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Early type 1

We can now find people in the earliest, hidden stages of type 1 diabetes - before symptoms, before insulin is needed, before the immune system has done too much damage. 

Early detection opens a window to act.

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

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

In 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.

It marks the start of a major shift in how we treat type 1. But this is only the beginning. We’re funding research to find people who could benefit from immunotherapy, improve these treatments, and ultimately prevent type 1 diabetes altogether.

Woman in the lab doing research

How we detect type 1 earlier

Screening allows us to spot warning signals from the immune system that show people are already in the early, symptomless stages of type 1.
Woman using microscope in the lab

How immunotherapies work

Immunotherapies calm down the immune system and weaken its attack. This can shield insulin-making cells and keep them alive for longer.
Professor Colin Dayan speaking

Our impact tackling type 1's root cause

We’ve led landmark screening research and built the knowledge and networks to supercharge immunotherapy research.
Imogen smiling in a hospital

Imogen's story

Screening revealed that Imogen had early-stage type 1 diabetes. Because it was found early, she could receive teplizumab to delay its progression and give her more years before needing insulin.
Hannah on a hike

Hannah's story

Hannah discovered she had early-stage type 1 diabetes during her pregnancy. She became the first person in the UK to be treated with teplizumab.
Mahn receiving immunotherapy treatment

Teplizumab

Teplizumab, or Tzield, is the world's first type 1 diabetes immunotherapy. It slows the progression of type 1 when given in its early, symptomless stages - giving people extra years free from the relentlessness of managing it.
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