654 T1D Trials Are Active Right Now. How Many Focus on a Cure?

August 13, 2026

This is the 14^th annual overview of all active clinical trials testing type 1 diabetes therapies today. JDCA analysts downloaded all T1D-focused studies on the US trial database and categorized each one by research focus (see Appendix A). This is the only analysis that pinpoints what areas in the T1D ecosystem researchers and organizations are placing the most attention on, and shows how these focus areas compare to prior years. Most importantly, we can see what percentage of clinical trials are developing a potential Practical Cure for T1D.

This year, there are 654 clinical trials. These studies research various therapies, medications, and technologies to better the lives of those living with or at risk of developing T1D. Chart A illustrates how each research category (or ‘bubble’) proportionally compares to the rest. The bigger the bubble, the greater the number of trials.

Only 2% of the total—just 12 trials—are working toward a full Practical Cure for T1D. These ‘full’ Practical Cure projects address both replenishing an insulin-producing cell supply and protection from the autoimmune attack. Since JDCA began tracking this information in 2012, the percentage of full Practical Cure trials has not risen above 3%, despite a steady increase in the total number of trials evaluated each year.

A comprehensive update of all active Practical Cure projects will be published in the weeks ahead.

Chart A: Proportional Categorization of Active T1D Human Trials

*Trial totals based on clinicaltrials.gov download, conducted July 7, 2026.
 

Summary Numbers

• 654 total T1D trials (see Appendix B).
• Disease management remains the largest category, totaling 25% (164) of all T1D trials.
• Onset delay and prevention are the only categories with continued growth over the past five years, reflecting the strengthened emphasis on therapies to alter or prevent T1D progression.
• Prevention research, totaling 37 trials this year, experienced the most growth of all categories:
  • 19% increase from the prior year (31 trials in 2025).
  • 185% increase compared to five years ago (13 trials in 2022).
• Despite the number of T1D trials growing each year, still only 2% are working toward a full Practical Cure (see Appendix C).
• Roughly 6% of trials are working on one aspect of a Practical Cure.
  • Immune system modification: 10 trials testing solutions to protect insulin-producing cells from the immune system.
  • Restore insulin production: 25 trials aiming to restore or replace insulin-producing cells.

Appendix A: JDCA Clinical Trial Category Definitions

Appendix B: One- and Five-Year T1D Research Category Trends

Appendix C: Total Type 1 Diabetes Trials vs. Practical Cure Trials (Historical)