Revolutionizing Diabetes Care: How Your Idea Can Make a Global Impact

Revolutionizing Diabetes Care: How Your Idea Can Make a Global Impact

Revolutionizing Diabetes Care: How Your Idea Can Make a Global Impact

For the fifth time, the Diabetes Center Berne is launching the Open Innovation Challenge with the aim of specifically promoting innovative projects in the field of diabetes management on Swiss and international level. Participating innovtors benefit from professional expert feedback, and the five best projects receive access to a bootcamp. The finalists will receive prize money of up to USD 100,000 and further support from the DCB.

Transform Diabetes Care: Your Innovation Could Change Lives

More than 537 million people worldwide live with diabetes, facing daily challenges in managing their condition. Technological innovations have played a crucial role in simplifying diabetes management.

The DCB Open Innovation Challenge, launched in 2021, aims to bridge these gaps by fostering translational research in diabetes technology. Our goal is to identify groundbreaking solutions that enhance the quality of life for those affected by diabetes. Whether you’re a researcher, healthcare professional, start-up founder, or someone living with diabetes, your ideas are invaluable. We’re seeking diverse perspectives and innovative solutions to push diabetes technology forward.

Join and benefit

Following the initial selection phase, the Top 15 teams will enter a mentoring program with expert guidance. From there, the Top 5 teams will be chosen to participate in an exclusive Bootcamp in Switzerland (September 8–11, 2025), where they will receive tailored coaching, mentoring, and media training.

Additionally, finalists will have the opportunity to present their ideas at the DTM Meeting in the USA from October 27-30, 2025. This event offers a fantastic chance to gain exposure in the USA, thanks to our ongoing collaboration with the Diabetes Technology Society.

Finally, the competition will culminate at the Day of Innovation & Award Ceremony in Bern, Switzerland (November 5, 2025), where an international expert jury will select the winning project.

The winning project will be selected by an international expert jury and rewarded with USD 100,000 in funding and in-kind support – making the DCB Open Innovation Challenge the world’s largest diabetes technology award with international appeal. You will get access to a global network of experts from the field – all while your idea remains entirely yours.

Don’t miss this opportunity to turn your innovation into reality.

Submit your idea by April 30, 2025, on our innovation platform: innovation.dcberne.com

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SNAQ Launches AI-Powered Glucose Prediction feature

SNAQ Launches AI-Powered Glucose Prediction feature

SNAQ Launches AI-Powered Glucose Prediction feature

SNAQ has introduced a groundbreaking AI-driven feature that predicts glucose responses before meals, revolutionizing diabetes care.

The new meal glucose prediction tool allows CGM users to anticipate their body’s reaction to food using a proprietary deep learning model and a unique digital twin approach. This innovation offers highly personalized insights for improved glucose control.

SNAQ also secured new funding led by the Diabetes Venture Fund at Serpentine Ventures, reinforcing investor confidence despite a tough market. CEO Aurelian Briner emphasized the company’s commitment to scaling innovations and transforming diabetes care. Looking ahead, SNAQ plans to introduce more AI-driven advancements to empower individuals in managing their health.

For more details, read the full press release or visit SNAQ’s website to learn more about their innovations in diabetes care.

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Lisa Koch joins DCB as professor specialising in artificial intelligence and data science

Lisa Koch joins DCB as professor specialising in artificial intelligence and data science

Lisa Koch joins DCB as professor specialising in artificial intelligence and data science

The newly created assistant professorship with tenure track is the third of a total of three professorships in the field of “Diabetes Technology and Artificial Pancreas” jointly created by the University of Bern, the Inselgruppe and the Diabetes Center Berne (DCB).

Background in developing data science products for medical devices

Before taking up her new position, Lisa Koch worked on machine learning for biomedical data analysis. She has a background in academic research as well as developing data science products for medical devices, with a strong focus on technology that can ultimately benefit people’s health in a safe and trustworthy way.

After an undergraduate degree in electrical (BSc) and biomedical engineering (MSc) at ETH Zürich, Switzerland, Lisa Koch did a PhD in machine learning for medical image analysis at Imperial College London, UK.  After a post-doc at ETH Zürich, she joined the Swiss wearable medical device startup Ava, where she eventually became the data science team lead. In this position, she came to appreciate the need for demonstrably safe machine learning in healthcare.

Safe, reliable, and effective data science tools
In 2021, Lisa Koch returned to academic research to pursue research on this topic as a group leader for machine learning in medical diagnostics at the Hertie Institute for AI in Brain Health at the University of Tübingen, Germany. In her new role as assistant professor at the University of Bern, her long-term goal is to develop certifiably safe, reliable, and effective data science tools for patient-specific treatment systems in diabetes care.

“With my research, I strive to deliver trustworthy AI-enabled diabetes care that provides real benefit to patients and clinicians. I am thrilled to join the cross-disciplinary ecosystem at the Diabetes Center Berne and the University of Bern Clinic for Diabetology, Endocrinology, Nutritional Medicine and Metabolism (UDEM), an ideal environment to advance this vision” says Koch.

Derek Brandt, CEO of the DCB adds: “In addition to Lilian Witthauer, professor in the field of sensor technology, and José Garcia Tirado, professor for technology-assisted precision medicine, we have taken a third and important step with Professor Koch for the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science in diabetes care. This enables us to further strengthen our international pioneering role in the field of translational diabetes technology research. We will continue doing everything we can to improve daily life for people with diabetes”.

Lisa Koch

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Diabetes Center Berne and Tidepool: New Collaboration to Advance Research in Diabetes and Women’s Health

Diabetes Center Berne and Tidepool: New Collaboration to Advance Research in Diabetes and Women’s Health

Diabetes Center Berne and Tidepool: New Collaboration to Advance Research in Diabetes and Women’s Health

Bern/Palo Alto, 13 December 2023 – Diabetes Center Berne (DCB), a private, independent Swiss foundation and Tidepool, a US-based non-profit organisation are entering a partnership to explore the relationship between diabetes and women’s health. The first initiative in this collaboration will focus on the menstrual cycle’s influence on insulin-dependent diabetes.

Menstrual Cycle Study

Recognizing the challenges faced by women with insulin-dependent diabetes, research specifically investigating the menstrual cycle’s impact on diabetes management remains limited so far. This lack of focused study has hindered the development of tailored treatment strategies for women. The partnership between Diabetes Center Berne (DCB) and Tidepool aims to fill this critical research gap. Their joint effort is focused on the examination of the interplay between the menstrual cycle and diabetes management, with the goal of enhancing care and improving quality of life.

To explore the relationship between menstrual cycles and insulin-dependent diabetes with the goal of supporting the development of tools and products to lower the burden of diabetes management throughout the menstrual cycle, Tidepool and DCB are joining forces and will start with a first study. Tidepool facilitates access to the data of people living with type 1 diabetes who menstruate and provides their expertise in data collection for this initiative and DCB will provide expertise in clinical research and research infrastructure.

“Tidepool and DCB share common goals,” says Martina Rothenbühler, Data Science Lead at DCB. “We are both non-profit organizations aiming to make life with diabetes easier, fostering innovation, and sharing a deep interest in translating scientific findings into recommendations and tools that make diabetes management easier.”

Stefanie Hossmann, Clinical Research Lead at DCB, adds: “Partnering with Tidepool offers us an opportunity to meet with a highly motivated team dedicated to analyzing different aspects around the menstrual cycle, the Tidepool Period Project.”

“The DCB team has a strong academic focus that complements the roadmap we have built out for the Tidepool Period Project and the skills that we have on the Tidepool team, and we are so excited about this partnership,” said Saira Khan-Gallo, Access & Equity lead at Tidepool. 

About DCB
Diabetes Center Berne (DCB) is a private, independent Swiss foundation established in 2017 with the aim of making life with diabetes easier. DCB supports ideas and projects in the field of diabetes technology worldwide by providing expertise, access to clinical research facilities and its own laboratories, as well as financial resources. The aim is to bring them a big step closer to market entry in a collaborative partnership. The work of the DCB is non-profit – the goal is new insights and innovations around diabetes management as well as a vibrant community.

About Tidepool
Tidepool is a recognized innovator in diabetes software on a mission to make diabetes data more accessible, actionable, and meaningful for people with diabetes, their care teams, and researchers. Founded in 2013, Tidepool hosts a suite of software tools for people with diabetes and the clinics that serve them, including Tidepool Web, Tidepool Mobile, Tidepool Uploader, and soon Tidepool Loop. Tidepool is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Learn more at tidepool.org. Follow us on Twitter at @Tidepool_org and on Facebook and Instagram.

Contacts

Diabetes Center Berne

Fribourgstrasse 3
CH-3010 Berne 
www.dcberne.com

Media Contact
Sunjoy Mathieu
medien@dcberne.com

Tidepool

555 Bryant Street #429
Palo Alto, CA 94301
www.tidepool.org

Media Contact
Saira Khan-Gallo
media@tidepool.org

Links

About the Menstrual Cycle Study

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Maria Luisa Balmer Wins the Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize

Maria Luisa Balmer Wins the Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize

Maria Luisa Balmer Wins the Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize

The winner of this year’s Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize is Maria Luisa Balmer. The SNSF is awarding her the prize for her research into intestinal bacteria and their role in the development of diabetes and morbid obesity.

In Switzerland, approximately one child in six is overweight, and the number is increasing. This is concerning, given that being severely overweight increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. “We have known for some time that intestinal flora play a key role in the development of obesity,” says Maria Luisa Balmer, a specialist in Internal Medicine at Inselspital and head of a research group at the University of Bern. But the links are complex. In her research, Balmer is investigating the interactions between intestinal bacteria, their metabolic products and the immune system (*1).

In recognition of her research work, she has been awarded the Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize 2023 by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The award ceremony will take place at the University of Bern on 21 November.

Maria Luisa Balmer (Photo: Sina Lou Ravasio)

Identified: Fattening Bacteria

It is already known that morbidly obese people generally have different intestinal flora from slim, healthy people. Certain types of bacteria proliferate very vigorously, suppressing others as they do so. But what does that mean? And is the change in intestinal flora a cause or consequence of obesity? One of the researcher’s approaches to investigating these questions involves germ-free mice, which the University of Bern breeds in a facility that is unique in the world. “We can use these animals to investigate what effect individual bacterial species have and elucidate cause and effect relationships,” Balmer explains.

Using this approach, her team was actually able to identify five bacterial species that increase the susceptibility of the mice to obesity. As a next step, the team intends to investigate how this comes about – for example, which bacterial metabolic products contribute to the fattening effect, and what impact they have on the immune system.

In a preceding study, Balmer had already demonstrated that the metabolic product acetate has a positive effect on immune cells (*2). By doing so, she illustrated the link between diet, intestinal flora and the immune system, because one of the conditions under which acetate is formed is when bacteria in the intestines metabolise dietary fibre of the type contained in vegetables or wholegrain products.

Promoting health with chewing gum

Balmer’s research group is currently investigating the effect of dietary fibre in more detail in a clinical study involving over 100 severely obese children. The team has developed a chewing gum that has been enriched with water-soluble dietary fibre. And the best thing about this completely new idea is that the children do not realise the “FibreGum” is medicine. Like normal chewing gum, it tastes of mint. It is intended to promote intestinal metabolism in children almost without them noticing and at the same time help them reduce snacking on other sweets. “Low-threshold treatments are particularly important for children,” says Balmer. She hopes the study will demonstrate whether the nutritional fibre consumed with the FibreGum does actually improve intestinal flora, and ultimately whether it helps the children lose weight more easily.

Career snapshots: “We need a change of ideas”

Maria Luisa Balmer’s research already won her an SNSF Eccellenza Professorial Fellowship in 2020. She says she regards winning the Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize as a huge accolade. But she also sees the prize as an opportunity to gain visibility as a researcher who is a doctor and mother as well. “As far as that’s concerned, our whole society needs an urgent rethink,” she emphasises. “We need to update our traditional role models for group leaders at higher education institutions because the bar for couples with jobs is unrealistically high for both mothers and fathers. I feel it is important to demonstrate that you can have a family or hobbies that demand a lot of time and still conduct cutting-edge research and be successful if you have people around you to support you.”

(*1) J. Lötscher and M.L. Balmer: Sensing between reactions – how the metabolic microenvironment shapes immunity. Clin Exp Immunol (2019). doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/cei.13291.

 

(*2) M.L. Balmer et. al: Memory CD8+ T Cells Balance Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Activity by Reprogramming Cellular Acetate Handling at Sites of Infection. Cell Matabolism (2020). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2020.07.004.

Contact

Maria Luisa Balmer

Universitätsklinik für Diabetologie, Endokrinologie, Ernährungsmedizin & Metabolismus (UDEM)

Inselspital

Freiburgstrasse 15

CH-3010 Bern

Tel.: +41 31 632 96 40

E-Mail: maria.balmer@unibe.ch

Award for outstanding women researchers

The SNSF awards the Marie Heim-Vögtlin (MHV) Prize each year to an outstanding young woman researcher. Prizewinners are inspiring role models who produced remarkable results and significantly progressed their careers while benefiting from an SNSF grant. Since 2020, the prize has been awarded to former female grantees of the MHV, Doc.CH, Postdoc.Mobility, Ambizione and PRIMA funding schemes.

Marie Heim-Vögtlin, who gave her name to the award, became the first Swiss woman to study medicine when she was admitted to the University of Zurich’s medical faculty in 1868. On completing her studies, she opened a gynaecological practice where she continued to work after giving birth to two children. She is regarded as one of the pioneers in the struggle to give women access to higher education.

https://www.snf.ch

Links

Contact

Maria Luisa Balmer

Universitätsklinik für Diabetologie, Endokrinologie, Ernährungsmedizin & Metabolismus (UDEM)

Inselspital

Freiburgstrasse 15

CH-3010 Bern

Tel.: +41 31 632 96 40

E-Mail: maria.balmer@unibe.ch

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Research Participation Opportunities: New Studies “VOCircle” and “Moonwalk”

Research Participation Opportunities: New Studies “VOCircle” and “Moonwalk”

Research Participation Opportunities: New Studies “VOCircle” and “Moonwalk”

Join us in fostering state-of-the art diabetes research! The DCB-associated research group from the Sensing & Monitoring Lab is currently looking for study participants both with and without diabetes. Read more about the opportunities below.

Become Part of New Diabetes Research

The DCB-associated research group from the Sensing & Monitoring Lab is currently looking for study participants with and without diabetes. The two new studies will shine a light on the circadian rhythm of volatile organic compounds as well as movements during nightly blood glucose fluctuations in people with diabetes. This is a great opportunity to become part of the science behind the diabetes management of tomorrow.

The VOCircle Study

The VOCircle study aims to research the circadian rhythm in volatile organic compounds (VOC). It is being conducted in Berne, Switzerland, and you will need to be present for about 8 hours.

You are elligible if you
1) don’t have any type of diabetes,
2) have been living with
type 1 diabetes for more than a year, or
3) live with
type 2 diabetes and use medication to treat it. 

You can read more about it in the VOCircle Study Information.

The Moonwalk Study

The Moonwalk study aims to analyse movements during nightly blood glucose fluctuations.

You are elligible if you live with diabetes, use insulin to manage your blood glucose levels and live near Berne, Switzerland. If you are elligible, the study will accompany you during 10 +/- 5 days and you will receive a compensation of 200 CHF.

You can read more about it in the Moonwalk Study Information.

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Contacts

Cléo Nicolier (VOCircle)

cleo.nicolier@unibe.ch

+41 (0) 76 250 17 76

Camilo Mendez Schneider (Moonwalk)

camilo.mendezschneider@unibe.ch

+41 (0) 31 664 25 27

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