Exeter doctor wins international award for diabetes research
A consultant from the University of Exeter has received a prestigious international award in recognition of his work improving understanding of early type 1 diabetes.
Dr Nick Thomas, Diabetes Consultant at the Royal Devon and Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University, was awarded the was 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.
He was recognised for his research into adults with early type 1 diabetes. This award supports him studying patient outcomes in adults with islet autoantibodies, early markers of type 1 diabetes that can appear before diagnosis. His research will explore outcomes over 10 years in patients treated without knowing they had these markers.
Dr Thomas will study how often adults without diabetes, who are later found to have early signs of type 1 diabetes in stored samples, go on to develop the condition and need insulin. He will also look at whether basic patient information and genetic tests can help predict who will need insulin soon after diagnosis.
He 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’s outstanding contribution to research led to the first adult in the UK trialling a ground-breaking drug for type 1 diabetes in July 2025. Devon-based dentist and mum of two, Hannah Robinson, discovered during pregnancy that she was in the early stages of developing type 1 diabetes. Taking the drug could mean extending the time before she needs to take regular insulin injections by up to three years.
Dr Thomas and fellow experts at the Royal Devon and the University of Exeter are leading world-class research including using genetics combined with autoantibody testing to spot individuals at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes. The research is supported by the NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility, NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation.
