History

2026

GPPAD Publications

• Feasibility of Fast Turnaround Genetic Screening for Type 1 Diabetes Risk in Newborns-Recruiting Infants for the Global Platform for the Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes Primary Prevention Study Supplementation with B ifidobacterium infantis for Mitigation of Type 1 Diabetes Autoimmunity
  Fehn A, Bonifacio E, Bonnin E, et al. (2026). Hormone and Metabolic Research. doi: 10.1055/a-2960-5380. Epub ahead of print.
• Determinants of Infant Participation and Non-Participation in Primary Prevention Trials. 
  Wörl F, Achenbach P, et al. (2026). Hormone and Metabolic Research.

July 2026

New GPPAD Site Milan, Italy

New GPPAD Site Milan Started Screening & Enrollment into AVAnT1A
(PI: Emanuele Bosi)

May 2026

18th GPPAD Investigator Meeting in Starnberg / Munich, Germany

2025

GPPAD Publications

• Efficacy of once-daily high-dose oral insulin immunotherapy in children genetically at risk for type 1 diabetes: A European randomized, placebo-controlled primary prevention trial (POInT).
  Ziegler AG, Achenbach P, Weiss A, et al. (2025). The Lancet, 406, 2564-2576.
• Epigenetic differences at immune and type 1 diabetes susceptibility genes in blood from young children after COVID-19 infection.
  Ott R, Singh T, et al. (2025). Journal of Autoimmunity.
• Genetics of circulating proteins in newborn babies at high risk of type 1 diabetes.
  Tutino M, Yu NY, et al. (2025). Nature Communications, 16(1), 3750.
• Blood methylome signatures in children exposed to maternal type 1 diabetes are linked to protection against islet autoimmunity.
  Ott R, Zapardiel-Gonzalo J, et al. (2025). Nature Metabolism.
• Anti-viral action against type 1 diabetes autoimmunity: The GPPAD-AVAnT1A study protocol.
  Hummel S, Käßl A, et al. (2025). Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications.

November 2025

17th GPPAD Online Investigator Meeting

April 2025

16th GPPAD Investigator Meeting in London, UK

Our annual GPPAD Investigator meeting took place in London, where we shared valuable insights and important updates from our research – and also marked a special milestone: 10 years of GPPAD research.

2024

GPPAD Publications

• Infection episodes and islet autoantibodies in children at increased risk for type 1 diabetes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Zeller I, Ziegler AG, et al. (2024). Infection, 52(6), 2465–2473.
• Early-childhood body mass index and its association with the COVID-19 pandemic, containment measures and islet autoimmunity in children with increased risk for type 1 diabetes.
  Hummel S, Ziegler AG, et al. (2024). Diabetologia, 67(4), 670–678.
• Clinical care advice for monitoring of islet autoantibody positive individuals with presymptomatic type 1 diabetes.
  Hendriks E, Marcovecchio L, et al. (2024). Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews, 40(2), e3777.
• Vitamin D insufficiency in infants with increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes: A secondary analysis of the POInT study.
  Jacobs A, Warnants M, et al. (2024). BMJ Paediatrics Open, 8(1), e002212.

November 2024

New GPPAD Site Cambridge, UK

New GPPAD Site Cambridge Started Screening & Enrollment into AVAnT1A
(PIs: Loredana Marcovecchio & Katarzyna Gajewska-Knapik)

November 2024

Diabetes Awareness Month Activity Challenge

November 14 is World Diabetes Day – and to mark the occasion, we launched a special team challenge to raise awareness for Type 1 Diabetes. Using the Strava app, our whole Europe team collected activity minutes – and together we reached an amazing 35,000+ minutes of activity!
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed their time and energy. Every minute counts in raising awareness and showing support for those living with Type 1 Diabetes.

November 2024

15th GPPAD Online Investigator Meeting

June 2024

Last Patient Last Visit POInT in Munich, Hanover and Dresden, Germany (1,050 in Total)

May/June 2024

1st Children Enrolled in AVAnT1A in Hanover & Dresden, Germany & Malmö, Sweden

April 2024

14th GPPAD Investigator Meeting in Malmö, Sweden

April 2024

Ethic Committee Approval for the AVAnT1A Study (Antiviral Action against Type 1 diabetes Autoimmunity)

To Prevent Type 1 Diabetes Through a Sars-Cov-2 Vaccination and Investigate the Link Between Type 1 Diabetes and Viral Infections.
2,252 Participants (Planned)

• Improved Newborn Screening: GRS 47 SNPs, Sex-Specific
• GPPAD Ancillary Site: Collaboration with Heikki Hyöty & Sami Oikarinen (University of Tampere, Finland) on Measuring Viral Antibodies in AVAnT1A

February 2024

GPPAD Celebrates 1,049 Participants in SINT1A Study.
Last Child Enrolled in Newcastle, UK

2023

GPPAD Publications

• SARS-CoV-2 infection and development of islet autoimmunity in early childhood.
  Bonifacio E, Lugar M, et al. (2023). JAMA, 330(12), 1151–1160.
• Successful integration of newborn genetic testing into UK routine screening using prospective consent to determine eligibility for clinical trials.
  Bendor-Samuel OM, Wishlade T, Willis L, et al.; GPPAD Study Group. (2023). Archives of Disease in Childhood, 108(1), 26–30.

December 2023

1st Child Completed the Intervention Phase in POInT in Dresden, Germany

November 2023

500,000 Babies Screened

November 2023

World Diabetes Day

K1DS ARE HEROES – Meet our Superheroes from all across Europe.

November 2023

Launch of the pre-T1D Registry Europe-Wide Registration of Individuals with Early Stages of Type 1 Diabetes, Organized at Helmholtz Munich and Including Data from GPPAD

October 2023

13th GPPAD Online Investigator Meeting

April 2023

12th GPPAD Investigator Meeting in Leuven, Belgium

March 2023

Cyber Attack at Helmholtz Munich, Home of the GPPAD Coordinating Center

Team Effort to Keep Administrative Work and Communication Going, While Maintaining Key Operations Like Recruitment and Project Activities Despite the Disruption.

February 2023

K1DS ARE HEROES Campaign

Awareness Campaign on Early Detection and Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes

2022

GPPAD Publications

• The emotional well-being of parents with children at genetic risk for type 1 diabetes before and during participation in the POInT study.
  Houben J, Janssens M, et al. (2022). Pediatric Diabetes, 23(8), 1707–1716.
• Elevations in blood glucose before and after the appearance of islet autoantibodies in children.
  Warncke K, Weiss A, et al. (2022). Journal of Clinical Investigation, 132(20), e162123.

December 2022

Start Ancillary POInT Research (RFP)

GPPAD Announced a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Innovative Research on Biosamples From the
GPPAD POInT Clinical Trial Utilizing Cutting-Edge Analysis Techniques Relevant to Pancreatic, Metabolic, or Immune Research. 5 od 18 Submission were Selected For Funding

November 2022

World Diabetes Day Passing the Blue Heart

October 2022

11th GPPAD Online Investigator Meeting

July 2022

New GPPAD Site Newcastle Started Screening & Enrollment into SINT1A
(PIs: Catherine Owen & Stephen Robson)

May 2022

10th GPPAD Investigator Meeting in Munich, Germany

2021

GPPAD Publication

• Supplementation with Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis EVC001 for mitigation of type 1 diabetes autoimmunity: The GPPAD-SINT1A randomized controlled trial protocol.
  Ziegler AG, Arnolds S, et al. (2021). BMJ Open, 11(11), e052449

October 2021

9th GPPAD Online Investigator Meeting

June 2021

In Remembrance of Jörg Hasford – a Member of the GPPAD Team & Steering Committee

June 2021

8th GPPAD Online Investigator Meeting

April 2021

1st Children Enrolled in SINT1A in Hanover, Germany

March 2021

GPPAD Celebrates 1,050 Participants in POInT.

Last Child Enrolled in Oxford, UK

January 2021

Ethic Committee Approval for the SINT1A Study (Supplementation with B. INfantis for Mitigation of Type 1 Diabetes Autoimmunity)

Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes Through the Development of a Healthy Gut Microbiome with Probiotics
1,149 Participants (Recruitment Concluded in 2023)

• Improved Newborn Screening: 51 SNPs (including BTNL2)
• Initiate Fast Turnaround for SINT1A Enrollment of Newborns at 6
  Weeks → Weekly Shipments to LGC

January 2021

GPPAD Science Newsletter: 5 Editions So Far and Over 200 Subscribers

November 2020

7th GPPAD Online Investigator Meeting

July 2020

1st POInT Children Start Follow-Up Phase in Dresden & Munich, Germany

→ Start Retention Strategy With Our Study Mascot UNO

March 2020

6th GPPAD Investigator Meeting and 1st Online Meeting

February 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic: Collaborative Effort to Continue Study Enrollments
and Keep the Central Lab in Munich, Germany Running

2019

GPPAD Publications

• Identification of infants with increased type 1 diabetes genetic risk for enrollment into primary prevention trials – GPPAD-02 study design and first results.
  Winkler C, Haupt F, et al.; GPPAD Study Group. (2019). Pediatric Diabetes, 20(6), 720–727.
• Oral insulin therapy for primary prevention of type 1 diabetes in infants with high genetic risk: The GPPAD-POInT study protocol.
  Ziegler AG, Achenbach P, et al. (2019). BMJ Open, 9(6), e028578.

October 2019

5th GPPAD Investigator Meeting in Warsaw, Poland

July 2019 

100,000 Babies Screened

May 2019

4th GPPAD Investigator Meeting in Munich, Germany

May 2019

Welcome to UNO

Introducing Our Study Mascot – A Key Element of the GPPAD Communication Strategy, Created by Identitätsstiftung

December 2018 

3rd GPPAD Investigator Meeting in Dresden, Germany & Round Table Discussion: “Should Screening for Type 1 Diabetes Become Part of Standard Healthcare?”

August 2018

Oxford Started Screening and POInT

→ Principle Investigator (PI): Rachel Besser, former PI: Matthew Snape

Learn more contact@gppad.org

June 2018 

2nd GPPAD Investigator Meeting in Oxford, UK

February 2018

1st Child Enrolled in POInT in Dresden, Germany

→ Improved Newborn Screening: 47 SNPs

November 2017 

1st GPPAD Investigator Meeting, in Munich, Germany

November 2017 

Ethic Committee Approval for the Primary Oral Insulin Trial (POInT)

Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes by Training the Immune System Using Oral Insulin.
1,050 Participants (Recruitment Concluded in 2021)

July 2017

Ethic Committee Approval for GPPAD-02 – Genetic Screening for Newborns from the General Population & 1st Baby Screened

→ Introducing a New Genetic Risk Score Identifying Infants With a >10% Risk of Developing
Multiple Beta-Cell Autoantibodies

April 2017

Official Launch of the GPPAD Platform – The Global Platform for the Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes (GPPAD)

• Establishment of the GPPAD Coordinating Center at the Institute of Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Munich
• Formation of the GPPAD Steering Committee
  Founding Steering Committee Members: Gina Agiostratidou, Ezio Bonifacio, Kristina Casteels, Jörg Hasford, Helena Elding Larsson, Olga Kordonouri, Matthew Snape, Agnieszka Szypowska, Anette-Gabriele Ziegler
• Creation of the Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) to Facilitate Regular DSMB Reports for All GPPAD Clinical Trials
  Members: Polly Bingley, Ulrich Heininger, Markus Pfirrmann, Wolfgang Rascher, Paul Turner
• GPPAD Screening Database Finalized
  Person Primarily Responsible: Florian Haupt

March 2017

GPPAD Kick-off Meeting in Malmö, Sweden

September 2016

GPPAD 01 – The Freder1k Pilot Study in Saxony, Germany

The Freder1k Pilot Study Was a Model Project to Test Newborns in the Context of
the Established Newborn Screening for High Risk to Develop Type 1 Diabetes

First 5,000 Babies Screened
→ Start of High Throughput Genetic Screening for HLA Genes with LGC

July 2016

U.S. visit with Helmsley Charitable Trust to Eli Lilly’s Indianapolis IAPI Facility—
Securing 50 kg Insulin Crystals for the POInT – Primary Oral Insulin Trial

February 2016

Accepted Manuscript

• Primary prevention of beta-cell autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes – The Global Platform for the Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes (GPPAD) perspectives.
  Ziegler AG, Danne T, Dunger DB, et al. (2016). Molecular Metabolism, 5(4), 255–262.

How It Started – January:

The Helmsley Charitable Trust (HCT) Prevention Alliance for Type 1 Diabetes (HPAT) European Platform was granted to Cambridge and Munich, Germany.

Survey on Willingness of Pregnant Women to Participate in Primary Prevention Trials

2/3 of Pregnant Women Are Likely to Participate in a Trial

Early Steps

Meetings

With Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Ezio Bonifacio, John Todd and the Helmsley Charitable Trust (David Panzirer, Gina Agiostratidou) to Draft an Action Plan for The Helmsley Charitable Trust (HCT) Prevention Alliance for Type 1 Diabetes (HPAT) European Platform