WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE

• Could a Pill Replace Injections for Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment?
• CGM Use in the ICU Needs a Clear Plan
• All About C-Peptide
• Can Dexcom Regain Trust With G8?
• Gut Microbiome Maturation in Early Childhood May Help Predict Type 1 Diabetes Risk
• Compassion and Mindfulness Training for Adolescents With T1D and Their Caregivers

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NEWS FROM T1DTO100

• T1Dto100’s FIRST OUTING!
• DRC Funds Momentum That Matters
• Here’s How Long You Spend Swallowing, Blinking and Yawning Over a Lifetime

Could a Pill Replace Injections for Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment? Based on research by Danyue Dong et al, published in Science Translational Medicine, 23 September 2026

   Injections can help preserve vision in people with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). But frequent injections into the eye are invasive, and the short time between treatments can be a burden. A small early-stage study tested an investigational oral drug called danegaptide in people with NPDR and mild swelling in the center of the retina. The medicine was well tolerated, and early findings support larger trials to determine whether this oral treatment could offer another approach to protecting vision.

SAVVY NOTE: An oral medication instead of injections into the eye? Certainly something worth watching. This was a very small, early-stage study, so there is a long way to go — but a less invasive treatment for diabetic eye disease would be very welcome.

READ MORE: Could a Pill Replace Injections for Diabetic Retinopathy

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Hypoglycemia Alarms in Critical Care by Eileen R. Faulds and colleagues, published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, 16 September 2026

Hospitalization for people with diabetes can be challenging, and little is known about how continuous glucose monitoring fits into care when treatment in the ICU is necessary.  In a study of 100 adults in a medical ICU, 95% of urgent-low CGM alarms had been preceded by an urgent-low-soon alert, which came an average of about 10 minutes earlier. Yet the median time for staff to obtain a confirmatory bedside glucose reading after a CGM signal was 33 minutes.

The researchers concluded that CGM alerts can provide advance warning of hypoglycemia in critical care, but how those alerts are incorporated into ICU workflow matters.

SAVVY NOTE: Those numbers caught my attention: an alert provides about 10 minutes of advance warning, but the median was 33 minutes before a bedside glucose check. For those of us who rely heavily on CGM, simply having the technology in the hospital isn’t enough. There needs to be a clear plan for who is watching it and what happens when it alarms.

READ MORE: CGM Hypoglycemia Alarms in Critical Care

All About C-Peptide, video

C-peptide is a biomarker that shows how much insulin the body is still making. It has become one of the key indicators researchers use to determine whether new disease-modifying therapies are working.  This short video breaks down what C-peptide is, what different levels can tell us, and why researchers are paying closer attention to it.

SAVVY NOTE: We are hearing the term C-peptide more and more as research moves toward preserving, restoring or replacing insulin-producing beta cells. This is a quick explanation of what it actually means and why researchers measure it.

Can Dexcom Regain Trust With G8? by Justin Eastzer for Diabetech.info, 25 September 2026

After years of frustrations with G7 and growing competition from Abbott and Eversense, Justin Eastzer asks whether Dexcom has more to prove than ever with its upcoming G8 CGM.

SAVVY NOTE: I’m leaving this one short because the question itself is the reason to click through. CGM reliability and trust matter enormously when we are making treatment decisions from the data — and even more when that data is driving an automated insulin delivery system.

READ MORE: Can Dexcom Regain Trust With G8?

Gut Microbiome Maturation in Early Childhood Interacts With Host Genetics to Predict Type 1 Diabetes Risk, by Danyue Dong et al, published in Nature Metabolism, 21 September 2026

Researchers analyzed 12,151 stool metagenomes from 887 children at high genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, followed for up to six years through the TEDDY study. They identified three different patterns of gut microbiome development: Early Matured, Late Matured and Early Plateaued.

Children with the Early Plateaued pattern had a threefold higher risk of T1D. The researchers also found that host genetics modified some of the associations between microbiome development and T1D risk. The findings highlight the complex interaction between early microbial exposures, genetics and susceptibility to type 1 diabetes.

SAVVY NOTE: Fascinating. We continue to learn that the development of T1D involves much more than a single trigger. A threefold difference certainly catches my attention. But this is about predicting risk and association — not proof that a particular microbiome pattern causes T1D. Lots more to learn here.

READ MORE: Gut microbiome maturation in early childhood to predict T1D risk

Exploring the Feasibility and Acceptability of Compassion and Mindfulness Training for Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes and Their Caregivers, by Emilie Bundgaard Lindkvist and colleagues, published in Acta Paediatrica, 28 September 28 2026

This study examined mindfulness training for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and compassion training for their caregivers. Adolescents ages 12–17 and their caregivers participated in an eight-week online program. Participants who completed the program reported positive experiences, with improvements in diabetes distress and well-being. Parents also described greater calmness and kindness and less parent-adolescent conflict.

The researchers concluded that compassion and mindfulness training appear feasible and may support mental well-being in families living with T1D, although broader reach would require integration into routine clinical care.

SAVVY NOTE: I like seeing mental and emotional well-being treated as part of diabetes care — for both the person with T1D and the caregiver. The diabetes workload doesn’t stop at glucose numbers.

READ MORE: Compassion and Mindfulness Training for T1D Adolescents & Their Caregivers

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NEWS FROM T1DTO100

T1Dto100’s FIRST OUTING! 

It was an amazing morning with six long-time T1Ds, wearing our dazzling, HOT OFF THE PRESS, custom-designed first-edition T1Dto100 T-shirts by Spacious Minds/Dave Mosso and ColorsIncTees.com/Bill Farnum!

It was FUN, exciting, HOT — VERY HOT — and successful!  Hugs and thanks to Priscilla, Gayle, Monster Sass, Glenn and Jennifer!  And, of course, we had a decorated “PUMPkin” and a fashion-forward custom pair of dangling Gvoke glucagon earrings!

T1DTO100 NOTE: Our first outing! There is something pretty wonderful about taking T1Dto100 off the computer screen and out into the world. Seeing our little group together in those brand-new shirts made it VERY real. More to come!

 

 

 

 

 

DRC Funds Momentum That Matters (2026), from Diabetes Research Connection’s 2026 Dance for Diabetes

Diabetes Research Connection (DRC) provides seed funding for type 1 diabetes research to early-career scientists with innovative ideas.  This video was originally shown at DRC’s 2026 Dance for Diabetes fundraiser.

It was QUITE an evening!

T1DTO100 NOTE: I love seeing early, innovative research get the opportunity to prove itself. Some very big ideas begin with relatively small amounts of seed funding — and with someone willing to take a chance on a young investigator.

Here’s How Long You Spend Swallowing, Blinking and Yawning Over a Lifetime, by Luis Villazon for BBC Science Focus, 24 September 2025

Just for fun: have you ever wondered how much of an 80-year lifetime is spent doing all those tiny things we barely notice?  According to BBC Science Focus, the numbers add up. Over an average lifetime, we may spend about 3½ years blinking, 1 year and 9 months swallowing, and at least two weeks yawning.

And there are more!

T1DTO100 NOTE: When we’re talking about living to 100, apparently we should know what we’re going to be doing with all those years!

READ MORE: BBC Science Focus — Here’s How Long You Spend Swallowing, Blinking and Yawning Over a Lifetime