Improving the prevention and treatment of diabetes or even avoiding the metabolic disease altogether—these are the goals and mission of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).

To achieve this, the DZD combines the expertise of leading German research institutions and universities in the field of metabolism and diabetes research with state-of-the-art infrastructures for translational diabetes research. Experts with various specializations, including basic research, epidemiology, healthcare research, clinical practice, data management and bioinformatics, work together in interdisciplinary teams.  

Diabetes mellitus is a widespread disease worldwide with numbers rising at a rapid pace. Studies estimate that the number of cases of diabetes in Germany will rise from the current 8.7 million (2023) to more than 12 million by 2040. The pooling of expertise, joint clinical studies and the implementation of a research program from basic research to application in a Germany-wide center enables the goal of developing novel, precise prevention and therapy strategies to be achieved more effectively and quickly. This means that affected individuals are provided the right treatment at the right time.

The research work of the DZD lays important foundations for the more targeted prevention and treatment of diabetes. Some examples are new diabetes drugs, improved prevention and the introduction of precise diabetes therapy: Translational Research Successes.