History of Insulin

  • Collection of Cells in Pancreas

    Collection of Cells in Pancreas
    Paul Langerhans, a medical student in Berlin discovers a distinct collection of cells within the pancreas. These cells would later be called the Islets of Langerhans.
  • Von Mering disproved Bernard's liver theory

    Von Mering disproved Bernard's liver theory
    Von Mering disproved Claude Bernard's liver theory when he found that removing the pancreas caused diabetes.
  • Pancreas removed from a dog

    Pancreas removed from a dog
    Oscar Mikowski and Joseph Von Mering remove the pancreas from a dog to study the effects of digestion. Sugar is found in the dogs urging after flies were noticed to be feeding off the urine.
  • Islets of Langerhans produce insulin

    Islets of Langerhans produce insulin
    Eugene Opie discovers that the Islets of Langerhans produce insulin and that the destruction of these cells resulted in diabetes
  • Discovery of insulin

    Discovery of insulin
    Fedrick Banting, an unsuccessful orthopedic surgeon, discovers insulin.
  • First Human Patient

    First Human Patient
    The first patient, Leonard Thompson (14 yrs old) with type 1 diabetes is given the first medical administration of insulin. He lived another 13 years.
  • Eli Lilly

    Eli Lilly
    Eli Lilly becomes first insulin manufacturer
  • Insulin was crystallized by J.J. Abel

    Insulin was crystallized by J.J. Abel
  • Longer lasting insulin needed

    Longer lasting insulin needed
    Protamine zinc insulin was introduced
  • Lente insulins were introduced

    Lente insulins were introduced
  • Sequenced Insulin

    Sequenced Insulin
    Insulin is sequenced by Frederick Sanger, and is the first protein to be fully sequenced. Also received the Nobel Prize for discovering the composition of the crystallized insulin.
  • Technique of immunoassay

    Technique of immunoassay
    The scientific investigation of diabetes was improved by this technique, carried out by Solomon Berson and Rosalind Yalow.
  • Becomes first human protein to be chemically synthesized

    Becomes first human protein to be chemically synthesized
  • Insulin Molecule

    Insulin Molecule
    Three dimensional structure of insulin molecule was discovered by Dorothy Hodgin.
  • Biotechnology

    Biotechnology
    Insulin is then the first human protein manufactured through biotechnology, using bacteria to grow the insulin protein by a company called Genentech.
  • Humulin

    Humulin
    Synthetic insulin is named 'human insulin' marking it as distinct from insulin derived from animals. Human insulin has the advantage of being less likely to create an allergic reaction than animal insulin. Manufactured by Eil Lilly, Humulin becomes widely available through the 1980s.
  • Analogue insulin Lispro

    Analogue insulin Lispro
    Eli Lilly markets it under the trade name Humalog. Analogue insulin is a genetically modified form of insulin whereby the amino acid sequence is altered to change how the insulin is absorbed, distributed, metabolized and excreted.
  • Afrezza

    Afrezza
    An inhalants insulin is now available.