Insulin: what the research shows
The most famous peptide medicine of all. It turned type 1 diabetes from a fatal disease into a manageable one.
At a glance
An approved, essential medicine used by millions of people with diabetes.
What is Insulin?
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. It is a small protein made of two chains, 51 amino acids in total.
How does Insulin work?
After you eat, insulin lets your cells take sugar out of the blood to use for energy. People with type 1 diabetes can’t make it, so they inject it.
What does the research show?
- It was first given to a patient in 1922 in Toronto: a 14-year-old boy named Leonard Thompson.
- In 1982 human insulin made by bacteria became the first medicine produced through genetic engineering.
Known risks and side effects
- Too much insulin causes low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can be dangerous.
Is Insulin approved?
A medicines regulator, such as the FDA in the US or the EMA in Europe, has approved it for specific uses.
An approved, essential medicine used by millions of people with diabetes.
From the community
Watch: Insulin and related science
Start with the compound discussion, then use the background lesson to understand its biology. Each card explains its connection. Recordings may predate later findings or regulatory changes.
Nature
The discovery of insulin
How a peptide hormone became the medicine that changed diabetes forever.
The journal Nature
Discusses the compound
Discusses Insulin or its clinical context. Read the original studies linked here for the exact formulation, population and outcomes.
khanacademymedicine
The hypothalamus and pituitary gland
How the hypothalamus and pituitary coordinate hormone release, including growth and reproductive hormones.
Khan Academy · endocrine physiology
Related biology
Background on hypothalamus and pituitary signalling for understanding Insulin. It does not demonstrate benefits of this compound or formulation.
National Institute of Mental Health
What is clinical research?
Why studies in people are needed and what clinical research is designed to establish.
NIMH · US National Institutes of Health
Research skills
Helps you judge the study design or uncertainty in Insulin research; it is not a trial of the compound.
Sources and references
- Insulin’s centenary: the birth of an ideaHegele & Maltman · Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology · 2020
- 100 years of insulin: celebrating the past, present and future of diabetes therapySims et al. · Nature Medicine · 2021
VETUD Learn explains published research in plain language. It is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or changing any treatment.
In the research shop
Check the catalog for related laboratory research materials. These products are separate from the approved medicines and clinical trial formulations discussed here.
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