T1D Exchange sat down with Christopher Snider, the Community and Clinic Success Manager at Tidepool, a nonprofit organization offering supportive software tools for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and other insulin-requiring conditions.   

As the Community and Clinic Success Manager, Snider’s likeness appears on company emails as he functions behind the scenes, managing social interactions and training clinic staff on Tidepool’s enterprise software.  

In this interview, Snider discusses Tidepool’s origin story, the company’s current and future offerings in the diabetes space, and its use cases for individuals living with diabetes and those who support them. Let’s take a closer look.   

 

How would you sum up Tidepool’s work in a snappy soundbite?  

“The core mission of Tidepool, as a nonprofit organization, is to make diabetes data accessible, meaningful, and actionable. We have two main software offerings, the Tidepool Data Platform and Tidepool Loop, our community-led automated insulin dosing system,” said Snider, who lives with T1D himself and has been with Tidepool for seven years.  

  

Can you share Tidepool’s origin story?  

“It all began when Tidepool’s founder and CEO, Howard Look, had a child who was diagnosed with T1D,” said Snider. “Howard’s a tech guy who, before Tidepool, was VP of Software at TiVo, Pixar Animation Studios, and Amazon.”   

“Howard couldn’t make sense of the data from all the diabetes devices his child was using together, so he connected with some folks at UCSF, and soon after, Tidepool was founded as a nonprofit organization,” said Snider. “Essentially, Howard sought to be the change he wanted to see in the world.”   

This led to the first wave of Tidepool’s collaborative work with device manufacturers to obtain protocols, upload data, and refine visuals. From there, numerous opportunities unfolded for the company. 

  

How does Tidepool benefit people with T1D?   

“Over the years at Tidepool, we’ve established ourselves as a trustworthy entity,” said Snider. “We report to the community first and foremost. As a nonprofit, Tidepool’s transparency often gives a greater sense of trust when data is involved. Not only is it secure, but it’s yours — and that is our founding philosophy.”  

“Second, while DIY Loop is cutting edge and a fantastic, community-driven story, not every DIY Looper wants to build and maintain it themselves,” said Snider. “Plus, the FDA would love this community-driven initiative to be regulated and have an official entity supporting it.”  

“When we started the Tidepool Loop Project, it was done with the support of the DIY community, and the FDA looked to us to follow the three regulatory pieces or pathways that existed for an iCGM, ACE pump, and iAGC,” said Snider, who went on to explain that Tidepool leveraged these components and successfully created the first-ever FDA cleared truly interoperable solution, Tidepool Loop.  

That said, “There’s still time. First, we have to release the Tidepool Loop app and add multiple pumps and CGMs. But the experience itself is built to facilitate user choice over the long term,” said Snider.   

“We’re in this to support and operate on behalf of the diabetes community and to demonstrate what’s possible with diabetes tech when you go ‘all-in.'”  

 

Let’s talk about the “pick and choose” aspect of Tidepool  

“Tidepool Loop is built for a ‘pick and choose’ mentality, and from a technical perspective, it is possible. Again, it requires manufacturers to get their devices cleared as an iCGM or ACE pump and establish a business relationship with Tidepool, followed by engineering work,” said Snider.   

“We have many things happening behind the scenes to support that. Once in place, we can start talking about our device partners for the first wave of Tidepool Loop’s commercial release and bring more people into the conversation.”

 

What’s the relationship between Tidepool and twiist™?  

“Sequel is managing the twiist™ AID system powered by Tidepool — the first system cleared to work with Tidepool Loop. They licensed our 510K RFA submission and packaged it with the insulin pump. So, Sequel will handle the roadmap and application for that submission,” said Snider.  

“The way I like to describe it is that there’s a future state in which Tidepool Loop and twiist™ AID system powered by Tidepool will be two separate applications in the app store,” explained Snider.  

“There’s also a hypothetical future where Tidepool Loop and twiist ™AID may start to diverge in terms of feature sets. The open-source nature of the code allows for that to happen. But as far as I understand, we don’t necessarily have a say over what twiist™ AID system powered by Tidepool 2.0 and 3.0 will look like.”  

“There are a lot of folks out there who believe in what we’re working to accomplish. I believe the feedback we receive will justify the time and effort it took. And I know the diabetes community doesn’t like to wait, but they are willing to wait a little bit longer for us to get this across the finish line,” said Snider.  

“At the ADA conference, I received specific questions about how the algorithm performs, and that was a first because people are realizing this is happening — and there’s a pump we can talk about with it. Everything has moved a step forward,” said Snider. “In terms of settings, the low glucose target can go to 87 mg/dl, so that’s exciting.”  

 

Can a patient share their data with a provider’s office from home?   

“Yes. You would first have to share your data with the clinic account workspace. They provide a unique share code, and you, as a person with T1D owning your data, could share it with whomever you want,” said Snider. “So that’s the first step.”  

“Then, the clinic links your EHR to your Tidepool account. With that connection in place, the data can transfer seamlessly behind the scenes. So, you can upload from home before your appointment or hand your devices over — the data is ultimately going to the same account,” said Snider.  

“There are certain things we can’t overcome – like you have to use a computer to use Tidepool Uploader to upload your data, but presuming we’re able to get past initial requirements, our support team is very empathetic when it comes to providing support for clinicians and personal users.”  

“At Tidepool, we also have research initiatives such as the Tidepool Big Data Donation Project, where personal users can anonymously opt-in with their device data.” This anonymized data can then be licensed to researchers and help push diabetes innovations forward.

 

Can you explain hospital and clinic integration of Tidepool Loop?  

“Our clinic component provides care teams with tools to support their patients with T1D, which has a host of features and functionality specific to the clinic experience,” said Snider.  

“The primary workflow is when a patient comes to an appointment, and they hand their device to medical staff. Staff uploads it and typically prints a Tidepool PDF report, which is used for analysis, documentation, and billing justification,” said Snider.   

“We’re converting some health systems to Tidepool+ Professional, a premium enterprise offering. This allows for EHR integration, meaning data is sent directly into a patient’s chart. Providers can pull it up for analysis without extra clicks,” said Snider, which translates into more quality time spent with their patients.  

“Once Tidepool Loop is commercially available, that data will also be viewable within the Tidepool Data Platform. Any clinical workflows established with Tidepool+ today, including things like EHR integration, will be bolstered with that new data source,” said Snider. “Ultimately, we’ll have more to say about Tidepool Loop-specific aspects of the clinical workflow when we get closer to that release date.” 

 

If you’re interested in learning more about Tidepool’s offerings and how they can improve the lives of everyone affected by T1D, please visit Tidepool.org.