From vision to reality, the UK’s Type 1 Diabetes Cell Therapy Clinical Trials Network takes shape

Last year, the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge announced plans to establish a UK-wide Type 1 Diabetes Cell Therapy Clinical Trials Network (CTN) in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).  

These plans are now taking a major step forward, with a flagship £2 million funding opportunity set to help bring the CTN to life.  

Supported by a generous donation from the Steve Morgan Foundation and underpinned by NIHR research infrastructure, the CTN is being developed to ensure that people living with type 1 diabetes in the UK gain access to the latest cutting-edge cell therapies as early as possible.  

This comes at a pivotal moment. Around the world, several groundbreaking beta cell therapies are already progressing through clinical trials, with many more in early development, including those funded by the Grand Challenge. The CTN will provide the expertise, infrastructure and national coordination needed to accelerate these therapies into clinical practice and ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of type 1 diabetes care.  

Over the past year, extensive work has been undertaken to determine the shape of the CTN. A senior NIHR expert embedded within the Grand Challenge team has been leading this work in partnership with experts from across the sector. This has included an independent Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Simon Heller, who also chairs the Grand Challenge’s Scientific Advisory Panels, which has brought together clinical, academic, implementation and lived-experience expertise to help guide the CTN’s development. This collaborative process has ensured that the needs of people affected by type 1 diabetes remain central to the CTN, while strengthening the UK’s position as a leading ecosystem for type 1 diabetes cell therapy research. 

The CTN is now moving from development to set-up at pace. To support this next phase, a new T1DGC funding opportunity will launch on 1 September 2026. Up to £2 million over three years will be available to establish the infrastructure to strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in emerging beta cell therapies and accelerate the path to a cure. 

The award will fund a central CTN Coordinating Centre (CTN-CC) and a network of accredited Lead Delivery Sites to deliver innovative type 1 diabetes clinical trials.  

A CTN Clinical Director will provide national leadership, work closely with NIHR UK research infrastructure, and spearhead the dedicated national focus for type 1 diabetes beta cell therapies. The CTN-CC will also support workforce and capability development, develop referral pathways to improve equitable access to trials, and deploy flexible investment to address emerging needs. It will also provide trial sponsors with access to clinical and academic expertise, supporting feasibility assessment, protocol development, site selection, trial delivery, and involvement of the type 1 diabetes community. 

Together, these steps will create a scalable national platform capable of accelerating access to innovative cell therapies and turning pioneering science into real-world impact for people living with type 1 diabetes. 

Jessica Goddard, Head of the UK Type 1 Diabetes Cell Therapy Clinical Trial Network, at Diabetes UK said: 

“The UK is well positioned to become a global leader in delivering clinical trials for type 1 diabetes cell therapies, supported by a unique combination of scientific excellence, advanced clinical research infrastructure, progressive regulatory reform, and coordinated national investment. This flagship infrastructure investment will create a nationally coordinated and internationally connected platform to accelerate the development and delivery of type 1 diabetes beta cell therapy trials, and enable more people living with the condition to access innovative treatments”. 

Rachel Connor, Director of Research Partnerships at Breakthrough T1D UK, said:

“For people living with type 1 diabetes, the progress we’re seeing in cell therapy research offers real hope for the future. The ultimate test for any approach to delivering cures for people with T1D comes in clinical trials, when we can see how new therapies work for individuals who live with T1D. It’s exciting that many research programmes are reaching this stage, bringing therapies that could potentially free people from the relentless burden of managing this condition closer to reality. So it’s vital that people with type 1 diabetes who want to be part in testing these therapies have the opportunity to test these innovations as quickly as possible.

“The Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge Clinical Trials Network will harness the robust power of NIHR together with the promise of the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge to accelerate the journey from the lab to life-changing impact.”

Full application guidance and details on how to apply will be available here from September 1st 2026. Potential applicants are welcome to contact the T1DGC Research Funding Team with any questions once the call is live.