A national team of researchers from the University of Birmingham have set out to enrol 20,000 children, aged between three and 13-years-old, in a first-of-its-kind type 1 diabetes trial, referred to as ELSA.
The primary aim of the trial screening programme is to identify those children who are placed at a high risk of developing type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition whereby the immune system attacks and kills insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Without insulin, the body is left unable to function properly as it plays a key role in transporting energy from food into blood cells. If type 1 diabetes is undiagnosed or untreated, it can cause life-threatening issues.
In the bigger picture, researchers hope the screening programme will lay a foundation for a future UK-wide test to be developed – a goal that could offer life-changing results for many nationwide, given that approximately 29,000 children in the UK currently have type 1 diabetes, out of a total of around 400,000 people.
For such children and their families or caregivers, diabetic management involves injecting insulin and testing blood glucose levels regularly.
Children who are screened as being at high risk could access clinical trials testing the latest type 1 diabetes treatment, potentially preventing or delaying the condition.
The researchers will evaluate participants’ risk of type 1 diabetes via a mix of venous blood tests and finger prick tests, and will screen for autoantibodies, which are markers linked with the development of type 1 diabetes.
These markers can appear in the blood years or even decades ahead of any symptoms. People with two or more autoantibodies have an 85% chance of having the condition within 15 years, and are almost certain to develop it in their lifetime.
For those who are identified as being at risk, education, support and follow-up interviews will be offered as a means of preparing for a type 1 diagnosis. In addition, patients and their families will have the chance for long-term support measures with more in-depth monitoring.
Parth Narendran, professor of diabetes medicine, and Dr Lauren Quinn, clinical research fellow at the University of Birmingham, said: “As general population screening programmes for type 1 diabetes emerge around the world, we need to explore how best to screen children here in the UK. The ELSA study will ask important questions about the best ways to recruit, and explore the experiences of families who take part.”