The discovery of insulin and the ‘Flame of Hope’

Context: The pancreas holds a unique position as both an
endocrine and exocrine organ. It plays an important role in managing blood
sugar levels through insulin. In human physiology, the endocrine glands act by
releasing chemical messengers called hormones. They are produced in
extraordinarily small quantities, ranging from 10^-9 to 10^-12
grams. Nervous and endocrine systems carry out a common mandate: to transmit
the brain’s instructions to peripheral organs and tissues. Unlike the nervous
system, which operates through a network of neurons, the endocrine system
executes the brain’s orders across the body without an anatomical network.

Key points

·      
Overview: Sir Fredrick Banting’s birth anniversary is observed
as World Diabetes Day on November 14 every year as a tribute to the history
behind the discovery of insulin — one of medicine’s greatest breakthroughs.

·      
World
Diabetes Day: The
world's largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching over 1 billion people in
over 160 countries.

Founded - In 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation
(IDF) and the World Health Organization. It became an official United Nations
Day with the passage of UN Resolution 61/225 in 2006. Every year on 14 November
on the birth anniversary of Sir Frederick Banting. He discovered insulin in
1922 along with Charles Best.

Theme for
2024 - ‘Breaking Barriers,
Bridging Gaps’ The theme aims to encourage public health institutions and
other global institutions to facilitate better opportunities, infrastructure,
manpower and financial support to promote diabetes education, so that the World
Health Organization (WHO) diabetes coverage target can be achieved by the year
2030.

·      
About
Diabetes: Diabetes is a chronic
disorder that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin
or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. There are
mainly 3 types of diabetes - type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational
diabetes.

·      
Diabetes
Status in India: 77 million
people above the age of 18 years in India suffer from diabetes (type 2) and
about 25 million are prediabetic (high risk of developing diabetes soon). More
than 50% of people are unaware of their diabetes status which can lead to the
following health complications if not detected and treated in time.

·      
Smart
Insulin for Diabetes: The latest
study introduces an engineered insulin molecule, named NNC2215, which includes
a built-in "on-and-off switch" that allows it to automatically
respond to fluctuations in blood glucose levels. Two Main Components of NNC2215
–

Ø  A Ring-Shaped Structure allows the insulin molecule to
change shape depending on blood sugar levels.

Ø  A Glucoside Molecule resembles glucose in structure
and helps control the activation of insulin.