In March 2026, leading T1D researchers, healthcare professionals, industry partners, and people with lived experience from around the world met in Barcelona for ATTD 2026 to share and discuss the latest breakthroughs in T1D science.
From medication and technology that could help improve the lives of people with T1D, to cell-based therapies that offer hope of a cure, read on to discover the latest in T1D research – and the next big T1D conference, right here in Australia.
1. Islet transplants with safer immunosuppression
2. Genetically modified cells without immunosuppressant drugs
3. Treatments to help manage T1D alongside insulin
4. Artificial intelligence (AI) to support T1D management
5. Muscles making and responding to insulin
The next big international diabetes conference
1. Islet transplants with safer immunosuppression
Therapies to replace the insulin-making beta cells lost in T1D, including transplants of islets (which contain beta cells) from organ donors, are a promising avenue to a cure.
People who receive islet transplants need to take strong immunosuppressant drugs, which limit their immune system’s response to the new cells to stop it attacking them. These drugs come with dangerous side effects such as increased risk of cancer, infection and kidney damage, so researchers are trying to find ways to remove the need for them.
An exciting clinical trial is underway in the US, funded by Breakthrough T1D, exploring the use of a more targeted immunosuppressant drug called tegoprubart in islet transplants, instead of standard immunosuppressants that impact more of the immune system. Tegoprubart is given via infusion every 3 weeks. The drug is made by Eledon Pharmaceuticals, so you may have heard the trial called the Eledon trial.
New data from the Eledon trial, presented at ATTD 2026, showed that everyone who received this therapy immediately experienced improved blood glucose levels. Of the 12 participants, 10 no longer requiring insulin therapy, with the other 2 on track to come off insulin too. The first 3 people treated have not needed to take insulin for over 12 months.
Importantly, none of the participants have had any negative side effects such as severe hypoglycaemia or infections, nor experienced any indication that the transplant has been rejected. Crucially, they have no signs of kidney or nerve damage, which can be caused by the standard immunosuppressants currently used in islet transplants.
These promising results suggest tegoprubart can protect transplanted islets, allowing them to survive and release insulin without the unwanted side effects of standard immunosuppressant drugs.
The next step: A Breakthrough T1D-funded clinical trial will give people with both T1D and chronic kidney disease islet transplants with tegoprubart.
2. Genetically modified cells without immunosuppressant drugs
What if we could remove the need for immunosuppressant drugs altogether? Sana Biotechnology, a company supported through Breakthrough T1D’s T1D Fund, has genetically edited islets from an organ donor to hide from the immune system, known as ‘hypoimmune’.
At ATTD 2026, Sana Biotech presented exciting updates on its first-in-human study, where 1 person with T1D in the US received a small dose of these hypoimmune islets without immunosuppressant drugs. The latest results show that 14 months after the treatment, the islets are making insulin, and the participant has had no severe or unexpected side effects.
The participant still has to give themselves insulin because they were only given a small number of cells to check the procedure was safe. But the findings are promising, as they provide proof of concept that gene-edited hypoimmune islets can survive and function in a person with T1D.
The next step: Sana Biotech is planning to begin larger clinical trials of the treatment in more people with T1D in the USA later this year. If the therapy proves successful in further studies, it could make islet transplants accessible to more people with T1D, as they are currently only available to people for whom the benefits outweigh the risks that come with immunosuppressant drugs.
3. Treatments to help manage T1D alongside insulin
Adjunct therapies are medications that are often used to treat type 2 diabetes and may also be able to help people with T1D. A type of adjunct therapy is a group of drugs called GLP-1 therapies – which include semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) – and this was a hot topic of discussion at the ATTD conference.
Research was presented that found GLP-1 therapies may lower insulin requirements and improve blood glucose levels, while also supporting with weight loss.
Data was also presented showing that more doctors are now prescribing these therapies for people with T1D, even though this is not approved to help treat T1D.
The next step: We now need larger clinical trials to confirm GLP-1 therapies are safe, identify less-common side effects, and establish their benefits for people with T1D. In Australia, Dr Jennifer Snaith has already led multiple clinical trials of adjunct therapies and is currently running the TIRTLE study testing tirzepatide in people with T1D.
4. Artificial intelligence (AI) to support T1D management
With AI becoming more prominent in our everyday lives, researchers are looking to how it may be a useful tool for improving life with T1D. An interesting idea discussed at ATTD 2026 was using AI to create a virtual model of a person with T1D. The model would allow researchers and clinicians to test potential changes in diabetes management in a simulated environment before talking through and implementing those adjustments in real life.
A piece of AI already being tested in clinical trials is an AI-based automated insulin delivery (AID) system called AIDANET, a fully closed loop system connecting a Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor (CGM), a Tandem t:slim insulin pump, and a smartphone. AIDANET uses AI to analyse data from the insulin pump and CGM to learn patterns in the user’s behaviour before taking control and fully automating insulin delivery. This means the insulin pump would administer insulin without the user having to tell the system they were eating or exercising.
Data from a Breakthrough T1D study testing AIDANET in 34 people with T1D showed that the system significantly improved blood glucose levels while removing some of the mental burden of managing T1D.
The next step: Data from another clinical trial testing AIDANET – this time at home in over 50 people with T1D – is due to be released soon, providing more evidence on the use of AI in T1D.
5. Muscles making and responding to insulin
Muscles help control glucose levels in the bloodstream by absorbing, storing and using glucose in response to insulin. Researchers from Kriya Therapeutics, a company supported through the T1D Fund, are exploring whether they can make muscle cells in people with T1D release insulin, so they can respond to high blood glucose levels.
The idea is for the muscle cells to release insulin to trigger this natural process, rather than relying on external insulin. The researchers hope to achieve this using a technique called gene therapy to alter the genes within the muscle cells to change their behaviour.
The gene therapy involves taking medicine that affects the immune system for 2–3 months, followed by injections into the leg muscles. The injection contains a harmless virus that carries 2 different genes, insulin and glucokinase, which acts as an insulin regulator. The treatment allows muscles to act similarly to healthy pancreatic beta cells, secreting insulin and taking up glucose in direct response to blood glucose levels. An advantage of this treatment is that there is no immunosuppression needed.
The treatment is currently being tested in preclinical trials involving large animal models of T1D. In the preclinical trials, the animals’ muscle cells started making insulin and stabilising blood glucose levels 2–3 months after the injection.
The next step: These promising results mean the researchers are hoping to begin a clinical trial of the therapy, called the Progress Study, in people later in 2026.
The next big international diabetes conference
The 2026 Immunology of Diabetes Society (IDS) congress is taking place much closer to home, in Brisbane from 20-24 April. We’re looking forward to welcoming international T1D experts to Australia and bringing the T1D community into the action with regular updates throughout the week.
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