100 Lives of Insulin

Since its discovery, insulin has changed the lives of millions of people around the globe. For many, it is the therapy that keeps them, or someone they love, alive. For others, it improves the lives of their patients, or illustrates the reasons why research into treatments and cures is critical.

Throughout history and even today, insulin continues to have an indelible impact on our world. Discover 100 stories of how the discovery of insulin has affected people — and how it continues to drive change – in 100 Lives of Insulin.

100 Lives of Insulin was made possible thanks to generous support from Sanofi Canada.

The Discovery of Insulin

100 Lives of Insulin-Blog

Sir Frederick Banting (1891–1941)

Canadian medical scientist, physician, painter, and Nobel laureate noted as the co-discoverer of insulin and its therapeutic potential.

Charles H. Best (1899-1978)

American-Canadian medical scientist and one of the co-discoverers of insulin.

J.J.R. Macleod (1876-1935)

Scottish biochemist and physiologist who contributed to the discovery and isolation of insulin.

Dr. Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994)

Discover the life of Dorothy Hodgkin, whose tireless work revealed the exact structure of insulin using X-ray crystallography.

James Collip (1892-1965)

Canadian biochemist who was part of the Toronto group which isolated insulin.

Dr. Frederick Sanger (1918-2013)

A British molecular biologist who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1958 for determining the primary structure of insulin; the first protein to have its sequence determined.

Nicolae Constantin Paulescu (1869–1931)

Learn about the man who successfully demonstrated the efficacy of insulin before the Toronto team!

Leonard Thompson (1908-1935)

The first person in the world to receive insulin as a treatment for diabetes.

History

100 Lives of Insulin-Blog

Dr. George F. Cahill Jr. (1927-2012)

His work formed the basis for our understanding of hunger and fasting in health, obesity and diabetes.

Dr. Mladen Vranic (1930-2019)

Discover the work of Dr. Charles Best’s final post-doctoral fellow.

Dr. Peter Joseph Moloney (1891-1989)

The scientist behind the purification of insulin.

Colonel Eli Lilly (1838-1898)

American Civil War veteran, inventor, chemist, philanthropist and founder of Eli Lilly & Co. - one of the first companies to provide a mass-produced insulin product for the treatment of diabetes.

August and Marie Krogh

This couple brought insulin to people living with diabetes in Nordic countries and founded international pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.

Eva Saxl (1921-2002)

One woman’s mission to access insulin during World War II.

George Minot (1885-1950)

Without the discovery of insulin in 1921, American physician and diabetic George Minot would likely not have lived to discover a treatment for pernicious anemia.

Ernest Sterzer (1925-1973)

The remarkable tale of the only known case of a Holocaust survivor living with type I diabetes.

Dr. Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1921-2011)

An American medical physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the development of the radioimmunoassay for insulin in 1977.

Dr. Priscilla White (1900-1989)

Developed the field of obstetric diabetes.

Elliott P. Joslin (1869–1962)

Dr. Elliot Joslin was a scientist and educator at heart, who always sought to empower people living with diabetes.

Paul Langerhans (1847-1888)

The story of the man who discovered the Islets of Langerhans.

Sir Frederick Banting (1891–1941)

Canadian medical scientist, physician, painter, and Nobel laureate noted as the co-discoverer of insulin and its therapeutic potential.

Charles H. Best (1899-1978)

American-Canadian medical scientist and one of the co-discoverers of insulin.

J.J.R. Macleod (1876-1935)

Scottish biochemist and physiologist who contributed to the discovery and isolation of insulin.

Dr. Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994)

Discover the life of Dorothy Hodgkin, whose tireless work revealed the exact structure of insulin using X-ray crystallography.

James Collip (1892-1965)

Canadian biochemist who was part of the Toronto group which isolated insulin.

Apollinaire Bouchardat (1806-1886)

French pharmacist, hygienist and author of the first known textbook on diabetes.

William (Bill) Banting (1929-1998)

Frederick Banting’s only son.

Dr. Frederick Sanger (1918-2013)

A British molecular biologist who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1958 for determining the primary structure of insulin; the first protein to have its sequence determined.

Nicolae Constantin Paulescu (1869–1931)

Learn about the man who successfully demonstrated the efficacy of insulin before the Toronto team!

Sir William Mulock (1843-1944)

Learn more about the “Grand Old Man” of Canada.

Leonard Thompson (1908-1935)

The first person in the world to receive insulin as a treatment for diabetes.

Dr. Joseph Gilchrist (1893-1951)

Friend of Dr. Frederick Banting and the first human to receive experimental insulin as a potential treatment for diabetes.

Ted “Teddy” Ryder (1916 – 1993)

One of the first patients to be treated with insulin by Banting and his team.

Elizabeth Hughes (1907–1981)

The first American, and one of the first people in the world, treated with insulin for type 1 diabetes.

Current Researchers: Type 1 Diabetes

100 Lives of Insulin-Blog

Dr. Amish Parikh

President and Co-Founder of the Type 1 Diabetes Think Tank Network (T1DTTN).

Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret

Reducing hypoglycemia for patients with type 1 diabetes, developing an artificial pancreas for the treatment of diabetes and researching cystic fibrosis related diabetes.

Professor Axel Ullrich

Developed Humulin (Human Insulin for the treatment of diabetes) - the first drug through gene-based technology.

Dr. Timothy Kieffer

Developing a process to derive insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells from stem cells to one day eliminate the need for continuous insulin injections or donor tissue transplants.

Kimberley Hanson

Executive Director of Diabetes Canada and an advocate for better diabetes care.

Dr. Shivani Goyal

A digital health innovator who is revolutionizing the way we study, manage and care for diabetes.

Dr. Ray Rajotte

Pioneer of the first pancreatic islet cell transplant and co-developer of the Edmonton Protocol - the international standard of care for islet cell transplantation.

Dr. Leigh Ann Newhook

Working to understand risk factors associated with Type 1 diabetes and how to reduce its burden in her province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dr. Bruce Perkins

Discover Bruce Perkins’ motivations for dedicating his career to finding solutions to help lessen the impact of diabetes-related complications.

Dr. Bernard Zinman

World-renowned research scientist and endocrinologist.

Kate Farnsworth

Patient advocate working to make life with Type 1 diabetes easier for those who live with it using technology.

Dr. Diana Sherifali

One of Canada’s most recognized diabetes nurse researchers.

Dr. Krishana Sankar

Learn about Dr. Krishana Sankar, scientist and creator of the #150mins social media campaign.

Dr. Pere Santamaria

Developing a precision medicine technique with the potential to cure type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Maman Joyce Dogba

A passionate advocate for patients living with diabetes from underserved communities.

Dr. Alice Cheng

Discover endocrinologist Dr. Alice Cheng’s approach to understanding sexual health and diabetes.

Dr. Dessi Zaharieva

Get ready to be inspired by taekwondo champion and diabetes researcher Dr. Dessi Zaharieva.

Dr. Mike Riddell

Dr. Mike Riddell is a leading expert on diabetes and exercise, living with type 1 diabetes.

Dr. James Shapiro

Surgeon who co-developed the Edmonton Protocol - islet cell transplantation.

Current Researchers: Type 2 Diabetes

100 Lives of Insulin-Blog

Dr. Gary Lewis

Dr. Lewis has dedicated his career to advancing diabetes research and serving the needs of people experiencing diabetes in his clinical work.

Dr. Patrick MacDonald

Dr. Patrick MacDonald is a Professor of pharmacology at the University of Alberta and the Director of the Alberta Diabetes Institute (ADI) Isletcore.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Desprès

The first person to propose that people with visceral obesity are at a higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Amira Klip

Uncovering how and why insulin resistance develops in type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Jan Hux

Endocrinologist and former CEO of Diabetes Canada who developed the algorithm that determined how many people in Canada live with diabetes.

Dr. Hertzel Gerstein

Researches dysglycemia, or abnormal glucose levels, as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Laura Rosella

Epidemiologist whose research on population health management and diabetes is revolutionizing prevention strategies, and improving health decision-making and intervention for populations at risk for type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Dr. Harpreet Bajaj

Endocrinologist, diabetes advocate and TV show host for the South Asian community.

Dr. That Ngo

Developed the process that led to the development of the OneTouch home testing kit.

Dr. Greg Steinberg

Investigating liver fat reduction as a means of treating diabetes.

Dr. Petra Kienesberger

Researching the autotaxin-LPA pathway and how the components involved may lead to obesity-related type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Stewart Harris

Working to develop diabetes care systems directly within First Nations communities to create healthcare access locally for those who need it most.

Dr. Gareth Lim

Researching how proteins interact with each other to understand what goes wrong in chronic metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes.

Dr. Daniel Drucker

Canadian endocrinologist known for his research into intestinal hormones and their use in the treatment of diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

Dr. Charles de Mestral

Specializes in amputation prevention research.

Dr. Lori MacCullum

Pharmacist, knowledge mobilizer and leader in diabetes education.

Dr. Sean Wharton

Physician specializing in obesity treatment and management, and by extension type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Ravi Retnakaran

Researcher working to reverse Type 2 diabetes.

Dr. C. Ronald Kahn

Research Director of the Joslin Diabetes Centre changing our understanding of diabetes and insulin resistance.

Taylor Morriseau

A a rising Indigenous diabetes researcher.

Dr. Baiju Shah

Understanding the intersectionality of the diabetes experience in Canada.

Dr. Carolyn Cummins

Professor, metabolism researcher, and a leading expert on nuclear receptors.

Dr. Patricia L. Brubaker

Dr. Patricia Brubaker shares her experiences as both diabetes patient and researcher.

Alex M. McComber

A patient advocate and Indigenous Scholar living with Type 2 diabetes.

Women in Science

100 Lives of Insulin-Blog

Dr. Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1921-2011)

An American medical physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the development of the radioimmunoassay for insulin in 1977.

Dr. Priscilla White (1900-1989)

Developed the field of obstetric diabetes.

Kimberley Hanson

Executive Director of Diabetes Canada and an advocate for better diabetes care.

Dr. Holly Witteman

A patient-oriented researcher living with type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Shivani Goyal

A digital health innovator who is revolutionizing the way we study, manage and care for diabetes.

Dr. Denice Feig

Researching better health outcomes for pregnant people living with diabetes.

Dr. Amira Klip

Uncovering how and why insulin resistance develops in type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Janet Rossant

President and Science Director at the Gairdner Foundation whose early developmental biology research was supported by the Banting Research Foundation.

Dr. Jan Hux

Endocrinologist and former CEO of Diabetes Canada who developed the algorithm that determined how many people in Canada live with diabetes.

Dr. Theresa Tam

Canada’s top doctor is also an ardent advocate for diabetes prevention and has worked tirelessly towards creating supportive environments that foster positive changes for people susceptible to diabetes.

Dr. Brenda Gallie

Recipient of a Banting Research Foundation grant, which helped launch her distinguished research career exploring and expanding healthcare provided to retinoblastoma patients.

Marlene Grass

Nurse and founder of the Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre.

Jane Rajah

A nurse and diabetes educator who has worked tirelessly to support diabetes patients facing housing insecurity.

Dr. Diane Finegood

Interdisciplinary researcher whose work revealed a key role of the immune system in diabetes.

Dr. Laura Rosella

Dr. Heather Dean

Documented some of Canada’s first cases of type 2 diabetes in children in the late 1980s.

Dr. Leigh Ann Newhook

Working to understand risk factors associated with Type 1 diabetes and how to reduce its burden in her province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dr. Petra Kienesberger

Researching the autotaxin-LPA pathway and how the components involved may lead to obesity-related type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Catharine Whiteside

Nephrologist, Chair of the Board of the Banting Research Foundation and Executive Director of Diabetes Action Canada.

Dr. Lori MacCullum

Pharmacist, knowledge mobilizer and leader in diabetes education.

Kate Farnsworth

Patient advocate working to make life with Type 1 diabetes easier for those who live with it using technology.

Dr. Diana Sherifali

One of Canada’s most recognized diabetes nurse researchers.

Dr. Krishana Sankar

Learn about Dr. Krishana Sankar, scientist and creator of the #150mins social media campaign.

Dr. Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994)

Discover the life of Dorothy Hodgkin, whose tireless work revealed the exact structure of insulin using X-ray crystallography.

Dr. Maman Joyce Dogba

A passionate advocate for patients living with diabetes from underserved communities.

Taylor Morriseau

A a rising Indigenous diabetes researcher.

Dr. Alice Cheng

Discover endocrinologist Dr. Alice Cheng’s approach to understanding sexual health and diabetes.

Dr. Carolyn Cummins

Professor, metabolism researcher, and a leading expert on nuclear receptors.

Dr. Dessi Zaharieva

Get ready to be inspired by taekwondo champion and diabetes researcher Dr. Dessi Zaharieva.

Dr. Patricia L. Brubaker

Dr. Patricia Brubaker shares her experiences as both diabetes patient and researcher.

Public Figures

100 Lives of Insulin-Blog

Victor Garber

Canadian actor, singer, and diabetes advocate.

George Canyon

Award-winning Canadian country music superstar living with Type 1 diabetes.

Sébastien Sasseville

The first Canadian living with diabetes to summit Mount Everest.

Neil Young

Neil Young is a Canadian-born musician, singer and activist. A two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Young is a musical legend who has dedicated his time to helping children with physical and medical needs, much like himself growing up with various health conditions including diabetes.

Chris Jarvis

Canadian rower living with Type 1 diabetes.

Bobby Clarke

A hockey legend living with type 1 diabetes.

Cory Conacher

Cory Conacher is on a mission to become a role model for aspiring athletes living with diabetes.

Max Domi

NHL player and advocate for professional athletes living with diabetes.

Living With Diabetes

100 Lives of Insulin-Blog

August and Marie Krogh

This couple brought insulin to people living with diabetes in Nordic countries and founded international pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.

Eva Saxl (1921-2002)

One woman’s mission to access insulin during World War II.

George Minot (1885-1950)

Without the discovery of insulin in 1921, American physician and diabetic George Minot would likely not have lived to discover a treatment for pernicious anemia.

Ernest Sterzer (1925-1973)

The remarkable tale of the only known case of a Holocaust survivor living with type I diabetes.

Dr. Holly Witteman

A patient-oriented researcher living with type 1 diabetes.

Leonard Thompson (1908-1935)

The first person in the world to receive insulin as a treatment for diabetes.

Dr. Dessi Zaharieva

Get ready to be inspired by taekwondo champion and diabetes researcher Dr. Dessi Zaharieva.

Dr. Mike Riddell

Dr. Mike Riddell is a leading expert on diabetes and exercise, living with type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Joseph Gilchrist (1893-1951)

Friend of Dr. Frederick Banting and the first human to receive experimental insulin as a potential treatment for diabetes.

Ted “Teddy” Ryder (1916 – 1993)

One of the first patients to be treated with insulin by Banting and his team.

Elizabeth Hughes (1907–1981)

The first American, and one of the first people in the world, treated with insulin for type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Patricia L. Brubaker

Dr. Patricia Brubaker shares her experiences as both diabetes patient and researcher.

Anissa Gamble

Canadian scientist, professional hockey player and activist for type 1 diabetes care and education.

Jen Hanson

Canadian activist for diabetes care and the Executive Director of Connected in Motion (CIM), a non-profit outdoor education program for people living with Type 1 diabetes.

Alex M. McComber

A patient advocate and Indigenous Scholar living with Type 2 diabetes.

Victor Garber

Canadian actor, singer, and diabetes advocate.

George Canyon

Award-winning Canadian country music superstar living with Type 1 diabetes.

Sébastien Sasseville

The first Canadian living with diabetes to summit Mount Everest.

Neil Young

Chris Jarvis

Canadian rower living with Type 1 diabetes.

Bobby Clarke

A hockey legend living with type 1 diabetes.

Cory Conacher

Cory Conacher is on a mission to become a role model for aspiring athletes living with diabetes.

Max Domi

NHL player and advocate for professional athletes living with diabetes.

More Profiles

100 Lives of Insulin-Blog

Dr. John Dirks

The Canadian clinician-scientist famous for transforming the Gairdner Foundation International Awards into “Canada’s Nobel Prizes”.

Oliver Smithies (1925-2017)

Smithies worked at the Connaught Laboratories from 1953-1960 where he developed starch gel electrophoresis, a technique used to separate genetic variants of blood plasm proteins.

Dr. Henry Friesen

Received support from the Banting Research Foundation during the early stage of his career. Went on to discover human prolactin and later created Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Dr. Wilbur Franks (1901-1986)

Canadian medical researcher known for inventing the world’s first anti-gravity suit.

Henry Best (1934-2004)

Son of Charles Best (co-discoverer of insulin) and past President of Laurentian University.

Terrence Donnelly

Philanthropist who has made major contributions to support healthcare research.

Dr. Cecil Yip (1938-2008)

Dr. Cecil Yip was a pioneer whose seminal discoveries helped us understand the molecular structure of insulin and the molecules that it binds to, also known as insulin receptors.

Dr. Charles Hollenberg (1930-2003)

Director of the Banting & Best Diabetes Centre.

Kelvin Ogilvie

Former Canadian Senator and diabetes care advocate.

Michael Bliss (1941–2017)

Medical historian and author of The Discovery of Insulin.

Dr. Robert Turner (1938–1999)

Led the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study that for the first time showed that controlling blood sugar levels is key to preventing diabetes-related cardiovascular complications.

Dr. Gordon Keller

Stem cell researcher.

George Minot (1885-1950)

Without the discovery of insulin in 1921, American physician and diabetic George Minot would likely not have lived to discover a treatment for pernicious anemia.

Dr. Janet Rossant

President and Science Director at the Gairdner Foundation whose early developmental biology research was supported by the Banting Research Foundation.

Dr. Theresa Tam

Dr. Brenda Gallie

Recipient of a Banting Research Foundation grant, which helped launch her distinguished research career exploring and expanding healthcare provided to retinoblastoma patients.

Marlene Grass

Nurse and founder of the Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre.

Jane Rajah

A nurse and diabetes educator who has worked tirelessly to support diabetes patients facing housing insecurity.

Dr. Diane Finegood

Interdisciplinary researcher whose work revealed a key role of the immune system in diabetes.

William (Bill) Banting (1929-1998)

Frederick Banting’s only son.

Sir William Mulock (1843-1944)

Learn more about the “Grand Old Man” of Canada.

Anissa Gamble

Canadian scientist, professional hockey player and activist for type 1 diabetes care and education.

Jen Hanson

Canadian activist for diabetes care and the Executive Director of Connected in Motion (CIM), a non-profit outdoor education program for people living with Type 1 diabetes.

Alex M. McComber

A patient advocate and Indigenous Scholar living with Type 2 diabetes.

“Insulin belongs to the world, and not to me.”

— Sir Frederick Banting (1891–1941)