In a healthy human body, insulin is a hormone created by the pancreas that controls glucose levels in the bloodstream.
But a diabetic's body doesn't naturally produce insulin, which means the body can't store glucose for later use as energy in fat cells.
Should a diabetic not have access to insulin, this acid imbalance can trigger diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition.
This is why monitoring insulin levels and using medicine is critical to survival for diabetics.
The American Diabetes Association reported that 25% of patients have turned to self-rationing their medication to deal with its ever-increasing price tag.
A group of dedicated biohackers believes that making insulin more accessible requires taking the monopoly away from the big three pharmaceutical companies that produce it.
So they've started the Open Insulin Foundation, a non-profit with plans to develop the world's first open-source insulin production model. »