Biohackers Creating Open-Source Insulin
When Anthony Di Franco was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in his early 20s, he never dreamed that a decade later he’d be teamed up with a group of biohackers working to homebrew their own insulin. That’s what he is doing now in Berkeley, California, as a part of the Open Insulin project that aims to create a blueprint for insulin, an open-source protocol that would be universally created and shared so that others could actually make a generic version of insulin. This project is a part of Counter Culture Labs , which sprung up from hacking community projects in the Bay Area and became a stand-alone non-profit organization. The goal: to develop an open insulin roadmap within the next decade. Along with Anthony, the Open Insulin project team began with roughly 50 self-described “hackers and tinkerers” who proudly point out they are all “bio-curious" -- with a mix of genetic engineering, software, biochemistry and biotech experience. Just as other tech-savvy and gadget-connected ha