The Helmholtz Diabetes Center (HDC) at the Helmholtz Zentrum München engages in interdisciplinary and translational research cooperations to provide new promising approaches to cure Diabetes and confine its world-wide increasing prevalence. This multi-faceted systemic disease is defined by genetic and environmental factors where lifestyle choices play a particular role. The integration of basic and clinical research offered through the close collaboration within the different HDC institutes, as well as the Technical University of Munich and the Ludwig-Maximillian University enables an integrated research focus. Research at the Helmholtz Diabetes Center concentrates on three research areas: Molecular mechanisms of diabetes development, systems biology and modelling, and translational research and clinical projects. As a result, great steps are undertaken in therapy, prevention and diagnosis of diabetes.