January 21, 2026

expert reaction to research letter on the feasibility of paediatric type 1 diabetes screening

A research letter published in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology looks feasibility of UK paediatric type 1 diabetes screening.

Prof Shareen Forbes, Professor of Diabetic Medicine, University of Edinburgh, said:

“The press release does accurately reflect the science, and this is good quality research where the conclusions are backed up with solid data. This study provides new insight into the most effective recruitment routes for diabetes screening in children aged 3–13 years. Social media and schools emerged as highly successful strategies for identifying and engaging participants. Crucially, the findings also highlight the importance of home-based screening for families living in more socioeconomically deprived areas based on postcode. Recruitment and testing in non-home settings—such as schools—significantly increased participation among minority ethnic groups. These populations are typically under-represented and difficult to reach, underscoring the value of flexible screening approaches. It indicates that screening can realistically be implemented in UK healthcare and provides evidence to improve future national and international screening programmes.

“This research matters as Type 1 diabetes usually is not detected until symptoms appear. ELSA supports a future where children at risk are identified early and families are prepared. Complications at diagnosis are reduced. Type 1 diabetes becomes a condition that can be anticipated and monitored, not just reacted to.”

Dr Nick Thomas, Diabetes Physician and Academic Clinical lecturer in Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Exeter, said:

“This groundbreaking UK study provides a feasible and acceptable blueprint for identifying children in the early stages of type 1 diabetes. Early detection has never been more important, as new drugs are now available that can delay the onset of the disease, but only if they are given before symptoms develop.

We therefore need effective strategies to identify people in the earliest stages of type 1 diabetes. This study presents high-quality, evidence that remote testing for type 1 diabetes is widely taken up by families across the UK, with particularly high participation among those with a family history of the condition. The strength of the study lies in its clear and robust design and the recruitment of a large, representative cohort, allowing the findings to be readily translated to real-world settings.

Importantly, the findings demonstrate how different recruitment strategies influenced uptake across diverse populations, providing crucial insights for future efforts to ensure equitable access to testing. The study also found that testing was acceptable to families, and that anxiety among those receiving positive results could be effectively mitigated through education and psychological support.

The outcomes of this work will significantly shape future programmes aimed at detecting pre-clinical type 1 diabetes in children.”

‘Feasibility of UK paediatric type 1 diabetes screening’ by Lauren M Quinn, et al. was published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology at 00:01 UK time on Wednesday 21st January 2026.

Declared interests:

Prof Shareen Forbes: “I am part of the UK Type 1 Diabetes Research Consortium (UK T1D-RC) and I have acted as an adviser to Sanofi.”

Dr Nick Thomas:

1. collaborator with authors of this manuscript on other papers
2. Co-investigator with author R Dias on grant application looking to further improve equitable take up of testing and follow up
3. Has received travel support From Sanofi to attend pre-clincial type 1 diabetes conference
4. Report advisory board membership from Sanofi