Toronto student develops EpiPen-like gadget for diabetes patients.

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Meeshika Sharma
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Shaan Hooey, a 15 year old student discovered GlucaMed, a product for diabetic patients that can administer glucagon in seconds.

Diabetes Canada says that the number of people living with diabetes is more than 3 million, and that figure is expected to increase by 40 per cent by 2025 and Shaan Hooey’s younger sister is part of that number.

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Hooey says that his sister  has Type 1 diabetes and lives a life that revolves around monitoring her sugar levels, doing routine prick tests and administering glucagon when she needs it.

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He shared  that his sister is monitored very closely, and there is a constant fear something could go wrong.

Hooey says he wanted to help – to make her life and the life of others living with diabetes easier and safer. Hooey said he found it could take up to 10 minutes for a patient to administer glucagon properly, but that’s far too long especially in an emergency situation.

There came the discovery of GlucaMed.Hooey, along with his student partner Sameer Jessa, came up with a product and medical start-up that helps diabetes patients get an immediate shot of glucagon which is critical when blood. sugar levels dip dangerously low, within seconds.

Hooey said, "I am just trying to make it a little bit easier one step at a time for all diabetics because it’s really not easy – the cost of the equipment, the time that it consumes… the fact that every two hours you have to prick your finger still,that is very time consuming and that adds up after a while. I am just trying to help impact people like my sister and others in a positive way."

The way GlucaMed works is simple. All the user has to do is pull off the safety cap like you would do with an EpiPen, and push a button to administer the substance.

He adds that Califorinia-based entrepreneur Navid Nathoo, founder of Airpost, and Accenture consultant, Alexis Tremblay have interest in the product.

Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone awarded Hooey and Jessa $5,000 to help them move forward with the product.

 

 

 

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