The ELSA study (Early Surveillance for Autoimmune Diabetes) is the largest screening programme for type 1 diabetes in children ever conducted in the UK and the most important breakthrough in diabetes since the discovery of insulin 100 years ago. Led by Professor Parth Narendran at the University of Birmingham and co-funded by Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D, so far it has screened over 37,000 children for early signals of diabetes.
Results published in January 2026 confirmed that the trial had demonstrated childhood screening for type 1 diabetes to be both feasible and acceptable to UK families, laying the groundwork for a potential national screening programme. Screening reduces the risk of emergency diabetic ketoacidosis and opens the door to new treatments.
