ADA’s 86th Scientific Sessions
This event is one of the largest diabetes conferences in the world, bringing together over 11,000 attendees to share and learn about cutting-edge research and advancements toward cures. Each year, Breakthrough T1D-funded researchers highlight their work, demonstrating the progress we’re making toward achieving our mission. Leading experts will present over 100 studies spanning cell therapies, disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), diabetes technology, treatments, and more!
ADA 2026 has officially come to a close! We’re excited to report on the final two days of the conference, with even more updates spanning Cures and Improving Lives. Read on to learn about Breakthrough T1D-funded research making an impact and highlights from our on-site staff, especially in cell therapies.
Check out the updates from days 3 and 4 across Cures and Improving Lives:
Quick Primer on T1D Immunology Terms
- Antigen: part of a beta cell that the immune system mistakenly recognizes as “non-self” and mounts an immune response against.
- Antigen-presenting cell (APC): Immune cell that “presents” beta cell antigens on their surface to T cells, which then learn to attack the beta cells.
- T cells: The destructive immune cells that directly attack beta cells.
- Regulatory T cells (Tregs): help control and resolve immune responses but are less functional and effective in T1D.
Cell Therapies
Cell Therapies Highlight: Breakthrough T1D-Funded Clinical Trial for Tegoprubart Continues to Hit Milestones
Piotr Witkowski, M.D. (University of Chicago) gave an update on the Breakthrough T1D-funded clinical trial for Eledon’s tegoprubart, an immune therapy being tested with donor-derived islet cell transplants. All 12 participants are off external insulin. They are not experiencing severe hypoglycemic events or unexpected adverse events, there are no signs of the body rejecting the transplanted cells, and there are no signs of kidney toxicity.
Islet Size Matters
- Presenter: Julia Panzer, Ph.D. (City of Hope)
- In humans, islets have a range of sizes.
- Older adults with T1D tend to have smaller islets, but we don’t know if islets are shrinking or if more small islets are being generated.
- Based on islets isolated from donor pancreases and sorted by size, smaller islets are less responsive to changes in glucose, and they are preferentially targeted by T cells (the immune cells that attack insulin-producing beta cells).
- This work provides insight into how T1D may progress differently with age based on changes in islet size.
Cell Therapies Highlight: Research Funded by Breakthrough T1D or the T1D Fund
Jessica Weaver, Ph.D. (Arizona State University) presented about how we can learn lessons from placental immunology to train the immune system to ignore beta cells in T1D. During pregnancy, specialized cells in the placenta (called trophoblasts) teach the mother’s immune system to ignore the developing baby. Dr. Weaver is testing if trophoblasts can be successfully transplanted in mice in an encapsulation device her team optimized through computational modeling to improve cell survival. The goal is to eventually see if trophoblasts can be co-implanted with islet cells so that they send signals to the immune system to ignore them.
Leonardo Ferreira, Ph.D. (Medical University of South Carolina) presented on a dual cell engineering strategy for T1D. In this approach, manufactured beta cells are engineered to display a unique protein fragment on their surface. Tregs are then engineered to recognize that same unique fragment. When implanted together, the Tregs can turn down the activity of any destructive immune cells that become activated against the protein fragment. In mouse models, this method has proven to be successful, and Dr. Ferreira is finding even more ways to modify these cell types to enhance their functions. The idea is to translate this into a new manufactured islet cell therapy approach that would also modify a person’s immune cells so that immunosuppression is not required.
Julie Sneddon, Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco) studies how precursor cells turn into beta cells during development. Her work provides insights into how we can harness this knowledge to optimize beta cell manufacturing in the lab for large-scale islet cell therapies.
Quinn Peterson, Ph.D. (Mayo Clinic) focuses on manufacturing all the different cells of the islet, in addition to beta cells, for islet cell therapies. His work in T1D mouse models showed that implanting beta cells with alpha cells (which secrete glucagon) allows them to function better with fewer cells. This could have implications for how we optimize islet cell replacement therapies.
Peng Wang, Ph.D. (Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine) presented his work on a small molecule called harmine, which can promote the function and expansion of beta cells in T1D mouse models. The goal is to use harmine in the context of manufactured islet cell transplants to improve their maturation and function to make these therapies more effective.
Leonardo Velazco-Cruz, Ph.D. (Century Therapeutics, a T1D Fund portfolio company) presented on the company’s manufactured islet cell therapy product, CNTY-183, which is engineered with Allo-evasion 5.0 technology so that immunosuppression is not needed. Dr. Velazco-Cruz reported that Century Therapeutics has developed a scalable, bioreactor-enabled differentiation process that can produce consistent, functional manufactured islets. In mouse models, engineered islets were protected from the immune system and maintained insulin production as measured by C-peptide. The company will continue to develop its product for eventual translation into humans.
Advocacy Staff Making an Impact
Clem Cypra, Director of Health Policy, presented a poster from our Advocacy team on how well insurance claims capture hypoglycemia in people with T1D. This is especially important because an eligibility requirement for islet cell therapy clinical trials is severe hypoglycemia, and payers often use claims data to understand who may qualify for new therapies. The team found that claims capture significantly lower rates of hypoglycemia in people with T1D compared to rates reported in clinical studies and published reports. Therefore, relying on claims alone may result in coverage decisions that are not in line with real-world care for people with T1D, and additional research is needed to fully uncover the impact of hypoglycemia on the T1D community.
Key Takeaways
- Breakthrough T1D-funded cell therapy research is advancing on two fronts: helping transplanted islet cells survive and function without lifelong immunosuppression, and manufacturing better islet cells at scale.
- The clinical trial studying tegoprubart at the University of Chicago continues to impress, with all 12 participants off external insulin and no signs of rejection or kidney toxicity.
- Across the funded portfolio, researchers are engineering the immune system to tolerate beta cells while others refine how islet cells are created in a lab.
- Together, this work is moving the field toward manufactured islet cell therapies that could one day restore insulin production without immunosuppression.
Disease-Modifying Therapies
Cell engineering approaches to turn down autoimmunity
- Presenter: Justin Spanier, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
- The interaction between APCs and T cells is critical to the autoimmune process.
- Dr. Spanier presented on two different cell engineering strategies to disrupt this interaction.
- The first approach involves developing an antibody that binds to beta cell antigens on the surface of APCs, which physically blocks T cells from interacting with it.
- The second approach involves engineering Tregs to interact with beta cell antigens on the surface of APCs so that, again, T cells cannot interact.
- Dr. Spanier is further refining these approaches with the ultimate goal of finding new ways to suppress autoimmunity in T1D.
Disease-Modifying Therapies Highlight: Breakthrough T1D-Funded Research
Jacqueline Burke, Ph.D. (Northwestern University) spoke about the development of a “tolerozome,” a nanoparticle loaded with an immune-modulating agent (rapamycin) that can train the immune system to ignore beta cells. Her approach is unique in that tolerozomes are delivered specifically to immune cells, meaning that other surrounding cells are unchanged. Even more, this approach can be applied to islet cell transplants (to prevent attack on transplanted cells) or early-stage T1D (to preserve the body’s beta cells). Data from animal models of T1D support the potential for these approaches with limited toxicity, and ongoing studies will assess long-term tolerozome dosing and combination with manufactured islets.
Spotlight on Breakthrough T1D-Funded Research: Uncovering Biological Mechanisms in T1D
T1D Pancreases have Tissue-Wide Biological Alterations
- Presenter: Dirk Homman, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Miami)
- Dr. Homman presented his work on full-scale assessment of the entire pancreases of people with T1D (obtained through the Breakthrough T1D-sponsored nPOD program).
- Using histology and single-cell computational methods, he found that T1D pancreases have tissue-wide alterations that are not limited to islets.
- These findings will provide a better basis for our understanding of T1D pathology and help researchers adapt mouse models of T1D to better mimic biological changes that occur in humans.
Beta Cells are Stressed
- Presenter: Farooq Syed, Ph.D. (Arthur-Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute)
- Beta cells have increased signaling through specific stress-response pathways, which may contribute to their ability to provoke an autoimmune response.
- Dr. Syed explored how stress pathways can influence large-scale changes in beta cell genes, further uncovering how molecular alterations in the beta cells themselves may contribute to autoimmunity.
Key Takeaways
- Disease-modifying therapy research is focused on retraining the immune system in a targeted way to ignore the beta cells so they can continue to produce insulin.
- These strategies include engineering various agents, including antibodies, modified Tregs, nanoparticles, and more that may protect transplanted islets or preserve beta cells in early-stage T1D.
- Foundational research is also deepening our understanding of the disease itself: T1D pancreases show tissue-wide alterations beyond the islets, and beta cells under stress may help provoke the autoimmune response.
- Together, we are going down the path to new ways to slow or stop the autoimmune attack at the heart of T1D.
Early Detection
Global Pediatric Screening Inequities
- Presenter: Jean Claude Katte, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Exeter)
- The Young Onset Diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa study found that most people diagnosed with T1D in this geography did not have any autoantibodies detected.
- T1D screening tools based on autoantibody detection were developed using white populations with a European ancestry.
- This suggests that our current screening model and staging framework may not be suitable for people from all geographies since there appears to be biological variability.
- Dr. Katte also highlighted significant inequities in access to care in Africa and other geographies.
- Breakthrough T1D is committed to helping close these gaps through our Advocacy work around the globe, including our ALIGN-T1D initiative.
Monitoring Youth with One Persistent Autoantibody
- Presenter: Nicole Sheanon, M.D., M.S. (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center). Dr. Sheanon is also a part of our Mission Impact Volunteer program.
- Around 15% of youth with a single autoantibody detected and no symptoms will go on to develop T1D.
- The first three years after autoantibody detection are the most critical monitoring window.
- Healthcare professionals (HCPs) should look out for any changes in health that may signal progression of T1D, including changes in HbA1c levels or the development of an additional autoantibody.
- Education is critically important so that families know to remain aware of the potential risk of T1D development, even if it’s low.
- For more, take a look at published consensus guidance for monitoring of early-stage T1D, which was published a few years ago and spearheaded by Vice President of Medical Affairs Anastasia Albanese-O’Neill, Ph.D., APRN, CDCES.
Early Detection Highlight: Breakthrough T1D-Funded Researchers and Staff
Holly O’Donnell, Ph.D. (Barbara Davis Center) presented on the psychosocial impact of T1D diagnoses (early-stage and clinical) on families. Dr. O’Donnell found that communicating with families about the risk of T1D progression can be a challenge, and education efforts need to be individualized and repeated to be effective. Families with a greater understanding of T1D risk also tend to have more anxiety, especially for those who have a family history of the disease. Dr. O’Donnell is currently working on a Breakthrough T1D-funded study to adapt a cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce anxiety around risk of progression for families with children in early-stage T1D. For more, see Dr. O’Donnell’s o-demand seminar for HCPs.
Dr. Albanese-O’Neill spoke about recommendations for T1D screening and monitoring. She covered a range of topics, including the global T1D screening landscape, ICD-10 diagnosis codes for early-stage T1D, and the potential benefits and of screening, early detection, and follow-up monitoring. Dr. Albanese-O’Neill also discussed the importance of clinical trials, especially for DMTs targeted toward early-stage or newly diagnosed individuals, and she urged the HCPs in the audience to encourage research participation in their clinics. She closed with information about our early detection pilot clinics and international consensus guidelines for general population T1D screening, developed by Dr. Albanese-O’Neill with expert collaborators.
Key Takeaways
- Current screening methods may miss people elsewhere, so we must adapt our screening and staging frameworks need to ensure it works across the globe.
- Breakthrough T1D is working to close these gaps through Advocacy efforts around the world, including the ALIGN-T1D initiative.
- The first three years after detection are the most important monitoring window for youth who have a single autoantibody.
- Although it does have marked benefits, learning about T1D risk early can be emotionally difficult for families. Breakthrough T1D-funded research is developing tailored support to help them cope.
Improving Lives
The State of T1D in Adults
- Presenter: Marissa Hitchcock, BSN, RN, CDCES (Children with Diabetes)
- The global prevalence of T1D is increasing by 2-3% each year.
- 21% of adults with T1D are meeting HbA1c targets of less than 7%, and 64% are using diabetes technology.
- Cardiovascular events occur 10 to 15 years earlier in T1D adults, and 30-40% of adults develop kidney disease within 25 years of diagnosis.
- There are not enough options for adults with T1D to reduce their risk for heart and kidney disease; while GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT inhibitors are showing promise in clinical trials, they are still not approved and widely accessible.
- Major gaps in care for this population include healthcare access and affordability, psychosocial support, socioeconomic disparities, and representation in clinical trials.
- We need to do more for adults with T1D, and a major priority of Breakthrough T1D is funding research into devices and therapies that can improve blood sugar and weight management and reduce complications so T1D adults can do and feel better.
Improving Lives Highlight: Breakthrough T1D-Funded Researchers and Staff Making an Impact
Courtney Ackeifi, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, hosted a networking event for building partnerships with scientists and clinicians working on cardiometabolic therapies for T1D. In a short presentation, she highlighted the urgent need for cardiometabolic therapies for the T1D community and opportunities to partner with Breakthrough T1D to accelerate progress in this area. Anyone who is interested can check out our funding opportunities.
Key Takeaways
- It is critical that we continue to invest in complications research, especially as adults with T1D are encountering earlier and higher rates of heart disease and kidney disease. We need more options.
- There are still significant gaps that are preventing everyone from having access to the therapies that work best for them- Major gaps remain in access, affordability, mental health support, and clinical trial representation for adults with T1D.
- Breakthrough T1D is working to close these gaps so there are more options for people with T1D and they are accessible.
Advocating for Children with T1D
Lauren Figg (Stanford University) presented on how the medical community can advocate for children with T1D to get adequate access to care. Social needs, including basics like food, clothing, and shelter in addition to whether they can afford insulin or other supplies, should be document in electronic health records so HCPs can provide the appropriate support. Figg also suggested that HCPs be aware of local community resources, deliver information through multiple ways (verbal, printed, etc.), and follow up with families to ensure they are getting the T1D care they need.
That’s a wrap on ADA 2026! For more, tune in on Wednesday, June 10, at 6 PM Eastern Time on our social channels for a live Mid-Year Mission Update from our leadership—including highlights from ADA, recent advances, and what we can look forward to for the rest of 2026.
Coming soon: A full ADA 2026 recap with everything you need to know about the conference. Keep an eye on our News & Updates webpage!
