About INNODIA Harvest

Innodia Harvest

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) initiated by the European Commission has approved involved an additional section of work on biomarkers and prevention of type 1 diabetes within INNODIA. This additional section built on the strong base of INNODIA and was called INNODIA HARVEST. INNODIA has developed a unique European clinical and fundamental research network for the study of type 1 diabetes (T1D). HARVEST, an additional, even more ambitious program in the INNODIA research network, was aimed at 'harvesting' the findings that had already arisen from INNODIA.  

Consolidation and innovation were key words.  

First, the INNODIA Clinical Network consolidated as a pan-European reference point for conducting studies to prevent or cure T1D. Standardized clinical and bio-research platforms built in INNODIA were upgraded into a powerful network allowing us to conduct clinical trials aimed at preventing and curing T1D. These trials were both academic and industry sponsored. Smaller, mechanistic, biomarker-rich intervention tests were performed to better understand the development of T1D. Several large studies were realized in the network, notably the MELD-ATG trial (seeking the lowest, safest dose of anti-thymocyte globulin, a Sanofi product, in children with newly-diagnosed T1D), the VER-A-T1D trial (investigating whether verapamil in adults with newly diagnosed T1D can stop disease progression), and in addition, Imcyse, a small Belgian company, a member of the network has tested its new "Immotope" technology in a small mechanistic study. Novartis started a study with Iscalimab (investigating a safe stop of disease progression in children with newly diagnosed T1D).  

The second key word of INNODIA HARVEST was innovation. The network operated based on the INNODIA Master Protocol, allowing different interventions to be compared. Another innovation was the introduction of new (discovered by the network) biomarkers as well as new clinical (continuous glucose monitoring) and experimental (microbiome analysis) markers, in order to better understand the heterogeneity of T1D and thus lead to faster healing strategies.  

Finally, as in INNODIA, the voice of people living with T1D and their families remains at the center of INNODIA HARVEST to drive the implementation of new, patient-centered results, shape our clinical trials and make a meaningful change in the disease perspective