The new grant will help to follow these children longitudinally to refine monitoring strategies and facilitate the integration of early-stage type 1 diabetes care into routine practice. The researchers will work closely with families and healthcare providers to understand what effective follow-up looks like in everyday practice.
Understanding Early-Stage Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The condition can develop silently for years before symptoms appear. In its earliest stages, T1D can be identified by the presence of islet autoantibodies in the blood. While this stage does not yet require insulin treatment, individuals will eventually progress to full clinical T1D. Launched in Bavaria at the Institute of Diabetes Research at Helmholtz Munich in 2015, the Fr1da screening program has screened over 200,000 children between the ages of 2 and 10 for islet autoantibodies. Around 580 were diagnosed with early-stage T1D. To these children and their families, the Fr1da program provides a structured follow-up including regular metabolic assessments, tools for home blood sugar tracking, structured education on recognizing early symptoms, and psychological assessment and support. These services are delivered through specialized pediatric diabetes centers, with healthcare professionals trained to communicate clearly and consistently.
From Research to Routine Care
“This study is designed not only to monitor disease progression,” says Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Director of the Institute of Diabetes Research at Helmholtz Munich, “but to understand how we can support families in a meaningful way – and how we can realistically bring that support into the everyday clinical setting.”
Although international guidelines exist for the monitoring of early-stage T1D, they are rarely implemented in routine care. The Fr1da-Cohort-Study aims to bridge this gap by identifying what’s needed, both medically and logistically, to integrate monitoring into everyday clinical workflows. The new grant supporting the Fr1da-Cohort-Study will help to explore what adjustments might be necessary to make early-stage monitoring practical, efficient, and patient-centered to realistically fit into the clinical everyday workflow. To this end, the researchers work closely with specialized pediatric diabetes centers, the BVKJ (Berufsverband der Kinder- und Jugendärzt*innen e.V., German Association of Paediatric and Adolescent Care Specialists), and the families. While the study will take place in Germany, its findings could be relevant globally.
