Exploradio

WKSU asked listeners for ideas for what to explore in the next episode of our Exploradio science series. We had some great suggestions. When the ideas were put to a vote, the top choice was – “Is enough being done to find a cure for type-1 diabetes…?” In this week’s Exploradio, we try to find the answer. Around 1.25 million Americans have type-1, or insulin dependent diabetes. Rich Janus is one of them. He takes a glass vial out of the fridge at his home near Cleveland. “This is the Humalog that I take right before I eat,” Janus said. He’s been injecting it three or four times a day for 45 years. It isn't cheap. Humalog insulin earned drug maker Eli Lily $3 billion last year . Worldwide around $280 billion is spent managing diabetes and its complications. Janus wonders if all of this money has been a disincentive for drug makers and the medical industry to find a cure for type-1 diabetes. “If I weren’t so cynical, I’d be really cynical,” he said. This cynicism led Janus, as a WKSU