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Virginia Commonwealth University

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1000 E Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
United States

Led by Dr. Bryce Nelson, MD, PhD, the TrialNet team at Virginia Commonwealth University is dedicated to preventing type 1 diabetes and stopping disease progression by preserving insulin production before and after diagnosis. 

Note: As a TrialNet affiliate, Virginia Commonwealth University is regionally overseen by Vanderbilt University Medical Center. If you reach out to TrialNet, you may be contacted by staff from either institution. 

Our Team

bryce nelson

Bryce Nelson, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Nelson is a member of the Pediatric Endocrine Society, American Diabetes Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and Endocrine Society. He is a former Pediatric IRB Chair and has earned many accolades, including being listed among America's Best Doctors in 2013 and 2014. Dr. Nelson has 11 years of experience working with TrialNet. 

laura albert suarez

Laura Albert Suarez

Clinical Research Coordinator
erica memoli

Erica Memoli, MS, RDN

Clinical Research Coordinator

Research Studies

Risk Screening
If you have a relative with T1D, you may be eligible for risk screening that can detect the early stages of T1D years before symptoms appear.
Monitoring
Depending on your risk screening results, you may be eligible for monitoring. We’ll monitor you for disease progression and let you know if you become eligible for a study.
Prevention Study
TrialNet tested the drug abatacept to see if it could delay or prevent stage 1 T1D (two or more diabetes-related autoantibodies, but normal blood sugar) from progressing to stage 2 (abnormal blood sugar) or to stage 3 (clinical diagnosis). In an earlier study in people newly diagnosed (stage 3), participants treated with abatacept had 59% better insulin production and a 9.6-month average delay in progression of insulin loss compared to those who received placebo. That difference extended out to 3 years.