Episode 5 — The Remarkable Story Behind Painless Glucose Monitoring From a childhood shaped by war to a career of world-changing inventions, this episode follows the remarkable life of Adam Heller and his breakthroughs that led to a new kind of continuous glucose monitor. We also hear Ani’s first-hand experience as a non-diabetic learning to use a CGM and real-world testimonials from families navigating diabetes.
Join Dr. Aniruddha Deshpande and Dr. Pam Itkin-Ansari in this @DiscoveryDialogues Podcast Episode, where they explore a fascinating chemical reaction that links golden toast and grilled meat to chronic disease, and uncover the astonishing story of a medical breakthrough born in a place no one saw coming. From ancient sugar refineries in India to plantations in the Americas, from a mysterious illness in Kenya to malaria in British soldiers in India, and finally to the Iranian Revolution, join us in Episode 4 of the Discovery Dialogues podcast. 00:00:00 A1C Origin Story 00:02:10 Sugar’s History and Boom 00:04:26 Maillard Reaction Explained 00:06:44 Glycation and AGEs Damage 00:09:48 Urine Tests to Blood Tests 00:12:32 Hemoglobin 101 00:14:13 Sickle Cell and Malaria 00:17:00 Rahbar’s Path Begins 00:19:55 Tehran Lab to A1C 00:22:34 What A1C Really Measures 00:25:49 Revolution and A1C’s Spread 00:28:42 A1C’s Warning and Rahbar’s Legacy #Diabetes #A1C #HbA1c #Glycation #MaillardReaction #BloodSugar #MedicalHistory #Podcast #DiscoveryDialogues
Deadly Venoms, Life-saving Medicines: Animal Venoms and Diabetes Breakthroughs This episode of the Discovery Dialogues Podcast, hosted by Ani Deshpande and Pam Itkin-Ansari, explores the astonishing world of animal venoms and their unexpected role in developing groundbreaking medical treatments. The episode begins with the tragic and intriguing story of a young man, Charles Garbut, who died after being stung by a cone snail at the Great Barrier Reef. The discussion then dives into the fascinating biology of cone snails, their deadly venoms, and the groundbreaking discovery of insulin within their toxins by Dr. Helena Safavi. The hosts explore how this discovery could revolutionize diabetes treatment by leading to faster-acting insulins. The episode also covers historical and contemporary examples of venom-derived medications, like Captopril, derived from Brazilian pit viper venom, and Integrilin, inspired by rattlesnake venom. The episode ends on an uplifting note with the story of Lelia Bullion, a young girl with Type 1 diabetes, and her life-saving relationship with her diabetic alert dog, Gizmo. Through these stories, the episode highlights the potential of animal venoms in modern medicine and their profound impact on diseases like diabetes. 00:00 The Deadly Cone Snail Incident 01:43 Introduction to Discovery Dialogues Podcast 03:11 The Lethal Beauty of Cone Snails 06:41 Venoms in Medicine: From Snakes to Snails 14:18 The Discovery of Insulin in Cone Snail Venom 20:51 The Dual Nature of Insulin 35:30 The Role of Glucagon and Somatostatin 38:44 A Heartwarming Story: Lelia and Gizmo.
@DiscoveryDialogues Podcast: The Race for Human Insulin In the second episode of the @DiscoveryDialogues podcast, the hosts Dr. Ani Deshpande and Dr. Pam Itkin-Ansari narrate the exciting, behind-the-scenes stories in the race to make human insulin. From freight trains rumbling through Indiana and Boeing 747s carrying a most unexpected cargo, we'll uncover the story of a Time Magazine cover star who stole the spotlight from British Royalty, a Japanese PhD student who wanted to be the fastest gene maker in the world, a multimillion dollar donor who wanted to remain anonymous and the ethical storm around what some believed was scientists trying to play God. Today, if you or your loved one has diabetes and needs to take insulin injections, the hormone that you're injecting is not extracted from cows or pigs like it was at the time of Banting's discovery. It is recombinant human insulin and we will recount the absolutely fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of the science and the drama of how we got there in episode two of the @DiscoveryDialogues Podcast.
Discovery Dialogues Podcast: Tracing the History of Diabetes