Diabetes and Hypoglycemia Technology Network 

Welcome to the Diabetes and Hypoglycemia Technology Network (DHTN)!

In simple terms, we aim to speed up the use of our technology in various sectors like startups, charities, open-source projects, and industry partnerships. We believe that collaborating through a network will help us achieve this goal faster and foster innovation.

Come and Collaborate

Are you passionate about technology research? Do you want to contribute to groundbreaking projects? Look no further – the DHT Network invites you to be a part of our community!

• Open Collaboration: We believe in the power of open collaboration. Whether you’re a researcher, scientist, engineer, or enthusiast, everyone is welcome to join our diverse and inclusive network.
• Cutting-Edge Technology: Be at the forefront of technological advancements! DHT focuses on innovative projects that span a wide range of disciplines, from healthcare tech to industrial solutions.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded individuals and organizations. Build meaningful relationships with professionals, industry experts, and researchers who share your passion for pushing the boundaries of technology.
• Impactful Research: Contribute to impactful research with real-world applications. Our projects aim to make a difference, and your collaboration can be a driving force behind positive change.

Aims

Manchester is already a leading centre for diabetes research and treatment. Our network aims to build on the current efforts of clinicians, scientists, and patient groups, elevating them to international excellence. Our work aligns with government and NHS strategies on diabetes and rare hypoglycemia conditions, focusing on new technology solutions.

Our goal is to expand our capacity, strength, and connections to rapidly advance our technology and make it accessible to as many people as possible. We plan to strengthen ties with the NHS, form partnerships with well-known organisations like Dexcom and Abbot, and enhance relationships with patient charities such as Diabetes UK and research-focused charities like JDRF-UK. Specifically:

1. Capacity, Strength, and External Connections

• Aim: Develop a Research Network to consolidate capacity, strength, and external connections.
• Objective: Build a collaborative environment that brings together diverse expertise, resources, and external partnerships.

2. Leadership and Strategic Direction:

• Aim: Take a team/community approach with decentralised leadership for quick response to new research and patient needs.
• Objective: Establish leadership comprising representatives from various organisations, an advisory panel of patients, and a Network lead for strategic direction and day-to-day management.

3. Stakeholder Engagement:

• Aim: Strengthen connections with key stakeholders, including the NHS, industrial partners (Dexcom and Abbot), and patient charities (Diabetes UK, Congenital Hyperinsulinism International, JDRF-UK).
• Objective: Consolidate existing connections, develop new industrial partnerships, and coalesce relationships with patient charities to enhance support and collaboration.

4. Overcoming Barriers:

• Aim: Address barriers in interdisciplinary match-making and technology development.
• Objective: Tackle challenges related to clinician time, awareness (mindshare), and recognition by fostering an environment that supports disruptive solid research.

5. University and Industry Collaboration:

• Aim: Promote mindshare across the University and establish tighter links with industry, charities, and professional organisations.
• Objective: Facilitate fundamental and translational research through interdisciplinary grant applications and cross-faculty postgraduate researchers (PGRs) for accelerated real-world impact.

In summary, we focus on creating a collaborative, responsive, and well-connected research network that actively engages with stakeholders, overcomes existing barriers, and accelerates the impact of research outcomes.

The Scope of Diabetes and Rare Hypoglycemia

The number of people with diabetes is expected to increase by a third in the next eighteen years, surpassing our current technology’s effectiveness, availability, and cost. To catch up or even surpass this rise, we need to speed up research and development. We plan to adopt a Team Science approach, bringing together clinicians, scientists, and engineers to integrate new technology and data analytics into fast-tracked care solutions.

Currently, around 415 million people worldwide are living with diabetes, including Type 1, Type 2, and related conditions. This accounts for about 1 in 11 adults globally. While technology is crucial in addressing this health challenge, progress has been slow due to the separate focuses of clinical and technical domains. Accelerating progress requires collaboration across all fields with shared purposes and goals. Bringing together diverse teams of clinicians and technologists is seen as a more promising way to achieve significant progress in diabetes technology.

The need for Diabetes Technology is evident with the increasing work on combining wearables and bio-sensing. However, progress must speed up to reach the larger population living with diabetes.

Our informal network has achieved individual success in grant funding for diabetes-related work. As a network, we’ve secured two Wellcome Trust A2E grants, have been invited to submit a full C4T application, are working on an EPSRC proposal, and have even seen a startup emerge from these collaborations.

Organisation

As with our research, the leadership and strategic direction takes a team/community approach and is decentralised so that we can quickly address new research and patient needs. Our leadership comprises a representative from each organisation along with an advisory panel of patients. Additionally, there is a rotating Network Lead to act as the facilitator and provide strategic direction and orchestration of the day-to-day management of the Network.

Leadership

• Dr Indi Banerjee – Consultant in Paediatric Endocrinology at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust;
• Dr Simon Harper – Professor in Computer Science at the University of Manchester (Current Network Lead);
• Dr Paul Nutter – Reader in Nano Engineering & Spintronic Technologies at the University of Manchester;
• Dr Martin Rutter – Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine at the University of Manchester and Honorary Consultant Physician at the Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Centre;
• Dr Hood Thabit – Consultant Diabetologist & Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester;
• Dr Chris Worth – Paediatric Endocrinology at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.