Take part in type 1 diabetes research studies

18-50 year olds

SMART study: testing a novel method for monitoring an immunosuppression strategy in people with Type 1 diabetes (a Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge Project)

Researchers aim to challenge the autoimmune process with two drugs Abatacept and Interleukin-2 (IL-2). The study will include administration of drugs (via small tube inserted in the vein and under the skin) and giving blood and lymph node samples (via a small needle like the one used for standard blood tests).

For more information, please contact Raj Ramkhelawon using the details below:

Dr Sarah Ali and Rajeshwar Ramkhelawon (Raj)

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Call us (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm):

0207 794 0500 ext 39825

Email: rajeshwar.ramkhelawon@nhs.net

18-25 year olds

Body Image and T1D support

Researchers are running in-person workshops to receive feedback on resources that young women think may help diabetes teams to provide the body image support that young women want and need.

If you are interested in taking part, please email Rachael Hughson-Gill on rgill@lincoln.ac.uk for more information

12-25 year olds

Type 1 Insulin Dosing strategies and Eating Behaviours (T1IDES)

Researchers have developed a survey to find out all the ways people with diabetes manage their food and eating to help them understand what might be best for some people by asking people to fill in a survey alongside questions about how they feel about food, eating and their diabetes.

If you are interested in taking part, please email karen.rigby@bristol.ac.uk for more information

18 year olds and over

Exploring patient experiences of biosimilar insulin switches

Researchers are looking to capture the lived experiences of patients with diabetes who have been switched to a biosimilar version of their insulin and determine whether this is an acceptable intervention.

• Looking for people aged 18 years and older with insulin treated diabetes
• Have been switched to a different brand of their usual insulin (known as a biosimilar).
• Complete a survey anonymously (takes ~ 10 minutes to complete).

To access the study via link: Experience of biosimilar insulin switches

18 year olds and over

Developing a new measure for medical dismissal

Researchers are looking to understand how people with long term conditions like type 1 diabetes experience the healthcare system.

• Looking for people aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of T1D or other long-term conditions (g., alopecia, asthma, heart disease, IBS, depression).
• To take part in four online questionnaires (study start, 1 week, 3 months, 6 months). You will be reimbursed with 2x £5 vouchers for the final two questionnaires.

To sign up to the study or for any further questions, get in touch at medicaldismissalstudy@kcl.ac.uk and please state you have heard of this opportunity through Breakthrough T1D, or access the study via https://qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_bQ4mjWRERLuWWtU.

18 year olds and over 

TIMES – Trajectories in Insulin Sensitivity Across Menstrual Cycles in Women with Type 1 Diabetes

Researchers are looking to understand how hormonal changes affect glucose levels and how to develop smarter systems that better adapt to hormonal changes 

• Looking for women aged 18 and over with a diagnosis of T1D who use an automated insulin delivery system who have a regular menstrual cycle 

• Participants will take part remotely from home over approximately six months, uploading data from their diabetes devices, wearing a Garmin smartwatch (provided by research team), and completing monthly questionnaires.   

• Participants will receive a Garmin smartwatch to keep £50 per completed cycle (up to £300). 

• To find out more or take part, please visit https://www.dcberne.com/en/times-study/

18 year olds and over, having had at least one full-term pregnancy

Experiences of weight management during and after pregnancy- share your story

Researchers from Ulster University would like to invite you to participate in this online survey for women living with diabetes, to understand your experiences of weight management during and after pregnancy.  This survey will help inform the development of future resources to support women following pregnancy.

• Looking for individuals living with T1D aged 18 or older who:
  • Have had at least one full-term, singleton baby within the last three years.
  • Currently live with type 1, type 2 diabetes, or were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
  • Can complete a small questionnaire.

To take part, please visit the survey.

If you have any questions, please email McCombe-S1@ulster.ac.uk. Please state you have heard of this opportunity through Breakthrough T1D.

18-25 year olds, recently transitioned to adult clinics

Transitioning to adult diabetes services – share your story

Researchers are conducting a research project looking to understand the transition from paediatric to adult diabetes services.

• Looking for individuals living with T1D aged 18-25 who have recently transitioned from paediatric to adult diabetes services.
• To take part in a small questionnaire and sharing a reflective story (audio or written).

To take part, please visit the survey webpage.

If you have any questions, please email k.ash@herts.ac.uk. Please state you have heard of this opportunity through Breakthrough T1D.

18-70 year olds

Is L-selectin involved in the T1D immune attack?

You could help researchers understand whether L-selectin (a protein that helps immune cells travel around the body) is involved in the immune attack on the pancreas.

• Looking for adults aged 18-70 living with T1D who have been:
  • Diagnosed with T1D in the last year
  • Diagnosed with T1D for more than a year
• To give a blood sample at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. Eligible participants that successfully donate a blood sample will be provided with a £25 voucher from Lovetoshop.

If you are interested in taking part, please contact the research team at diabetesresearch@cardiff.ac.uk.

Over 18 starting on a hybrid closed loop or using multiple daily injections

Exploring early worsening of diabetic retinopathy with hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems

You could help researchers understand how common the early worsening of diabetic retinopathy is in new users of HCL systems. This will help improve safety for people starting HCL therapy and guide future NHS recommendations.

• Looking for people aged 18 and over, who live with T1D and are either:
  • Starting a HCL insulin pump (past 28 days), or
  • Continuing with multiple daily injections

• To visit St Paul’s Eye Unit, Liverpool for about an hour four times over two years.

To express your interest in this study, please fill out our expression of interest form.

• Looking for individuals aged between 18-25 who live with type 1 diabetes and are UK undergraduates (or will be by January 2026). This includes all students (campus and home-based).
• Take part in a 60-minute online interview and complete a 15-minute online survey every 2-3 months for one year. Participants will receive a £10 Amazon voucher for each time point (one interview and one survey).

Over 16 years old and diagnosed in the last two years

Exploring how acceptable treatments to protect beta cell function are for people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes

You could help researchers understand the acceptability of potential treatments for newly diagnosed people living with T1D.

Looking for:

• Adults aged 16-24, who have been diagnosed with T1D in the last two years.
• Parent/guardians of a child aged under 16, who have been diagnosed with T1D in the last two years.
• To attend an online focus group with 6-8 other participants, which will least approximately 1.5-2 hours.

To find out more or get involved, please fill out the Expression of Interest form*.

18-50 year olds who can travel to Ulster*

Glucose lowering actions of hormone Alpha-MSH

You could help researchers investigate if and how alpha-MSH (a natural hormone) can reduce blood sugar levels. Which could potentially lead to new treatments for type 1 diabetes.

• Looking for individuals aged 18-50, living with or without type 1 diabetes, who are able to attend the Human Interventions Studies Unit, at Ulster University (Coleraine Campus) – Ireland
• To take part in one of three studies:
  • Study 1 – Two 4-hour visits, receiving alpha-MSH or placebo and blood samples taken (receive £100)
  • Study 2 – Two 4-hour visits, receiving alpha-MSH or placebo, blood samples taken and two small muscle biopsies (receive £200)
  • Study 3 – One 45-minute visit, having one muscle biopsy (receive £100)

For more information, and to get involved please visit the study webpage.

18-66 years old using a HCL

Could breaking up sitting improve heart health in people with type 1 diabetes using hybrid closed-loop insulin pumps?

You could help researchers understand how active breaks (short walks every 30 mins) might help improve heart health in people with type 1 diabetes.

• Looking for individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged 18-66 who use a HCL system.
• To take part in short online questionnaires, 2 x 8-hour visits to laboratories in Birmingham, Liverpool or Manchester. AS well as wearing an activity monitor and meal plan 2 days prior to these visits. Participants will receive a £50 Love2Shop voucher for their time, and all travel costs will be reimbursed.

Please email Joseph Jenkins at jgj301@student.bham.ac.uk for more information or how to get involved.

18-66 year olds who don’t regularly exercise

How regular activity can affect type 1 diabetes (EXTOD-Active)

Could you help researchers see if taking short active breaks can improve glucose management and wellbeing in people with type 1 diabetes who spend most of their day sitting down?

• Looking for individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (for at least 3 years) aged 18-66, who spend most of their day sitting down and don’t regularly exercise.
• To take part in a 1-month intervention where researchers will help you to take regular short (3-minute) walks to break up sitting time. You will also receive a health check in your own home before and after the intervention as well as a £75 voucher for your participation.

Please email extod.active@gmail.com for more information or to sign up.

Women who are pregnant living with, or with a connection to, T1D*

INSIGHT-2 PISA

You could help the PISA study team understand the mechanisms of autoimmune disease development in children and how to potentially predict its onset.

• Looking for individuals who are pregnant, and living with T1D OR have any first-degree relatives that live with T1D OR the father of the baby lives with T1D. Must be booked at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust or King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London).
• To take part in a clinical trial, involving visits to St Thomas’ Hospital, London for small venous blood samples from your baby at 12 and 24 months old, and home sampling blood testing.

To find out more information and get in touch with the study team, please fill out the form and a member of the team will be in touch.

Do you live in Scotland?

If you live in Scotland, are registered to receive healthcare in Scotland, and are interested in taking part in research, you can sign up to the NHS Research Scotland Diabetes Register. Joining the register does not commit you to taking part in any studies. Instead, it gives you the chance to be contacted about type 1 diabetes‑related research. Most opportunities you will hear about will take place in your health board area, although you may also receive information on other studies, such as questionnaire-based studies that you can take part in from home. You can then choose to get involved in you wish. You can find out more, and sign up, here.

Contact us

Any questions, please email researchcommunications@breakthroughT1D.org.uk.