DiabetesMine™ Launches 2010 Design Challenge; Fostering Innovation to Improve Life with Diabetes

$23,000.00 in Cash Prizes and Entrepreneurial Help for Best New Creative Tools for Managing Diabetes

SAN FRANCISCO--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--DiabetesMine™, a leading informational and community web site for people with diabetes, today announced kickoff of the 2010 DiabetesMine Design Challenge, a competition designed to foster innovation in diabetes design and encourage creative new tools that will improve life with diabetes.

“We look to another bounty of creativity this year”

This annual web-based competition is hosted at www.diabetesmine.com/designcontest, and is underwritten by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), an independent philanthropy committed to improving the way health care is delivered and financed in California and beyond. It is also endorsed by Medgadget.com, the Internet journal of emerging medical technologies, and supported by the global design and innovation firm IDEO, with headquarters in Palo Alto, CA.

The 2009 competition garnered over 150 ingenious entries – from multiple non-invasive ways to measure glucose (through the skin, eyes, and even via chewing gum), to a variety of Smartphone applications, to high-tech foot scanners for early detection of diabetic neuropathy. The Grand Prize winner was a system that turns the iPhone into the controller for a combined glucose monitor and insulin pump.

“CHCF is committed to improving the quality of medical care and quality of life for patients with chronic conditions,” said Veenu Aulakh, senior program officer for the Foundation's Better Chronic Disease Care program. “We’re excited to again support this interactive, web-based design contest that gives innovators the opportunity to take an active role in improving tools for such a prevalent and challenging condition.”

This competition is open to any individuals or organizations passionate about diabetes and product design – whether you're an enterprising patient or parent, a startup company, a design student, an independent developer or engineer, or a pharma R&D pro. Entries from participants age 17 and under are also welcome, and will be judged in a separate category.

To help refine and realize their design concepts, three winners will each receive the following prizes:

• $7,000 in cash, plus:
  • a complementary consulting session with Health and Wellness experts at the global design and innovation firm IDEO
  • a free access ticket to the “innovation incubator” Health 2.0 Conference planned for October 2010 in San Francisco, CA
  • introduction to Silicon Valley investors and other relevant experts
  • additional hands-on assistance towards commercialization of your design idea, as appropriate

Two additional prize categories will also be awarded -- $1,000 cash each for the “Most Creative Idea” and the “Best Kids’ Concept” (age 17 and under). Total cash prizes are $23,000.

Also new this year is open community voting on the website, which will determine the top 10 finalists for this competition. Final winner selections will be made by a group of judges, including individuals with expertise in diabetes care, medical technologies, design, and venture capital funding. Submissions are accepted in the form of a 2-3 minute video to be uploaded to the DiabetesMine YouTube channel, or a 2-3 page written "elevator pitch" plus supporting graphics, also to be uploaded online. The deadline for entries is Friday, April 30^th, 2010, at 11:59 pm Pacific time. Winners will be announced on Friday, June 11^th, 2010.

“The development of cures and treatments for diabetes involves more than just research; the devices produced also need to be readily adopted by people with diabetes. Focusing on better form factor, ease of use, and incorporation of diabetes tools into other devices – like cell phones – all have the potential to transform diabetes management and improve the quality of life for millions of people. We applaud the DiabetesMine competition, because it sheds light on this need,” said Aaron Kowalski, Assistant Vice President, Glucose Control, and Research Director of the Artificial Pancreas Project at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

The Design Challenge concept was born in Spring 2007, when creator of DiabetesMine Amy Tenderich posted an Open Letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, calling for the gurus of consumer design to help revolutionize design of diabetes devices. In the weeks and months that followed, numerous individuals and organizations came forward with compelling new prototypes, designs, and ideas.

“We look to another bounty of creativity this year,” said Tenderich. “Good design can make life with diabetes more livable for so many, many people — for toddlers, older patients, people of all ages and walks of life. Bring on the innovation!”

Official contest information and rules can be found at http://www.diabetesmine.com/designcontest

About DiabetesMine.com

DiabetesMine.com is an information resource and a community networking place for people affected by diabetes. Its creator, Amy Tenderich, is a journalist who lives with Type 1 diabetes herself, and shares an unusual “cynically optimistic” view of the trials of living with this condition. She speaks creatively and from the heart — to people with diabetes and their family, friends, and community — on topics ranging from inside looks at diabetes research and breaking news to daily life with diabetes to uncovering the diabetics’ deepest hopes and fears. Visit this “gold mine of straight talk and encouragement for people living with diabetes” at www.diabetesmine.com.

About the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF)

The California HealthCare Foundation is an independent philanthropy committed to improving the way health care is delivered and financed in California and beyond. By promoting innovations in care and broader access to information, CHCF’s goal is to ensure that all Californians can get the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Learn more about the Foundation at www.chcf.org.

For more information, please contact info @ diabetesmine.com or 650-652-9430.

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