This project includes T1-D patients, their families, doctors, advocacy groups… and dogs.

Our idea brings them all together in a unique way.

Shelter dogs get a home and a job.

Kids and families get emotional support for life.

Doctors get the assurance of an extra safety to their patient's treatment.

Rx brands can only communicate with non-HCP in an unbranded way.

Dogs have long been known for their remarkable ability to recognize changes on humans' glycemic levels.

This amazing fact has been linked to variations on the levels of an enzyme called isoprene, when blood sugar is too high or too low. There is plenty scientific background for that:

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/diabetes-sniffer-dogs-scent-of-hypos-could-aid-development-of-new-tests

Some dog service centers in the US are already training dogs to alert their owners of those life-threatening conditions. But at a cost of USD 20,000 each dog.

How can we bring this invaluable support to poor Brazilian children with T1D?

Introducing the Diabetes Olfactory Gadget (D.O.G). A breakthrough project that turns shelter dogs into Diabetes Alert Dogs.

The project's accessibility, social responsibility and emotional components have attracted the attention not only of media outlets, but of families, doctors and advocacy groups.

Since the app offers a comprehensive evaluation of the dogs' and families' performances as they progress, we will be able to monitor their evolution and adjust the modules to reflect the local needs in the future.

As a next step, the client will sponsor the first-ever clinical study on Diabetes Alert Dogs in Brazil, with eligible participant families and their alert dogs, in a scientific partnership with the Brazilian Diabetes Society.

This outcome is perfectly aligned with Sanofi's global commitment to "empowering lives".

As an agency, we firmly believe in "empathology" -- the combination of empathy and technology.

And as the global agency for Sanofi's insulin portfolio, we have come across an unmet need with profound implications for T1-D kids and families: the fear of nocturnal hypoglycemias.

The gap is not only technical, but an emotional one. And we believe the content offered by the D.O.G. project works on both sides.

It provides an additional safety net against hypoglycemias.

And it provides an emotional blanket involving families and doctors.

The fact that we are also helping street dogs does not hurt either :)

D.O.G. is designed to make the training of a Diabetes Alert Dog simple, accessible and fun. The adopting family learns how to train their new dog, as they bond together.

1. Screening

In partnership with certified dog shelters, we identify the most "trainable" dogs for the job, looking for the right set of abilities (focused, food-driven, determined).

2. Adoption

Families with T1D kids are referred by their doctors to a patient advocacy group and join the program. They are invited to choose one of the pre-selected dogs and now there's a new member in the family :)

3. Training

A Duolingo-style self mentoring app leads the family through all training steps. They consist of 16 modules with quiz tests that unlock the next stage, from basic obedience to advanced Diabetes alert techniques, until the dog is finally certified -- at no cost at all for the families.

Diabetes is a global epidemic, especially in the developing world. Brazil is no exception.

Type-1 Diabetes means the patient depends on several daily insulin shots. It is frequently diagnosed at a very young age.

Insulin prevents blood sugar levels from going too high, which could be harmful in the long term.

But the major threat faced by these kids and their families is the opposite: the hypoglycemia episodes.

When blood sugar levels go too low, the kid may faint and have seizures. Hypoglycemia is potentially fatal if not treated immediately -- especially during the night.

The "dead in bed" syndrome is every family's biggest nightmare.

Some mothers simply stay awake, watching their kids while they sleep. Others wake up their kids in the middle of the night and pinch their fingers to check for hypoglycemias.

Wouldn't it be great if there were some kind of alert device?