July 28, 2022
This report provides an overview of all the type 1 diabetes research projects currently active in human trials registered with the US FDA. Since 2012, we have evaluated and categorized each T1D human trial for research focus area, status, and likely completion date, with a focus on those projects which aim to deliver a Practical Cure for T1D.
The purpose of this review is to give a snapshot of the T1D research currently in development. The human trials registered with the FDA today represent the future of T1D treatment and cure progress. (The source of this analysis is a JDCA review of the FDA's clinical trial database, clinicaltrials.gov, conducted in the Spring of 2022. For a list of the definitions of how we characterize projects, see the Appendix of this report.)
Our key finding is that most of today’s human-stage research related to T1D is geared towards managing the disease with external insulin. See Chart 1. Only 12 trials out of 609 (2% of the total) are actively seeking to deliver a Practical Cure for T1D – that will substantially reduce or eliminate the burden of managing type 1 diabetes.
Chart 1: Active T1D Human Trials 2022
Key Summary Points:
- 609 T1D research projects in total currently in human trials.
- 12 current human trials aiming to be a Practical Cure for T1D (2% of all trials).
- 34% of all projects address disease management.
- 21% of all projects address glycemic control.
- +85% increase in the number of T1D research projects in human trials over the past 10 years. See Chart 2.
- 3% the highest annual Practical Cure project percentage of the total in the past 10 years.
Chart 2: Total T1D Human Trials vs. Practical Cure Trials, 2012-2022
Appendix: JDCA Research Category Definitions
