Professor Parth Narendran FRCP PhD

Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy
Professor of Diabetes Medicine
Honorary Consultant Physician

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 3006
Telephone (2): +44 (0)121 371 4407
Fax: +44 (0)121 415 8712
Email: p.narendran@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @parthnarendran

Address: Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy
College of Medicine and Health
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
B15 2TT

Parth is a qualified clinician by background. Parth's research interest focusses on understanding the autoimmune destruction of insulin secreting beta cells that lead to type 1 diabetes and exploring how this process can be modulated.

Recent clinical trials demonstrate that type 1 diabetes can be significantly delayed with a short course of immunotherapy and have revolutionized current thinking around prevention and ‘cure’ of this condition. There is now a pressing need for systems to identify those at risk and for clinical prevention trials of other potential agents. These are Parth's current research interests. He is part of a national effort to explore the feasibility and acceptability of early surveillance programmes for pre-type 1 diabetes and is also exploring which therapies are best tested in the prevention arena.

He has developed an international reputation for exploring whether exercise can be used to modulate the autoimmune process in type 1 diabetes. This has been supported by serial NIHR funding to undertake a clinical trial to test whether exercise preserves beta cell function, and to develop clinical pathways to support patients to adjust insulin and dietary intake for safe and effective exercise. More recently, this work (the EXTOD programme) has been nationally awarded by Diabetes UK, has being adopted by Diabetes Wales as the national programme for exercise and type 1 diabetes and is being rolled out at sites in England.

Parth leads the Diabetes Research Unit and the Type 1 Diabetes clinical service at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications including publications that have been cited by international bodies on Type 1 diabetes and its management. He has served on the Diabetes UK Research Committee and was previously on the Research Advisory Board of the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation and Regional Advisory Committee for the NIHR RfPB programme. He currently chairs the grant award panel for The Association of British Clinical Diabetologists. Parth reviews for all the major national and international diabetes journals. He contributes to the NIHR Horizon Scanning, and NICE Medical Technology reviews for new therapies.

Qualifications

FRCP Royal College of Physicians, London, UK
PhD Immunology, University of Bristol
MRCP Royal College of Physicians, London, UK
MBBS Kings College School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London
BSc Immunology and Medical Sciences, Kings College, University of London

Biography

Parth undertook his initial immunology research training as part of an intercalated degree. This led to a PhD at the University of Bristol exploring peptide immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes, and subsequently to a post-doctoral fellowship exploring immune tolerance at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne.

Parth obtained his basic medical degree in London before completing his higher specialist training in Manchester and Bristol. He took up his current post as an Honorary Consultant Physician at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham in 2005.

Teaching

Lead for MBChB Final Year AIP Medicine

Supervision of academic trainees in diabetes and endocrinology

Lecture: Diabetes Mellitus CEP MBChB1

Lecture: Introduction to Diabetes Endo/Repro BMedSc3

Lecture: Immunology of Diabetes Endo/Repro BMedSc3

Lecture: DKA/Hypoglycaemia AIP MB ChB

SGT: Diabetes CEP MPharm1

Lecture: Pharmacology of Diabetes MPharm1

SGT: Diabetes CEP MBChB1

Practical: Diabetes CEP MBChB1

Postgraduate supervision

Parth has supervised over 10 MD and PhDs on the subject of diabetes and immunology

Research

Parth’s research focuses on type 1 diabetes. His work has extended from bench based investigations, to trials of therapies in individual patients, development of a national biorepository and examination of large datasets. This research has examinined defects in the immune system that predispose to type 1 diabetes, exploring different approaches to preserving the function of insulin producing beta cells, and using ‘big data’ to understand the natural history of type 1 diabetes

Other activities

Parth’s clinical interests focus on type 1 diabetes and he is involved in the structured education programme, the adolescent transition and insulin pump service for University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

Parth is also the Diabetes theme lead for the Birmingham and Black Country Comprehensive Local Research Network.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Dias, RP, Marcovecchio, ML, Willemsen, RH, Campbell, F, Ashour, A, Newland‐Jones, P, Cooper, J, Narendran, P & Wright, NP 2026, 'Considerations for the clinical use of teplizumab in stage 2 Type 1 diabetes: A Consensus Statement from the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) and the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD)', Diabetic Medicine, vol. 43, no. 7, e70329. https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.70329

Jenkins, JG, Cocks, M, Lucas, SJE, Rendeiro, C, Peçanha, T, Maxwell, J, Tennant, JH, Philpot, G, Narendran, P, Andrews, R, Scott, SN & Hesketh, K 2026, 'Effect of breaking up sitting with regular active breaks on glucose management and vascular function in adults with type 1 diabetes who use hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery systems: a randomised crossover trial protocol', BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, vol. 12, no. 2, e003240. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2026-003240

Boiko, O, Barnard-Kelly, K, Vercauteren, J, Greenfield, S, Dias, R, Quinn, LM, Litchfield, I, Papanikolaou, T, Dunne, JL, Perego, G, Gatti, F, Milano, F, Milazzo, BM, Di Mattei, V, Lange, K, Mathieu, C, Overbergh, L, Ziegler, AG, Hurtado Del Pozo, C, Scarale, MG, Mahieu, A, Omar Alsaleh, AJ, Bosi, E, Narendran, P & EDENT1FI consortium 2026, 'Exploring the psychosocial implications of general population screening for paediatric type 1 diabetes in Europe: Protocol for a mixed-methods study', Diabetic Medicine, vol. 43, no. 6, e70297. https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.70297

Quinn, LM, Elliott, J, Papanikolaou, T, Litchfield, I, Boardman, F, Boiko, O, Randell, M, Zakia, F, Garstang, J, Shukla, D, Burt, C, Gkoutos, G, Acharjee, A, Dayan, C, Faustini, S, Bentley, C, Barrett, T, Richter, A, Greenfield, SM, Dias, RP & Narendran, P 2026, 'Feasibility of general population screening for type 1 diabetes in the UK: the ELSA study', The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 197-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00363-8

Ngamy, T, Statham, L, Smith, B, Smith, JR, Lloyd, J, Clarke, R, Narendran, P, Dias, RP, Andrews, RC & Cockcroft, EJ 2025, 'A mixed methods exploration of the experiences of physical activity providers in supporting children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in the UK', European Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 184, no. 5, 311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-025-06139-z

Jenkins, JG, Cocks, M, Narendran, P, Andrews, RC, Shields, BM, Scott, SN, Lucas, SJE, Rendeiro, C & Hesketh, K 2025, 'Can 4 weeks of real-world active breaks improve glycaemic management in sedentary adults with type 1 diabetes? The EXTOD-Active randomised control trial protocol', BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, vol. 11, no. 2, e002594. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2025-002594

Sharma, A, Baig, SA, Thayakaran, R, Rengarajan, L, C. Philip, N, Abraham, AA, Manta, A, Narendran, P, Dhatariya, K, Umpierrez, GE, Kempegowda, P & DEVI collaboration 2025, 'Clinical characteristics and outcomes of diabetes-related ketoacidosis (DKA) in sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) users with type 2 diabetes', Diabetes, obesity & metabolism, vol. 27, no. 12, pp. 6999-7009. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.70098

DEKODE and DEVI Group, Rengarajan, L, Cooper, C, Malhotra, K, Sharma, A, Philip, N, Abraham, AA, Dhatariya, K, Narendran, P & Kempegowda, P 2025, 'DEKODE—A cloud-based performance feedback model improved DKA care across multiple hospitals in the UK', Diabetic Medicine, vol. 42, no. 6, e70004. https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.70004

EDENT1FI consortium, Hoffmann, L, Kohls, M, Arnolds, S, Achenbach, P, Bergholdt, R, Bonifacio, E, Bosi, E, Gündert, M, Hoefelschweiger, BK, Hummel, S, Jarosz-Chobot, P, Kordonouri, O, Lampasona, V, Narendran, P, Overbergh, L, Pociot, F, Raposo, JF, Šumník, Z, Szypowska, A, Vercauteren, J, Winkler, C, Mathieu, C & Ziegler, A-G 2025, 'EDENT1FI Master Protocol for screening of presymptomatic early-stage type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents', BMJ Open, vol. 15, no. 1, e088522. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088522

Comment/debate

Papanikolaou, T, Andrews, RC, Cockcroft, E, Cocks, M, Dias, RP, Hesketh, K, Narendran, P & Dayan, C 2026, 'Early-stage type 1 diabetes: is there a role for lifestyle modifications?', The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 536-538. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(26)00132-4

Letter

Papanikolaou, T, Elliott, J, Sheth, V, Quinn, LM, Narendran, P & Dias, RP 2026, 'From Screening to Delivery of Disease‐Modifying Therapy: Real World Follow‐Up of Children With Early‐Stage Type 1 Diabetes', Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.70689

Review article

Quinn, LM, Stanley, D, Milano, F, Perego, G, Randell, MJ, Gatti, F, Catarinella, A, Dettori, LB, Sheldon, R, Abid, M, Ziegler, AG, Bonifacio, E, Mathieu, C, Peakman, M, Dunne, JL, Hurtado del Pozo, C, Vercauteren, J, Overbergh, L, Bosi, E, Di Mattei, VE, Barnard, K, Lange, K, Dias, RP, Litchfield, I, Greenfield, SM, Boardman, FK, Boiko, O, Narendran, P & EDENT1FI consortium 2026, 'Psychosocial implications, acceptability and ethics of screening for paediatric type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and mixed methods evidence synthesis', Diabetologia, vol. 69, no. 7, pp. 1759-1781. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-026-06717-2

Dobson, R, Kreft, KL, Jacobs, BM, Brown, JWL, Thomson, A, Nicholas, R, Walton, C, Narendran, P & UK MS Prevention Taskforce 2026, 'Towards primary prevention of multiple sclerosis', Nature Reviews Neurology, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 182–195. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-025-01164-w

Elliott, J, Quinn, LM, Thrower, SL, Dias, R & Narendran, P 2026, 'What is type 1 diabetes?', Medicine (United Kingdom). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpmed.2026.07.007

Beese, SE, Price, MJ, Tomlinson, C, Sharma, P, Harris, IM, Adriano, A, Quinn, LM, Gada, R, Horgan, TJ, Maggs, F, Burrows, M, Nirantharakumar, K, Thomas, GN, Andrews, RC, Moore, DJ & Narendran, P 2025, 'A systematic review and network meta-analysis of interventions to preserve insulin-secreting beta cell function in people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes: results from randomised controlled trials of immunomodulatory therapies', BMC medicine, vol. 23, no. 1, 351. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04201-z

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