Towards arresting type 1 diabetes: Breaking results of the MELD-ATG & Ver-A-T1D trials

In this episode, Prof. Chantal Mathieu and Prof. Francesco Dotta discuss two major European clinical trials presented at the EASD Annual Meeting: MELD-ATG and VERA-T1D. Both studies were conducted through the INNODIA consortium, a large European collaboration aimed at identifying biomarkers and testing new disease-modifying therapies for type 1 diabetes. The VERA-T1D trial investigated verapamil, a long-established cardiovascular drug, for its potential to preserve beta cell function after diagnosis. While the study narrowly missed its primary endpoint, the results provide important insights into disease heterogeneity and future combination therapies. The MELD-ATG trial used an innovative adaptive trial design to identify an effective low dose of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG), showing that a single low-dose infusion may help delay beta-cell decline in newly diagnosed patients. Together, these studies highlight the rapid progress being made in type 1 diabetes research and the growing move toward precision medicine approaches.