Diabetes Technology Exploration

The Diabetes Fund invests in knowledge and innovation to cure type 1 diabetes and prevent and cure type 2 diabetes. Additionally, efforts are made to improve the quality of life with diabetes.

• There are already many useful technological solutions on the market or in development, such as:
• eHealth applications, like 'carbohydrate knowers' and diary apps to track health data (with or without sensors).
• Functional tools, such as glucose meters (Freestyle Libre), needle-free injection systems, and the artificial pancreas.
• Tools that provide insights into blood sugar levels, such as patches that detect hypoglycemia and the use of movement data in sensor/pump systems.
• Diagnostic and preventive tools, such as retina scans and methods to assess liver damage.
• But also outside the diabetes field, innovations are being developed that could be relevant. An example is technology that can measure certain values based on changing tattoos. Additionally, solutions developed by people with diabetes themselves are emerging, such as initiatives like the OpenAPS (open-source artificial pancreas system). Some of these initiatives could make a significant contribution with professional support.

Commissioned by the Diabetes Fund, Dialogic explores the technological developments that can benefit people with diabetes. Additionally, through a network analysis, we identify the parties and research groups working on innovations that are relevant (or can be) for diabetes. This is aimed at improving knowledge dissemination and connecting relevant parties where applicable. In mapping out new technologies and parties, we employ a broad search strategy, utilising semantic language models, citation networks, and text mining techniques. Want to learn more about this exploration? Ask Nick Jelicic.