Insulin chemistry—pathway to understanding insulin action

In 1889, J. von Mering and O. Minkowski observed that removal of the whole pancreas from dogs led to symptoms identical to those of diabetes. This started the search for the principle of action of the pancreatic secretion, and culminated in the isolation of insulin by F. G. Banting and C. H. Best in 1921. Today, sixty years on, insulin is still a focus of attention for those seeking to understand the mechanisms of physiological control at a molecular level. This article concentrates on the methods and objectives of the insulin chemist in a highly selective manner.