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Home > About Breakthrough T1D UK & our impact > Our research > Research projects > Inside the pancreas: how diabetes reshapes the organ
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People with T1D lose the beta cells in their pancreas, but researchers still do not fully understand how the whole pancreas changes during this process. Previous studies have only examined small pieces of the pancreas, making it difficult to understand what is happening across the entire organ. This project will study the pancreas in much greater detail, looking at samples taken from many sections.
By understanding how the pancreas changes, Dr Lekka hopes to identify patterns that could influence T1D progression, support the development of new therapies, and inform future studies.
The pancreas contains many different types of cells. Within small clusters of cells called islets, there are:
The pancreas also contains cells that make digestive enzymes which help to breakdown food, the transporter cells that carry these enzymes, and structural cells and fat cells.
This study will investigate how these different cell types are organised in the pancreas in people with and without T1D.
Researchers will analyse donated pancreas tissue, using samples taken from 12 donors, looking at 16 locations across the pancreas to provide a whole-organ view. The project will create one of the most detailed maps of the pancreas ever produced, helping researchers understand which parts of the organ are most affected by T1D. Dr. Lekka said:
Christiana said:
Diabetes affects pancreatic function, yet how the entire organ changes remain poorly understood. Using advanced imaging and AI-based analysis, this project examines tissue sections from across the whole pancreas in donors with and without type 1 diabetes. By linking these structural changes – such as fat build-up, scarring, and endocrine composition and distribution – to clinical characteristics, we aim to uncover how diabetes reshapes the organ. Ultimately, this data-driven approach will help guide future prevention, diagnosis, and personalised treatments.”
Dr. Lekka’s research will improve understanding of how T1D affects the entire pancreas, not just the insulin-producing beta cells. It will reveal whether some regions of the pancreas are more protected than others and how changes to the makeup of the pancreas related to T1D.
The findings could identify previously unrecognised features of T1D that influence how the condition progresses, how T1D impacts other cell types in the pancreas, improve understanding of why some beta cells survive, and may help researchers design more effective cell-replacement therapies.
While this research may not lead directly to a new treatment, it will provide important knowledge that could help guide future research aimed at improving the lives of people living with T1D.
Dr. Ali Shilleh, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, is studying how cell signals are organised inside lab-grown insulin-producing cells. Understanding these signals could help scientists improve future cell replacement therapies for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Dr Rachel Sumner and her team at the University of Bristol are investigating diabetes burnout, and how better to understand it. Diabetes burnout affects around one third of people with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and although known about, it is poorly understood. The researchers aim to find investigate the biological and psychosocial impacts of diabetes burnout, to further help future studies.
Dr Rachael Hughson-Gill is a researcher at the University of Lincoln, who is studying how body image issues affect young women with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Dr Gordon Sloan and his team at the University of Sheffield are researching a new method to identify nerve pain (neuropathy) in teens and young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
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