Mission

Diabeter is a center for type 1 diabetes care and research. Based in the Netherlands, we are one of the largest specialized centers in Europe, currently managing over 3,000 people with diabetes.

Conducting scientifically sound research that leads to a better understanding of type 1 diabetes and its treatment is an important goal of our work. By expanding knowledge about diabetes, we can help towards the development of new forms of treatment of the disease and its complications, as well as find ways to prevent or cure the disease.

Several key principles form the basis of our approach to research:

Addressing unmet needs: our day-to-day experience with people with diabetes helps us to better identify the gaps and questions in diabetes care that need to be addressed by well-designed research.

Scientifically sound: we strive to conduct research to the highest possible standards, to ensure that the data we obtain are valid and that the conclusions we draw are meaningful. Our research is always published in peer-reviewed journals.

Practically relevant: we plan, design and conduct our research with the aim of being able to translate the findings into clinical practice, optimizing care and improving outcomes.

The central theme of our research is to identify and characterize the heterogeneity of type 1 diabetes and the implications for care. The “one-size-fits-all” approach to managing diabetes no longer applies. Type 1 diabetes is not a single disease, but comes in different ‘versions’. Differences in the age of onset, in the development of medical complications, and in the effects of treatments and interventions, point to an extensive heterogeneity and different disease stages. At Diabeter we can combine new research data with the extensive clinical datasets collected in our disease management system (Vcare). This allows us to dissect this heterogeneity, define the stages of the disease, and develop ways to apply this knowledge to new interventions that improve care.

Our research into heterogeneity focuses on three main areas:

Evaluating outcome data, with the aim of identifying opportunities to improve care.

Identifying biomarkers of type 1 diabetes heterogeneity. This can help to stage the disease, and identify risks such as the early development of damage and complications.

Characterizing the psychosocial markers of disease heterogeneity, and understanding the psychosocial and socioeconomic issues in people and families with type 1 diabetes.

The individual studies conducted within each of these areas are discussed in detail elsewhere on this site.

"The three main areas of research were chosen to ensure that we produce clinically relevant findings. Outcome data are crucial for identifying the need to adapt care, while insights from the heterogeneity research will enable us to better target specific treatments or (psychosocial) interventions to the individual people with diabetes who are most likely to benefit." - Dick Mul, Diabeter

Diabeter has formed strong alliances with other institutions, enabling us to collaborate on research projects. Examples include work with:

Bruce Wolffenbuttel, endocrinology, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), The Netherlands.
Frans Pouwer, Institute of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Bart Roep, professor of Diabetology, Immunopathology & Intervention, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands.

If you would like more information about the work that we do, or have a specific question or proposal, please contact us via this website or email us at research@diabeter.nl.