Funding withdrawal and COVID-19 environment.

Randomized, controlled, double-blinded, multicenter, phase I/II clinical trial to evaluate the safety of low-dose IL-2 and determine whether low-dose IL-2 therapy for one year, can prevent further loss of beta-cell function in patients with established T1D, (primary outcome). The study will carefully examine various effects of low-dose IL-2 on the immune system in patients with T1D, including effects on Treg and other cell subsets, and disease-specific autoimmune responses.

Randomized, controlled, double-blinded, multicenter, phase I/II clinical trial to evaluate the safety of low-dose IL-2 and determine whether low-dose IL-2 therapy for one year, can prevent further loss of beta-cell function in patients with established T1D, (primary outcome). The study will carefully examine various effects of low-dose IL-2 on the immune system in patients with T1D, including effects on Treg and other cell subsets, and disease-specific autoimmune responses.

Patients will be treated with ILT-101 or placebo. ILT-101 will be given at doses of 0.5 million IU (body surface area <2 m2) or 1 million IU (body surface area >2 m2), via subcutaneous (s.c.) injections. Patients will receive a course of 5 daily injections (days 1-5. Starting on day 15, patients will receive an s.c. injection (same dose) every 15 days for 1 year. Thus, patients will receive 29 injections during the first year of treatment. At the end of the first year, approximately half of those randomized to ILT-101 will continue receiving treatment every 15 days, until the end of the second year (23 doses). The other half will stop therapy and will be switched to a placebo.

A group of patients will be randomly assigned to a placebo for the duration of the study. Patients to be included in this study are those diagnosed with T1D who would have had T1D from 4 months to 1 year at the time of randomization, who have a current or past demonstration of autoimmunity (using autoantibodies), and maintain preserved β-cell function, defined as an MMTT stimulated C-peptide >0.2 nmol/L. This population is chosen because it will extend the scope of therapy beyond the immediate time following diagnosis when most previous studies of immunotherapy in T1D have been conducted. This trial can further impact the field if a therapeutic benefit is shown when the disease is more established.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 8-21 years of age
• T1D, demonstrated by at least one islet autoantibody
• T1D duration 4-12 months at the time of the first dose
• Peak stimulated C-peptide >0.2 nmol/L during a 4-hour MMTT

Exclusion Criteria:

• Treatment with oral anti-diabetic agents
• Illnesses that would preclude use of low-dose IL-2

A participant's privacy and confidentiality will be respected throughout the study. Each participant will be assigned a unique identification number and these numbers rather than names will be used to collect, store, and report participant information. Site personnel will not transmit documents containing personal health identifiers (PHI) to the study sponsor or their representatives.

The randomization will be performed by the Coordinating Center at the University of Miami. The participants will not be informed regarding the intervention assignment until the end of the study. The investigators and clinic personnel will also be masked as to study assignment. Laboratories performing assays for this protocol will be masked as to the identity and group assignment of biological materials to be studied.