25 September 2014. “Two flagships of Switzerland’s business and research landscape will cooperate closely in the future,” said Christoph Franz last Tuesday after the cooperation agreement had been signed. Interdisciplinary cooperation should make an essential contribution to the development of new, trail-blazing concepts, particularly in personalised health management.

Understanding behaviour and promoting health
As an academically neutral research institution, the HSG has the opportunity to accompany projects of Roche as an independent partner, evaluate them according to clear scientific standards and if necessary to validate them. By means of such cooperation, new insights about health behaviour will be explored and directly linked with practice.

On the innovative way towards personalised health management, the Center for Customer Insight (FCI) under the direction of Prof. Dr. Andreas Herrmann will take on the evaluation of medical and economic parameters. This cooperation venture will regularly monitor medical data and supervise patients personally in order to delay the manifestation of diabetes and avoid its ensuing complications.

Better medical care for diabetes patients

From September 2014, the Roche Diabetes Care project will test a new type of patient/doctor interaction with the help of innovative technologies in a field study. The interaction is intended to be used to guarantee that diabetes patients receive better medical care.

Roche and the University of St.Gallen have cultivated good mutual relations for some time. This cooperation agreement will reinforce cooperation and place it on a broader basis. In essence, the projects are intended to contribute towards a situation whereby the latest research insights are quickly integrated into treatment and into personalised therapy management.

On the picture from front left to right back: Dr. Oliver Haferbeck (Head of Diabetes Care Germany, Roche Diagnostics Deutschland GmbH), Prof. Dr. Andreas Herrmann (Dircetor FCI-HSG), Prof. Dr. Thomas Bieger (President University of St.Gallen (HSG)), Isabelle Decker (Head of Marketing Diabetes Care Germany, Roche Diagnostics Deutschland GmbH), Dr. Christoph Franz (President of the administrative council, Roche).

Photo: Roche / Nik Hunger