The Grand Challenge partners with the NIHR to establish a UK-wide Type 1 Diabetes Cell Therapy Clinical Trials Network

We’re excited to announce that we’re investing £5 million over the next five years to establish a UK-wide Type 1 Diabetes Cell Therapy Clinical Trials Network, in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

This bold initiative will secure the UK’s position as a global leader in type 1 diabetes research, and ensure people living with the condition gain access to the latest cutting-edge treatments as early as possible.

With momentum from the Grand Challenge, the pace of innovation in cell therapies for type 1 diabetes is rapidly accelerating. Several groundbreaking treatments are now advancing into clinical trials, offering new hope for transformative cures. Expanding the UK’s capacity and capability to deliver these therapies into clinical practice through a nationally coordinated approach is now critical.

Supported by the NIHR’s clinical research infrastructure to guarantee sustainability and lasting impact, the Network will pinpoint and address the unique challenges of type 1 diabetes cell therapy trials, while enhancing and integrating existing resources. By leveraging expertise, infrastructure, and data from across the UK, it will provide a world-class, globally attractive platform for type 1 diabetes cell therapy clinical trials.

The Network will connect existing type 1 diabetes networks and bring together leaders from across NIHR’s Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) and Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs). It will also draw on knowledge beyond type 1 diabetes, tapping into cross-disciplinary experience from areas including oncology and organ transplantation.

Initial focus areas for the Network include:

• patient cohorts and phenotyping;
• patient recruitment;
• involvement of people affected by type 1 diabetes;
• clinical trial delivery models.

A Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Simon Heller, an internationally recognised diabetes expert and Chair of the Grand Challenge Scientific Advisory Panels, and comprising clinical leaders and people with lived experience of type 1 diabetes, will guide the Network’s strategy and implementation.

To accelerate progress, a senior NIHR expert will be embedded within the Grand Challenge team, and a new funding call will launch to strengthen infrastructure for delivering beta cell therapy trials across the UK. Further details will be shared in late 2025.

Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research and Clinical at Diabetes UK, said:

“We’re delighted to partner with the NIHR to establish the UK’s first Type 1 Diabetes Cell Therapy Clinical Trials Network, aimed at delivering breakthrough, potentially curative therapies. This initiative captures the very essence of the Grand Challenge: ambitious partnerships, cutting-edge innovation, and an unwavering focus on improving the lives of people with type 1 diabetes as quickly as possible. It’s a strategic leap toward making cell therapies a real-world treatment option, while reinforcing the UK’s position as a global leader in clinical research.”

Professor Marian Knight, Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure, said:

“This new clinical trials network will bring together world-leading expertise in type 1 diabetes with the power of the NIHR’s infrastructure to accelerate progress towards the development of cutting-edge cell therapies. Putting patients at the heart of the new research will ensure these new treatments are rapidly transitioned from bench to bedside, improving the lives and futures of people with diabetes.”

Liam Eaglestone, Chief Executive Officer of the Steve Morgan Foundation:

“We’re proud to fund the work of the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, supported by NIHR. By bringing together the best people and organisations into diabetes research, this new network will speed up the development of life-changing treatments, bringing us closer to a future without type 1 diabetes”