Funded by Diabetes UK and JDRF, ELSA (Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes) was first launched in England, Scotland and Wales in November 2022.
The study aims to recruit 20,000 children, aged 3-13 years, to assess their risk of developing T1D through at-home finger-prick blood tests. Home testing kits are now available to families throughout Northern Ireland.
Around 1 in 100 children will require follow-up venous blood testing, available at the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.
The study is the first of its kind in the UK. It will lay the groundwork for the development of a future UK-wide screening programme, transforming how type 1 diabetes is identified and managed in its earliest stages.