METHODOLOGY

How the Cure Score actually works

The Cure Score is our editorial framework for ranking T1D cure-research programs against public evidence — not a scientific instrument, not a prediction, and not a guarantee. This is how we build it, and where its limits are.

Six weighted factors

Every tracked program is scored 0–100 internally against these six weights. The precise number is never published — see the publishing rule below.

25%
Human evidence
20%
Insulin independence
20%
Avoids chronic systemic immunosuppression
15%
Durability
10%
Scalability / manufacturing
10%
Development & regulatory maturity

Publishing rule

The precise 0–100 score is internal-only. What gets published — when a score is shown at all — is two independent tags: a band (how it ranks) and an evidence tier (how proven it is). Always shown together. Never a band alone.

Five bands

Where a program's internal score places it.

🏆

Front-Runner

Score 90–100

🚀

Pack Leader

Score 80–89

🔬

Emerging Contender

Score 70–79

📍

Reference Benchmark

Score 60–69

🧪

Not Yet Scored

No score assigned — usually preclinical with no public efficacy data yet

Four evidence tiers

How proven a claim is — independent of how well the program ranks.

📄

Peer-Reviewed

Published in a journal.

📢

Company-Reported

Press release or investor relations — not yet peer-reviewed.

🗂️

Regulatory Filing

An FDA or ClinicalTrials.gov filing.

🧫

Preclinical

No human data yet.

Trial-stage tag

A second, independent tag — clinical maturity is a different question from evidence tier (source credibility).

Preclinical Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Approved

The outcome vocabulary

"Cured of Type 1 diabetes" is one of the most misused headlines in this field. A durable cure needs all three finish-line criteria at once — most reported results clear one.

1

Management

Improves glucose control — insulin still required as before.

2

Disease modification

Changes progression or preserves remaining beta-cell function.

3

Functional cure

Little or no insulin needed, but an ongoing requirement remains — typically immunosuppression.

4

Durable cure

No external insulin, durable regulation, no immunosuppression. Nothing we track has cleared this yet.

Sourcing hierarchy

In order of trust, for every claim we publish.

ClinicalTrials.gov → FDA → peer-reviewed journals → company investor relations / press releases (for the newest updates) → Breakthrough T1D and ecosystem reporting for background context.

This is our editorial ranking, built from public evidence — not a prediction or guarantee. It changes as new evidence comes in.

See tracked programs