One of the primary scientific aims of the Open Insulin Foundation is to engineer a strain of microorganism that can produce sufficient quantities of insulin glargine for downstream purification and formulation. Toward this end, we took inspiration from a published protocol and came up with a strategy to engineer the budding yeast Pichia pastoris with the capacity to inducibly express glargine and secrete it into the extracellular growth media.

Over the past year and a half, two alumni of our Oakland and Baltimore chapters, Louise Lassalle and Yann Huon de Kermadec, have been working to establish a French chapter of the Open Insulin Foundation. (See the official announcement.) Here is their account of the process.

With apologies for a long hiatus from regular public communications, we have much news to share as the holidays approach and we reflect, celebrate, and prepare for the new year. We remain actively seized on the specific mission of Open Insulin, which is to make open source technology to make insulin and organize local production under accountable ownership and governance. Here are the highlights regarding the current state of our work.

Three pharmaceutical companies control the patent rights for the majority of insulin products on the market. These companies have over the past decade raised the price of insulin egregiously. As a result, many diabetics and their families are struggling to afford this life-saving medicine and, in some cases, taking desperate actions to get the medicine their life depends on.

Introduction It’s been a busy past few months at Open Insulin! We’ve had significant progress on all fronts, especially in moving the engineering of our organisms forward towards the point where production pilots can be started in collaboration with external partners. Details below.

We’re honored to have hosted the team from @freethinkmedia at @BUGSSlab for a look at what we’re doing! The video above discusses the high and rising costs of insulin and how it frames our organization’s mission and work. Check it out!