Type 2 diabetes affects more than 500 million people worldwide. Treatment has expanded beyond insulin and metformin to include GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide and tirzepatide, SGLT2 inhibitors, and combination therapies. Many people now achieve near-normal blood sugar with once-weekly injections or daily pills, though cardiovascular and kidney complications remain significant concerns.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing dual and triple incretin agonists that target multiple hormone pathways, drugs to preserve beta cell function early in disease, treatments for diabetic kidney disease and neuropathy, and continuous glucose monitors paired with automated insulin delivery. Researchers are also studying whether intensive early treatment can achieve sustained remission without medication.
Multi-receptor agonists
Drugs like tirzepatide activate both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, producing greater weight loss and blood sugar control than single-target drugs. Trials are now testing triple agonists that add glucagon receptor activity.
Beta cell preservation
Studies are testing whether early aggressive treatment can protect the insulin-producing cells that fail in diabetes. The goal is to intervene before permanent damage occurs.
Diabetic kidney disease
SGLT2 inhibitors and finerenone have shown kidney protection, slowing progression to dialysis. New trials are combining these drugs and testing additional pathways to prevent kidney failure.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on A1C level, time since diagnosis, current medications, body weight, and presence of complications like kidney disease or heart disease.
What types of trials are currently open
- Medication trials — Testing new diabetes drugs or combinations to improve blood sugar control, often comparing them to standard treatments like metformin or GLP-1 agonists.
- Weight loss trials — Studies of medications, often GLP-1 or dual agonists, focused on achieving substantial weight loss in people with diabetes.
- Cardiovascular outcome trials — Long-term studies testing whether diabetes drugs reduce heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death, not just blood sugar.
- Kidney protection trials — Testing drugs to slow diabetic kidney disease and prevent progression to dialysis or transplant.
- Technology trials — Studies of continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and closed-loop systems that automate insulin delivery based on sensor readings.
Recently added Type 2 Diabetes trials
Share blood samples to help understand insulin and diabetes outcomes
The purpose of this research is to understand the impact of retained endogenous insulin (as measured by C-peptide) on quality of life and related outcomes in people living with insulin treated diabetes, and, in those living with type 1 diabetes, to determine the pragmatic and non-pragmatic C-peptide measures which have the strongest association with clinical benefit (including repeated home samples and derived measures of beta cell function). The investigators will do this in two ways: Firstly, the investigators will extend a large existing prospective study of new adult onset diabetes (Getting the Right Classification and Treatment From Diagnosis in Adults With Diabetes (StartRight)) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03737799) which has followed 1800 participants for median 4 years from diabetes diagnosis. Participants with insulin treated diabetes will be invited to take part in a further research visit remotely or face to face. The investigators will assess the longitudinal relationship between C-peptide and the available quality of life, mental health status and healthcare utilisation measures over up to 9 years from diabetes diagnosis and assess additional measures in cross sectional analysis. In the second part of this research, the investigators will utilise cohorts of over 2500 participants with type 1 diabetes, measured C-peptide and consent to recontact to recruit 200 participants with a range of C-peptide. Eligible participants with C-peptide measured in clinical care may also be invited to take part. The investigators will undertake detailed assessment of complex and pragmatic measures of C-peptide and beta cell function and compare performance in predicting glycaemic outcomes (using data from continuous glucose monitors) and (where relevant) patient reported outcomes.
Try a specialized manual therapy approach to improve ankle movement and reduce pain
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a major global health concern associated with chronic hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and accumulation of advanced glycation end-products, which impair connective tissue function and commonly restrict ankle (tibiotalar) mobility. Reduced ankle range of motion, neuropathic pain, and gait instability significantly impair daily activities and quality of life in this population, and reduced ankle mobility is further associated with increased risk of diabetic foot ulceration. Conventional physiotherapy is widely used to address these impairments through exercise, stretching, and strengthening, but may not fully resolve mechanical joint restrictions. Mulligan's Mobilization with Movement (MWM) is a manual therapy technique in which a sustained glide is applied to the ankle during active weight-bearing movement, correcting positional faults and improving dorsiflexion range of motion. While MWM has shown benefit in non-diabetic ankle conditions, its effectiveness relative to conventional physiotherapy in patients with T2DM remains unclear. This study is a randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of Mulligan Mobilization with Movement (Group A) versus conventional physiotherapy (Group B) on pain intensity, ankle range of motion, functional mobility, and quality of life in adults aged 50-70 years with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus of more than 5 years' duration. A total of 56 participants will be recruited using non-probability purposive sampling and randomly allocated by coin-toss method into two equal groups of 28. Both groups will receive baseline treatment (hot pack application and gentle active ankle movement) followed by their assigned protocol - Group A receiving MWM (sustained anteroposterior/posteroanterior glide to the distal tibia or fibula during active dorsiflexion or plantarflexion, 3 sets of 10 repetitions) and Group B receiving conventional physiotherapy (active/passive range-of-motion exercises, calf raises, and calf/Achilles stretching) - three sessions per week for six weeks. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and following the six-week intervention period. Primary outcome measures include pain intensity (Numeric Pain Rating Scale), ankle range of motion (goniometer), functional mobility (Timed Up and Go test), and quality of life (SF-12 Health Survey). Data will be analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27, with normality assessed via the Shapiro-Wilk test and within- and between-group comparisons made using parametric or non-parametric tests as appropriate. This trial is expected to generate direct comparative evidence on whether Mulligan Mobilization with Movement offers superior outcomes to conventional physiotherapy for ankle-related impairments in patients with T2DM, helping physiotherapists select more targeted, evidence-based rehabilitation protocols for this population.
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