Amazing Things Podcast
Ed Damiano: A Father’s Mission to Develop a Bionic Pancreas
For the 1.25 million American adults and children with type 1 diabetes, managing blood-sugar levels is a 24/7 affair that involves sticking their fingers many times a day and either manually injecting insulin as needed or wearing an insulin pump.Blood glucose management is an inexact science, with levels too high or too low having dangerous consequences. Even a small overdose of insulin can be deadly. Boston University Professor Ed Damiano’s involvement with type 1 diabetes began in May 2000 on a highly personal note when his son David was diagnosed at just 11-months old.
Summary
For the 1.25 million American adults and children with type 1 diabetes, managing blood-sugar levels is a 24/7 affair that involves sticking their fingers many times a day and either manually injecting insulin as needed or wearing an insulin pump. Blood glucose management is an inexact science, with levels too high or too low having dangerous consequences. Even a small overdose of insulin can be deadly. Boston University Professor Ed Damiano’s involvement with type 1 diabetes began in May 2000 on a highly personal note when his son David was diagnosed at just 11-months old.
