Insulin was developed through research focused on extracting it from the pancreas. Key to the early research was a process to isolate insulin.
Banting, Best, and Macleod began their research on May 17, 1921, with the aim of isolating insulin from a dog's pancreas. Their method involved:
- Tying off the pancreatic duct: This crucial step aimed to eliminate other substances within the pancreas that would destroy the insulin, while preserving the islets of Langerhans, where insulin is produced.
This process allowed them to isolate insulin and eventually use it to treat diabetes.
