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Immunotherapy

Immunotherapies are a new type of type 1 diabetes treatment. They work by tackling what goes wrong in type 1 diabetes - the immune system's attack. By retraining the immune system, they can help people keep producing more of their own insulin for longer. 

In our video, we explain how immunotherapies work and how they could help people at different stages of type 1 diabetes.

The first immunotherapy has been licensed in the UK, marking the start of a major shift in how we treat type 1 diabetes. But this is only the beginning. We’re funding research to make these treatments more effective and ultimately able to prevent type 1 diabetes altogether, and bring us closer to a cure.

On 14 August 2025, the first-ever immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes was licensed for use in the UK. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) decided teplizumab, also known as Tzield, is safe and effective at delaying the development of type 1 diabetes for people in the early stages of the condition. Find out more in our news story.


 

Woman in the lab doing research

What are immunotherapies and how do they work?

Different immunotherapies work in different ways, but they all aim to calm down the immune system and weaken its attack. This can shield insulin-making cells and keep them alive for longer.
Woman using microscope in the lab

Finding and treating early-stage type 1 diabetes

We can detect warning signals from the immune system that show people are already in the early, symptomless stage of type 1. This opens up a window to use immunotherapies to delay, or one day prevent, type 1 diabetes.
Professor Colin Dayan speaking

Our immunotherapy impact

We’ve been at the heart of immunotherapy research for decades. We’ve built the knowledge and networks to develop and test immunotherapies, and find ones that work sooner.
Professor Colin Dayan

Hear from Professor Colin Dayan

If you or your child have recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes you could be eligible to take part in an immunotherapy clinical trial. Our researcher Prof Colin Dayan explains everything you need to know about immunotherapy research.
A photo of Mahn sitting in a hospital ward between two of the research nurses, all wearing masks

Mahn's story

When Mahn was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes his parents found out about an immunotherapy clinical trial, and were determined to give him the chance to try a promising new treatment.
Ruby Wain training

Ruby's story

Ruby was shocked and overwhelmed when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She was then offered the chance to take part in a study testing an immunotherapy.
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