of glucose in the blood. This research is at an earlier stage than fast-acting insulins, but the idea is that the smart insulin remains in the body and only works in response to rising glucose levels. By responding automatically to the amount of glucose in the blood of someone with type 1, a smart insulin would mimic the function of insulin- releasing beta cells.

Learn more about novel insulins and our research into them.

Treatments news

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A vial of clear liquid in front of a syringe.
Research
2 September 2024

JDRF-funded smart insulin research shows promise

When given to mice and pigs with type 1 diabetes, a new type of oral insulin developed with JDRF funding detects rising blood glucose and quickly lowers it to a safe level without causing hypos.

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A novel insulin is being developed for implantable insulin pumps
Treatment research
16 May 2024

Novel insulin being developed to enable implantable insulin pumps

Medtronic Diabetes have announced they are funding the biopharmaceutical company Arecor Therapeutics to develop a novel, highly concentrated, thermostable insulin, which will be specialised for use in implantable insulin pumps.

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Colin Dayan
Research
22 April 2024

Professor Colin Dayan presented with the 2023 JDRF Rumbough Award 

The award recognises Professor Dayan’s remarkable accomplishments in type 1 diabetes research.

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Professor Richard Oram in the Research, Innovation, Learning and Development (RILD) building at the University of Exeter.
Prevention research
7 March 2024

New biochip launches that detects genetic risk of type 1 diabetes

A new test by Randox, developed with JDRF-funded researchers at the University of Exeter, is the first in the world to use genetics to quickly identify who is at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

More on research

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Three researchers in lab coats

Current research projects

Read about the exciting research taking place right now.

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A photo down a microscope of beta cell regeneration.

Cure research

Learn how researchers are trying to cure type 1.

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Treatment research showing environmental triggers and islets responding to the virus

Prevention research

Learn how researchers are trying to prevent type 1.