In 2021, the FinnDiane Study Group at FHRC, celebrates 100 years of insulin discovery. Insulin is a hormone produced by the beta cells in the pancreas and is responsible for the control of glucose in the blood circulation, among other metabolic effects. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which people have a high concentration of glucose in their blood as a consequence of decreased secretion of insulin and/or reduced insulin function (also called insulin resistance).
There are different types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes comprises around 10% of all cases and is characterized by lack of insulin in the circulation after the immune system has damaged the insulin-producing beta cells. Since people living with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin themselves, they require insulin replacement for survival throughout their life. The discovery of insulin was therefore a game-changer and life-saving treatment for all individuals with type 1 diabetes. Of note, Finland has the highest incidence rate (number of new cases per 100.000 individuals under the age of 15 years) of type 1 diabetes in the world.
In 1921, 100 years ago, after several experiments, the Canadian scientists Frederick Banting and Charles Best at the University of Toronto succeeded to extract insulin for the first time from the pancreas. On January 11th, 1922, the first injection of this insulin extract was given to a 14-year old boy, Leonard Thompson. From that day insulin has been given as a life-saving treatment to all persons with type 1 diabetes. However, the injected insulin molecules have improved tremendously and the injectable insulins nowadays differ in how they are produced and how long they act. The importance of the discovery of insulin was revolutionary and Banting and Best earned the Nobel Prize for their work in 1923.
The FinnDiane Study group was founded in 1997, by Prof. Per-Henrik Groop to uncover the risk factors and mechanisms of diabetic complications. Research is an endless journey.
Read more about FinnDiane here.
