Exeter academic receives international award for pioneering early type 1 diabetes research
A leading researcher from the University of Exeter has been recognised with a prestigious international award for his work to improve the early detection and treatment of type 1 diabetes in adults.
Dr Nick Thomas, Diabetes Consultant at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Exeter, has been awarded the 2026 European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Rising Star Symposium and European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD) Rising Star Research Fellowship Programme Prize.
The award recognises emerging researchers with the potential to make a significant impact in diabetes research and will support Dr Thomas’ work investigating the earliest stages of type 1 diabetes in adults.
His research focuses on people with islet autoantibodies – early markers that can appear months or even years before type 1 diabetes is diagnosed.
Using stored patient samples, Dr Thomas will examine how often adults who unknowingly carried these early markers went on to develop type 1 diabetes and require insulin treatment. He will also investigate whether routine clinical information and genetic testing can help identify which people are most likely to need insulin soon after diagnosis.
The aim is to improve the understanding of early-stage type 1 diabetes and support more personalised treatment decisions for patients.
Dr Thomas said: “I am motivated to turn research on presymptomatic type 1 diabetes into meaningful changes in clinical practice, improving patient care.
“This funding will enable me to develop specialist expertise in identifying and managing adults who are autoantibody positive before and at the point of diabetes diagnosis. This group does not always need insulin straight away, and there is currently limited evidence-based guidance to support them.
“By addressing this critical gap, this research supports both improved patient care and more precise, personalised treatment decisions. From a career development perspective, this award will help establish my independence as a clinical academic and support my progression towards becoming an international leader in the management of early-stage type 1 diabetes in adults.”
Dr Thomas has already played a key role in advancing research into the condition. In July 2025, his work helped make history when the first adult in the UK began treatment with a groundbreaking therapy designed to delay the progression of type 1 diabetes.
The Devon-based dentist and mother of two, Hannah Robinson discovered during pregnancy that she was in the early stages of developing the condition. The treatment has the potential to delay the need for regular insulin injections by up to three years, representing a major step forward in the management of type 1 diabetes.
Dr Thomas and colleagues at the Royal Devon and the University of Exeter are at the forefront of international research aimed at identifying people at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes before symptoms appear. By combining genetic information with autoantibody testing, the team hopes to identify individuals who could benefit from earlier monitoring and future preventative treatments.
The programme is supported by the NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility, the NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation.
The latest award further strengthens Exeter’s reputation as a global leader in diabetes research and marks another important milestone in the drive towards earlier diagnosis, more personalised care and improved outcomes for people at risk of developing type 1 diabetes.