BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--T1D Exchange, an organization accelerating research to improve outcomes in type 1 diabetes, and M2D2, a joint venture of the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Worcester campuses that incubates medical device start-ups, today announced the semi-finalists for the first annual Diabetes Innovation Challenge. T1D Exchange and M2D2 are working in partnership on the inaugural event with sponsorship support from JDRF and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) among others.
The Diabetes Innovation Challenge was conceived to provide a comprehensive approach to support the development of novel therapies and solutions for all aspects of diabetes research, clinical care and patient quality of life. Semi-finalists will compete for of the opportunity to win more than $150,000 in cash or in-kind services provided by T1D Exchange, M2D2 and other Challenge sponsors.
Nearly 60 innovators submitted their applications for consideration. Today, 30 semi-finalists have been selected to present their projects to an expert panel of judges at one of two semi-final events, one each for early-stage or later-stage projects. A full list of semi-finalists can be downloaded here.
This year’s semi-finals event for later-staged projects will take place at the Sherman Center at UMass Medical School, in Worcester, MA on September 29 from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. The semi-finals event for early-stage projects happens at University Crossing – Moloney Hall at UMass Lowell on October 5 from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Those interested in attending may reserve a spot at either event here (reservation is recommended but not required).
Winners of the semi-finals will move on to the finals event, which will feature a poster session and a conclusive round of judging. The finals event will take place at the Royal Sonesta Boston, in Cambridge, MA on October 20. Awardees will be announced at the close of the T1D Exchange Annual Meeting, Innovation in Care, on Friday, October 21 at 5:00 p.m. at the Royal Sonesta Boston, in Cambridge, MA. The Innovation in Care event attracts 200 leaders from industry, foundation, investment, academia, and research organizations from around the world.
“When we conceived of this event, we set modest expectations for year one. However, the diabetes community has embraced it, and the results have far exceeded those expectations. We are stunned by the amount of qualified applications, and the level of innovation the applicants have introduced into the competition,” said Dana Ball, executive director of T1D Exchange. “We are also incredible thankful to many of our partners who have stepped into key sponsorship, mentoring and judging roles to support this challenge, including ADA, JDRF and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Ultimately, it’s an incredible testament to the army of people working together to find, support and accelerate innovation—all to drive better outcomes for people living with diabetes. It will be a very difficult decision to narrow down this year’s applicants.”
About T1D Exchange
T1D Exchange, a program of Unitio, was
founded on the belief that improving outcomes in type 1 diabetes (T1D)
requires a new approach—one that helps researchers conduct better
research faster; better research because it’s patient-driven and more
informed; faster research because T1D Exchange provides researchers with
access to resources they need to conduct clinical studies. Our
innovative model offers researchers access to aggregated clinical,
biological, patient-reported outcomes and electronic health record data,
all while fostering collaboration among patients, physicians,
researchers and industry. Our model is multi-faceted and complex, but
our goal is simple: to tangibly improve outcomes for people with type 1
diabetes as fast as humanly possible.
About M2D2
M2D2,
the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center, is a joint
initiative of the Lowell and Worcester campuses of the UMass system. Its
aim is to help new biotech and medical device entrepreneurs develop
products every step of the way, from proof-of-concept to
commercialization. Affiliated faculty and staff have assisted more than
100 start-up companies and entrepreneurs since the program kicked off in
the spring of 2007.
