Exploring type 1 diabetes prevention
At ENT1DEP, we are investigating how common viral infections may contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes. We are also exploring the prevention strategies that this research could make possible.
Below, you can watch videos produced by the ENT1DEP consortium and its partners. They explain the biological mechanisms being studied and introduce vaccine-based approaches designed to prevent infections associated with type 1 diabetes.
How viruses may cause type 1 diabetes. A hope for prevention
A new animation from the ENT1DEP consortium explains the growing evidence linking common viruses to type 1 diabetes, and the prevention research this evidence has opened up.
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Although preventing T1D remains a major challenge, researchers are gaining a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the disease and the factors that may contribute to its development. This progress may open new opportunities for earlier intervention and future prevention strategies.
Click to read more about the virus link
It is a serious disease, not only because of the disabling long-term complications that can reduce life expectancy, but also because the demands of insulin therapy place a substantial daily burden on both patients and their families. Thus, there is an urgent need for new treatment and prevention strategies.
Why are researchers looking at viruses?
T1D is partly influenced by genetic factors. However, genetic susceptibility alone cannot explain the rapidly increasing incidence of T1D worldwide. This has led researchers to investigate environmental factors that may trigger or accelerate the autoimmune process.
Among the most studied candidates are viral infections, particularly enteroviruses such as Coxsackie B viruses. A growing number of studies suggest that these viruses may play a key role in triggering T1D in genetically susceptible individuals.
Enteroviruses are common and usually cause mild illnesses. Even in the absence of severe symptoms the virus can enter the blood and spread to organs which are susceptible for the virus. Pancreas is once such organ, and beta-cells may be particularly susceptible since they express high amounts of molecules which the virus needs to enter the cell.
Interestingly, both enteroviral genetic material and live replicating viruses have been detected in pancreatic tissue from T1D patients, whereas viral presence has been clearly less common in healthy controls. Evidence of enterovirus infection has now been observed in both the early and later stages of the disease, strengthening the hypothesis that these viruses may contribute to the initiation and progression of T1D.
Diagram of pancreatic islet, showing insulin-producing beta cells and surronding acini cells © Oslo University Hospital, 2026
How could a virus trigger type 1 diabetes?
By combining findings from studies investigating the link between enteroviruses and T1D, researchers have proposed a model describing how viral infection may lead to destruction of insulin-producing beta cells and eventually trigger autoimmune T1D.
The model, illustrated in the video presented here, begins with viruses entering beta cells in the pancreas and establishing a low-grade, persistent infection.
As the viruses slowly replicate over time, they induce cellular stress and promote the formation of misfolded proteins and neoantigens – altered molecules that the immune system may recognize as “non self”. This can initiate an autoimmune response, leading to the production of autoantibodies and ultimately, an immune-mediated attack of beta cells.
Early antiviral treatment and vaccines as potential prevention strategies
The growing number of studies supporting the enterovirus hypothesis has opened new possibilities for intervention and prevention. A recent clinical study tested the effect of antiviral treatment in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The trial showed that treatment significantly preserved residual insulin production, suggesting reduced beta cell damage caused by viruses. The researchers behind the study are now planning to test intervention with antiviral drugs at an earlier stage of disease development, with the aim of preserving more beta cells. Read more about the study→ Pleconaril and ribavirin in new-onset type 1 diabetes: a phase 2 randomized trial.
In addition, an enterovirus vaccine developed in Finland has recently been tested in humans, showing good safety and a promising immune response. This development holds great potential for future vaccination strategies aimed at preventing type 1 diabetes in children. More information is available in the study→ Safety and immunogenicity of a vaccine against Coxsackieviruses B (PRV-101).
ENT1DEP is an EU-funded research consortium bringing together several distinguished research groups to advance this mission. This video has been created to help stakeholders and the scientific community follow the consortium’s work, while also raising awareness of the major medical and socioeconomic importance of efforts to prevent type 1 diabetes.
Scientific Production Group
The scientific content was developed by an international Scientific Production Group comprising leading experts in virology, immunology, cell biology, and clinical diabetology.
Oslo, Norway
Tampere, Finland
Paris, France
Exeter, UK
Animation Production
Produced by XVIVO Scientific Animation (Connecticut, USA).
The World's First Preventive Vaccine for Type 1 Diabetes
ENT1DEP consortium partner Vactech Oy has released a new educational video describing the scientific rationale behind PRV-101, an investigational vaccine designed to prevent Coxsackievirus B infections and reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes.
Coxsackie B viruses are common enteroviruses being studied as a possible environmental trigger of type 1 diabetes. This video explains how these infections may reach the pancreas and how a new vaccine, developed by our partner Vactech, is designed to help prevent that before it starts.
Click to read the science behind PRV-101
Why Coxsackie B viruses matter
Researchers are investigating how these viruses may reach the pancreas, infect insulin-producing beta cells and contribute to inflammation. They are also examining why only some people develop type 1 diabetes following an infection. The video draws on evidence from large international studies linking Coxsackievirus B infections to the onset of type 1 diabetes. It explains how infection early in life can reach the pancreas, infect insulin-producing beta cells, and contribute to the inflammatory processes associated with beta-cell damage — the same biological pathway ENT1DEP is working to characterise in more detail.
What is PRV-101?
PRV-101 is an investigational vaccine designed to protect against five types of Coxsackie B virus, known as CVB1 to CVB5. PRV-101 contains inactivated, non-infective Coxsackie B viruses which induce the production of neutralizing antibodies. These antibodies can block viral entry into cells and clear the virus before it reaches the pancreas and affect insulin-producing beta cells. PRV-101 is not a treatment for people who already have type 1 diabetes. Instead, it is being developed as a preventive approach, aimed at stopping Coxsackievirus B infection before it can contribute to the autoimmune process linked to the disease. Further clinical research is needed to establish whether this strategy can reduce or delay disease risk.
The vaccine has completed a Phase 1a clinical study. Vactech is preparing for its next clinical development phase. Further research is needed to determine whether preventing Coxsackie B virus infections could reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes.
How does PRV-101 connect with ENT1DEP?
ENT1DEP investigating how enterovirus infections contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes.
The project aims to identify people who may be at greater risk of developing type 1 diabetes following an enterovirus infection. This knowledge could support earlier intervention and more targeted preventive strategies.
ENT1DEP combines expertise from several scientific disciplines. The consortium is studying the biological mechanisms that may connect infection with disease development. It is also evaluating possible preventive approaches, including vaccines and antiviral therapies.
One of ENT1DEP’s goals is to investigate immune responses induced by PRV-101. This creates a direct connection between Vactech’s vaccine development programme and the project’s wider research into enterovirus-associated type 1 diabetes. Vactech contributes specialist knowledge in enterovirus vaccine research and development, as well as translational science. This expertise supports ENT1DEP’s aim of turning scientific findings into possible preventive solutions.
To learn more about type 1 diabetes prevention, vaccine development and related research, visit the website of our project partner, Vactech Oy.
Video produced by Vactech Oy. Originally published in the Vactech article, “Vactech releases a new video explaining the science behind PRV-101 vaccine,” Tampere, Finland, 13 April 2026.