100 Years of Insulin
100 Years of Insulin
11 Jan 2021
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin by researchers Dr. Frederick Banting and Charles Best at the University of Toronto.
On the 11th January 1922, the first dose of Insulin was administered to 14 year old boy called Leonard Thompson.
In 1921, Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered that the pancreas produced the insulin hormone at the University of Toronto, and with the help of James Collip, they purified a synthetic version of insulin and produced the first real treatment for diabetes. To this day, it remains one of the most important scientific breakthroughs in the medical field. Banting and Macleod earned a Nobel Prize for their work in 1923.
Over the years there have been many advancements in technology, to support the delivery of insulin either by injection or pump. However, insulin itself remains the only treatment for people living with type 1 diabetes.
