DIABETES RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! #36: What I’ll Be Following In 2026!

From the first moment I discovered I had been diagnosed with DIABETES, I joined a HUGE “club” that has been rapidly expanding since it stopped being a death sentence in the early 20th Century. Currently, there are about HALF A BILLION PEOPLE who have Type 2 Diabetes. For the past 3500 years – dating back to Ancient Egypt – people have suffered from diabetes. Well, I’m one of them now… Not one to shut up for any known reason, I added a section to this blog…Every month, I’ll be highlighting Diabetes research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them with you. Today: What I'll be following in 2026.

As it’s STILL technically “the holidays”, I’m going to lay out my path of “reporting” on Type 2 research for the next several weeks. “My AI” brought up the following and surprised me with the possibility of insight and commentary!

“Type 2 Diabetes research in 2026 focuses heavily on advanced treatments (like single-dose gene therapies, CagriSema, digital health integration for better management, new prevention strategies, and updated clinical guidelines; [which emphasizes] personalized care, technology, and overcoming barriers like side effects from current medications…improving patient engagement, new drug development (like targeting specific fat transport), and establishing benchmarks for future care.

“Key Research Areas & Trends for 2026

“Moving beyond GLP-1s with approaches like RJVA-001 which MIGHT be a one-time treatment; and combining drugs or more effective blood sugar/weight control.

“Digital Health Integration: Using FDA-cleared digital tools to improve access, engagement, and outcomes, with NIH funding for research in this area.

Personalized & Preventative Care: Developing strategies for youth-onset T2D and tailoring care across the lifespan, with new guidelines emphasizing person-centered approaches.

“Understanding Disease Mechanisms: Deeper dives into how factors like free fatty acids (FFA) affect the liver and insulin resistance to find new therapeutic targets.

“Key Resources & Events: ADA Standards of Care 2026: The latest evidence-based guidelines released in late 2025, guiding care for 2026 and beyond, with updates on technology and management.

“New Journals: Launch of Diabetes, Obesity, and Cardiometabolic CARE by the ADA, focusing on primary care needs.

“Conferences: Events like the ADA's Clinical Update Conference (Feb 2026) and Keystone Symposia (2026) will discuss new research.

“NIH Funding: Calls for research on digital health (RFA-DK-26-315) and grants for diabetes translation research.

“Baseline Data Collection: For programs like Target Type 2 Diabetes, 2026 is a "dry run" for new activity reporting, establishing benchmarks for awards in 2027.

Clinical Trials: New drug trials, like CagriSema, are expected to reach completion or report primary results in mid-2026, potentially changing treatment landscapes.”

All these AND MORE as GGTA moves into the new yea!

Links: Google – type in “Type 2 Diabetes Research in 2026”

Image: https://asploro.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Diabetes-Research_Open-Access.jpg