DCB becomes new member of the WHO Global Diabetes Compact Forum

Recently, DCB was accepted as a new member of the WHO Global Diabetes Compact Forum. The principles and goals of the Forum align well with the DCB vision and mission – to make life better for people with diabetes.

DCB is delighted to join the global efforts, bringing a collective vision to advocacy and collaboration within the diabetes field. Within the Forum, ideas, information and views can be exchanged between WHO and members, as well as between members.

“The Global Diabetes Compact Forum was created by WHO to share ideas, information and views that help advocate for a world where the risk of diabetes is reduced and where all people who are diagnosed with diabetes have access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable, quality treatment and care. ”

–  WHO

Interview with José García-Tirado on his diabetes research

Recently, the Swiss d-journal – a medium of the Swiss diabetes organisation diabetesschweiz – published an interview with DCB assistant professor José García-Tirado.

Since the beginning of 2023, José has been a professor specialising in diabetes technology at the University Department of Diabetology, Endocrinology, Nutritional Medicine and Metabolism (UDEM) and at the DCB (Diabetes Center Berne). Together with his team, he is involved in the development of even more precise therapies such as closed-loop systems for people with diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

In his interview, José speaks about his motivation for and background in diabetes research, and where he aims to take it in the next few years.

The interview is available as d-journal articles in German and French, and in our newsletter in English. Enjoy the read!

For people living with diabetes, estimating the amount of carbohydrates for appropriate insulin dosing is like a gamble sometimes. Decisions are often made based on experience and gut feeling, which can lead to mistakes1 with health consequences. For both CarbVis and SNAQ, the goal was to develop a technology that enables a quick and, above all, reliable calculation in a user-friendly way.

The two companies started with a different focus and have developed accordingly. SNAQ has an international focus and is now an established solution on the market. CarbVis emerged from a DCB-funded translational project in 2021, in collaboration with the University Department of Diabetology, Endocrinology, Nutritional Medicine and Metabolism (UDEM) of the Inselspital Bern and the University of Bern. After several years of technical and regulatory development, CarbVis has had a class 1 MDD medical device certified. In addition, the documents for the approval of a class 2 MDR medical device were submitted. The Qarbs app developed by CarbVis focused on safety and accuracy to achieve ease of integration with customers at B2B level. This complements SNAQ’s market presence and experience and extends the offering to B2C and B2B customers.

Added value for app users

“Uniting the two platforms is a logical development for us – we bring together our different strengths as well as business strategies and thus achieve a clear qualitative added value for the users of the app, medical professionals and our B2B partners,” emphasises the CEO of DCB and designated Chairman of the Board of Directors of SNAQ, Derek Brandt.

“The integration of CarbVis’ extensive regulatory and technical work will enable SNAQ to bring a dedicated insulin dosing solution to the European and US markets significantly faster,” said SNAQ CEO Aurelian Briner.

Image source: SNAQ

1 Buck S, Krauss C, Waldenmaier D, Liebing C, Jendrike N, Högel J, Pfeiffer BM, Haug C, Freckmann G. Evaluation of Meal Carbohydrate Counting Errors in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2022 Jul;130(7):475-483. doi: 10.1055/a-1493-2324. Epub 2021 May 25. PMID: 34034353.

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 SNAQ

SNAQ’s diabetes platform enables patients and professionals to make data-based decisions around meals. The patented image analysis technology for estimating carbohydrates in meals has been validated in clinical trials and submitted for approval as a medical device in Europe. In the US, SNAQ is already an established solution with over 70,000 users.

Research and Patient Centricity at DCB

In this podcast episode, Greta Ehlers and Dr. Stefanie Hofer from the DCB team give insights into their own lives with type 1 diabetes as well as their professional backgrounds in the diabetes field. In doing so, they specifically delve into the research we do at DCB and our strong commitment to patient centricity.

You can listen to the podcast below:

About “The Diabetic Mogul” podcast

“The Diabetic Mogul Podcast”, is hosted by Tinotenda Dzikiti (Certified Diabetes Educator) and Konstantina Taki (Medical Doctor) and who are Patient Advocates. Both Tino & Konna are co-hosting a series of podcast episodes, as they envision to inspire, empower, encourage and educate the community to prevent/manage diabetes. Their hope is that “everyone could get involved, get engaged, and come up together to create the change that this World needs.”

Learn more about DCB’s mission on ADA TV

During the American Diabetes Association’s 83rd Scientific Session, a short movie about DCB’s mission will be broadcast across the convention center and associated areas. The movie produced for ADA TV features employees as well as associated research teams of DCB and brings the mission of driving diabetes technology innovation to screens all over.

Other than on-site at the American Diabetes Association’s 83rd Scientific Sessions, it is also available to watch online:

DCB thanks the American Diabetes Association and the production company WebsEdge Medicine for this great collaboration and for giving the DCB mission a stage at the ADA congress.