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The History of Insulin
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Discovery of Insulin
Insulin was discovered in 1921 by Frederick Banting, a Canadian doctor who was studying diabetes and the pancreas. -
Insulin First Used in a Human
A 14-year-old boy from Canada became the first human patient to receive insulin. However, the insulin failed to work. -
Purified Insulin First Used
The insulin used by Banting was purified and injected into the 14-year-old boy. His glucose levels dropped. -
Insulin Becomes Comercially Produced
Eli Lilly Corporation begins to produce insulin to treat diabetics in most western countries. -
Insulin is Crystallized
Insulin is crystallized by scientist JJ Abel. -
Composition of Insulin Discovered
The composition of insulin was first discovered in 1955 by scientist Fredrick Sanger. -
Immunoassay Discovered
In 1957, immunoassay is discovered by Solomon Berson and Rosalind Yalow. The immunoassay is able to test levels of insulin in the urine, using small concentrations of insulin. -
Synthetic Insulin First Produced
In 1978, a biotechnology company called Gentech produced the first synthetic insulin, which could be distributed in large quantities. -
Insulin Becomes Widely Available
After insulin was able to be synthetically produced, it became widely available to people throughout the country. -
Insulin Used Today
Today, insulin is used for almost all people with diabetes. Most use the type that was created in 1978.
