EXHIBIT ENDS FEB. 26, 2010

DIABETES: A DEEPER LOOK TOURING EXHIBIT
WILL HELP EDUCATE MILLIONS ABOUT DIABETES

Exhibit to Open in Detroit on December 5 Before Embarking on Three-Year U.S. Tour

 

Nearly 24 million Americans are living with diabetes, including an estimated 5.7 million who remain undiagnosed. Beginning this fall, a new touring exhibit called Diabetes: A Deeper Look will help to educate the American public about diabetes and diabetes treatment options, including insulin.

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The exhibit will tour to 12 other U.S. destinations from 2010-2012. The 2,500 sq. ft. exhibit, made possible with support from sanofi-aventis U.S., will be made available to science museums and other venues across the country at no cost.

Diabetes: A Deeper Look will help to answer some important questions that the public may have about diabetes, including: What is diabetes? Who is at risk for developing diabetes? What are the consequences of untreated or uncontrolled blood sugar? What are the steps people living with diabetes should take to help them to live healthier lives? If lifestyle changes alone don’t work, what else can be done to help control my blood sugar? What is insulin and how does it work in the body?

Visitors to the exhibit, a 40-foot walkthrough blood vessel with 40,000 LED lights and a heartbeat, enter through a giant cell structure that simulates how insulin helps get glucose into cells. Inside and around the vessel, hands-on interactive exhibits and displays that will explain the role of insulin, how people can be affected by diabetes, the importance of diet and exercise as the first line of defense to preventing and managing type 2 diabetes, the types of medications used to help control blood sugar levels, including insulin, and the research and discovery of medications used to help treat diabetes.

Highlights include:

  • Hands-on insulin exhibits, where visitors will gain a better understanding of the role of insulin in the body as they activate insulin molecules in an attempt to push blood sugar molecules into a cell. 
  • A full-size, interactive model of the human body that enables visitors to learn how different parts of the body are affected when it does not effectively use or produce enough insulin.
  • The “Who Gets Diabetes” exhibit, which will explain through photo-morphing technology how people of all ages, races, genders and ethnicities can be affected by diabetes.
  • A balance exhibit that uses four slowly spinning turntables to illustrate some of the challenges people with diabetes face as they try to keep their blood sugar levels in control.
  •  A Methods of Treatment wall will inform visitors about the various types of treatments used to help people control their blood sugar levels, including insulin. An injection simulator using a concentrated air puff will enable visitors to feel the equivalent of an insulin pen injection, to help dispel the myths and misperceptions often associated with insulin, including the fear of injections.
  • At the back of the blood vessel, visitors will enter an area showcasing a series of exhibits designed to tell the story from research to production of pharmaceutical medications, including the rigors of testing and processes at work to bring a medication to pharmacy shelves.

 

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Exhibit Guide
Click here to download educational information related to diabetes and the exhibit.