Landmarks in Our Understanding of Insulin Synthesis Secretion and Action

The discovery and the use of insulin to treat patients in January 1922 marked an important milestone in our quest for finding out the cause and cure for diabetes—a disease haunting humanity since ancient times. The pace of discovery accelerated since the discovery of the islets of langerhans. This review focuses on the advances since 1922 that have helped us understand the nature control secretion function and action of insulin. From its physical characterization in the mid-1920s to determination of its molecular structure, precursor and measurement in the 1950s through the discovery of its receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and gene in the eighties these advances have borrowed from and contributed richly to advances in protein genetics and molecular biology. Paralleling advances in purification modification and delivery of insulin, these advances form the basis of our understanding and the therapy of diabetes.