New Joint Webinar Programme Announced
09-01-2021
8 – 14 June 2026 is Diabetes Awareness Week. This year’s focus is on tackling some of the negative attitudes that those living with diabetes still encounter
Diabetes UK estimates that almost 6 million people in the UK are living with diabetes. This figure includes more than one million people who are believed to be living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. As cases continue to rise, experts are calling not only for better prevention and treatment strategies, but also for a shift in how society understands and talks about the condition.
Diabetes is a complex and often misunderstood health condition. While it is commonly associated with lifestyle factors, the reality is far more nuanced. Oversimplifying what it means to live with diabetes, and why it develops, can contribute to harmful stigma.
This stigma remains a major challenge for people living with diabetes. Research from Diabetes UK indicates that eight in ten individuals with the condition have experienced negative attitudes, from judgemental comments to harmful stereotypes. Many report being blamed for their diagnosis or subjected to sweeping generalisations about their health and lifestyle.
Healthcare professionals warn that this can have serious consequences, including missed appointments and delayed treatment, ultimately affecting long-term health outcomes.
As part of these awareness efforts we are highlighting progress in diabetes research.
Below you can read about 4 very different trials conducted by Registered Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) that aim to advance treatment and quality of life for people living with diabetes.
An increasing life expectancy in people with Intellectual Disabilities results in a higher prevalence of Type 2 diabetes than in the general population. This is as a result of factors including a more sedentary lifestyle, high-fat diet and high levels of anti-psychotic medications, all of which can contribute to obesity.
Many people with intellectual disability do not have annual blood tests, including HbA1c, cholesterol levels and microalbuminuria; annual blood pressure and BMI measurements; or diabetic retinopathy screening.
Funding has been received from the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme to explore whether a diabetes education programme tailored specifically for people with intellectual disability (DESMOND-ID) can improve self-management of Type 2 diabetes compared to usual care.
The My Diabetes and Me Study is a UK-wide randomised control trial of self-management of type 2 diabetes in adults with intellectual disabilities. The study is led by Professor Laurence Taggart at Queen’s University, Belfast and is co-ordinated by the Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit (NICTU).
Colette Jackson is the Trial Manager at NICTU for this study and, with her team, has provided excellent support to the 11 participating sites across the UK, facilitating the largest UK randomised controlled trial in this population with 297 participants.
Hear more about the My Diabetes and Me Study at: https://youtu.be/IA07B1xpM9k.
A clinical trial investigating an established immunotherapy, originally used to treat psoriasis, has shown promising results in adolescents with recent-onset Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). The study found that the treatment can help preserve the body’s ability to produce insulin.
Funded by the NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme, the USTEK1D trial explored the use of Ustekinumab in 72 young people aged 12 to 18 who had been diagnosed with T1D within the previous three months. The aim was to slow or prevent the loss of insulin-producing cells.
The trial involved researchers from Cardiff University, Kings College London, Swansea University and the University of Calgary, with the Swansea Trials Unit providing trial management, regulatory advice, data management, statistical analysis, QA, and PPI coordination.
Slowing the immune attack
After 12 months, participants who received Ustekinumab were producing around 49% more of their own insulin compared to those in the control group, who received matched placebo injections.
Laboratory analyses also showed that the treatment reduced levels of immune cells producing the IL-17 protein. Importantly, those participants with the biggest reductions in IL-17-producing cells saw the greatest preservation of their insulin-producing capacity. This provides the first clear trial-based evidence of the damaging role these cells play in T1D.
Next steps
While these findings are encouraging, further studies are needed to confirm the results and to better understand which patients are most likely to benefit. On its own, Ustekinumab does not appear to completely halt the autoimmune process, and some loss of insulin-producing capacity occurs before treatment takes effect.
Future research may look at combining Ustekinumab with other therapies to provide greater protection for insulin-producing cells. Even so, this trial marks an important step forward in the move towards more precise, targeted treatments for T1D, aimed at maximising benefit while minimising side effects.
Find out more
STU trial webpage: https://www.swanseatrialsunit.org/trials/ustekid
USTEK1D final report to NIHR: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/eme/FQLN7416
Final results published in Nature Medicine: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03115-2
The RECONGISED trial is an NIHR-funded study evaluating whether the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices improves health outcomes for mothers and babies in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), compared to standard finger-prick blood glucose testing.
Gestational diabetes is the most common medical complication in pregnancy, affecting up to 20% of pregnant women in the UK. The risk of obstetric and neonatal complications in women with GDM is up to three times that of the general antenatal population.
CGM is already established in the management of other forms diabetes, and it offers a potentially easier and more convenient method of tracking glucose levels. It can also provide a more detailed and accurate picture of blood glucose patterns, monitoring levels continuously throughout the day and night, enabling clinical teams to optimise care and reduce the risk of complications.
The study, led by Associate Professor Christy Burden (University of Bristol) and Professor Eleanor Scott (University of Leeds) is coordinated by the Bristol Trials Centre (BTC) at the University of Bristol and is due to begin recruitment in early 2027. The BTC will collaborate with 25 maternity centres across the UK to recruit over 2,000 pregnant women from diverse populations with gestational diabetes.
With the support of the experienced team at BTC, the study aims to provide robust, high-quality evidence which could influence national guidance on the use of CGM technology for gestational diabetes.
Further information can be found here: https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR170211
The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) was a landmark UK study investigating whether substantial weight loss could achieve remission of type 2 diabetes. Conducted in NHS primary care settings, the trial tested an intensive weight-management programme involving a low-calorie diet, structured food reintroduction, and long-term weight maintenance support. The study demonstrated that nearly half of participants achieved diabetes remission after one year, challenging the long-held belief that type 2 diabetes is inevitably progressive.
The impact of DiRECT continues to grow. Analyses from the 5-year follow-up data, published in 2026, provided a unique assessment of cost-effectiveness based on actual NHS resource utilisation rather than predicted disease outcomes. The findings suggest that, if implemented routinely across the NHS, the DiRECT/Counterweight intervention becomes cost-saving after approximately five years. Further analyses also showed that routine liver function tests could identify improvements in liver health, with the intervention reversing abnormalities associated with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) in around one-third of participants.
Glasgow Clinical Trials Unit (GCTU) and the Robertson Centre for Biostatistics (RCB) managed the data management, statistical and methodological aspects of the DiRECT trial, with Professor Alex McConnachie serving as Trial Statistician.
Building on the success of DiRECT, GCTU and RCB are also supporting Co-DIRECT Nepal, an ongoing follow-up study adapting the diabetes remission approach for a different healthcare setting. Funded by the Medical Research Council through the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) Healthy Cities Programme, Co-DIRECT Nepal is a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial evaluating whether a low-cost, community-delivered dietary intervention can achieve remission of screen-detected type 2 diabetes in Nepal. The study aims to generate evidence on how remission programmes can be implemented sustainably and equitably in low-resource settings.
DiRECT has transformed expectations for people living with type 2 diabetes by demonstrating that remission is achievable for many through significant weight loss. The findings have informed diabetes care nationally and internationally: for example, GPs can now refer people with newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes into NHS diabetes remission programmes based on DiRECT around the UK. This has given thousands of people access to evidence-based interventions that can reduce medication use, improve quality of life, and lower the risk of long-term complications.
The wider impact of the work continues to be recognised. In 2026, the DiRECT diabetes remission programme was shortlisted for the Prix Galien UK Award for Best Public Sector Innovation, reflecting its contribution to improving population health and healthcare delivery.
You can find out more about DiRECT at: https://www.directclinicaltrial.org.uk/
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