Breakthrough T1D

We are the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy charity; we help make everyday life with T1D better while driving toward cures. 

Type 1 diabetes is a relentless, lifelong condition. It does not discriminate and you can be diagnosed at any age. And with over 400,000 people living with the condition in the UK, we are committed to breaking down barriers to improve life with T1D. At Breakthrough T1D, we work to accelerate world-class international research, connecting the brightest minds and driving innovation forward. The research that we have set in motion over the past 40 years has led to vital breakthroughs in T1D treatment, from beta cell therapies to the first ever disease-modifying immunotherapy, which has now led us closer than ever to a cure.

At Breakthrough T1D, we focus on what the T1D community needs now and next. That means funding innovation, and campaigning to ensure people have access to the best treatments and technology. 62% of children are now using the groundbreaking hybrid closed loop (HCL) system - funded by Breakthrough T1D and available on the NHS -allowing more children freedom to play, learn and pursue the futures they deserve. Early detection programmes are now paving the way to safer, more informed diagnoses of T1D.

We now stand at a pivotal moment in type 1 research: the science and scope of what’s achievable is advancing faster than ever. But we cannot do it alone. Your support is vital in securing the next breakthrough that leads us to a cure.

I am honoured to support this appeal for Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes charity. This appeal means a great deal to me; in 2017, my son was diagnosed with type 1 at just 10 years old. Overnight, ordinary life vanished. Constant monitoring of blood sugar levels, sorting out insulin injections and never truly being able to switch off became the norm. Because type 1 diabetes doesn’t just affect one person, it affects the whole family.

That’s why I’m proud to be working with Breakthrough T1D to raise awareness of what it means to live with the condition and highlight how much progress has been made. From groundbreaking technology, to early detection programmes that are paving the way to safer diagnoses. But there is still so much more to do. We won’t stop until we find a cure and thanks to supporters like you, that goal is within reach. Your donations are vital to make the next breakthrough. 

Professor Tim Tree lives with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Not only as one of the world’s leading immunology researchers, but as someone personally managing the condition. Diagnosed aged 11, he grew up watching his father live with T1D, witnessing both the resilience it demands and the daily challenges it brings. His perspective, as a son, someone living with the condition and now a parent to three boys who are at a higher risk of developing the condition, drives his determination to find a cure. 

His research focuses on identifying drugs that can delay and ultimately prevent the onset of symptomatic T1D. By intervening in the earliest stages he aims to protect insulin-producing cells and stop the condition before it fully develops. 

Breakthrough T1D has been central to this mission, funding his work and supporting the early detection programme that screened his own children for early signs of T1D so that no family has to face type 1 diabetes generation after generation.

When Theo was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just four years old, he was in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). His family were thrown into a world they knew little about. Constant blood glucose monitoring, insulin injections, carb counting and the relentless burden of acting as your own pancreas. Overnight, life changed.

Today, Theo is thriving. Theo uses hybrid closed loop technology, which automatically adjusts insulin delivery based on his glucose levels. It means more time in range, fewer dangerous highs and lows, and fewer sleepless nights for his parents.

Theo’s progress has been shaped in part by the work of Breakthrough T1D. The charity has campaigned to improve access to life-changing diabetes technology and funded the research that made hybrid closed loop systems possible. Those breakthroughs are now easing the daily burden for families like Theo’s.

Most importantly, it gives Theo more time to simply be a child. To play, learn and grow while the technology helps carry some of the weight of type 1 diabetes.