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Bernard discovered that that the liver stored glycogen and secreted a sugary substance in the blood. This man was the first to link diabetes and glycogen metabolism.
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Langerhans found that the pancreas held two types of cells. These cells were later found to help produce the hormone insulin
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Boucherdat noticed the disappearance of sugar in the urine of his diabetes patients during the food rationing in Paris. He formulated the idea of individualized diets.
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Banting had a new idea on how to find not only the cause but a treatment for the so-called "sugar disease". He also realized that the pancreas' digestive juice was destroying the islets of Langerhans hormone before it could be isolated.
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Macleod assigned chemist James Bertram Collip to purify the insulin extract. This injection lowered his blood sugar and cleared his urine of sugars and other signs of disease.
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During this year, Eli Lilly and Company began to commercially produce and sell insulin. Years after, they developed a variety of slower-acting insulins. The first one was protamine insulin .
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Levine discovered that insulin works like a key. Therefore, it transports glucose into cells
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In this year, Becton Dickinson and Company began the production of a standardized insulin syringe designed and approved by the American Diabetes Association.
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During this year, tablets for testing urine glucose became widely available and urine test strips appear over the next fifty years.
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Sulfonylureas, oral medications that stimulate the pancreas to release more insulin, became available.
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During this year, these two individuals used radioimmunoassay technology to develop a method for measuring insulin in the blood. They noticed that some people with diabetes still make their own insulin, and they identify "insulin dependent" (type 1) and "non-insulin-dependent" (type 2) diabetes.
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Scientists at the University of Minnesota Hospital completed the first successful pancreas transplant on an animal.
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During this year, the first insulin pumps were developed. This development, and several others, provides patients with much greater control and flexibility in the management of their diabetes.
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During this year, insulin receptors were discovered on cell membranes. This discovery raised the possibility that missing or defective insulin receptors may prevent glucose from entering the cells. This contributes to the insulin resistance of type 2 diabetes.
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During this year, the first insulin pen delivery system was introduced to consumers.
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External insulin pumps were created to allow closer control and freedom from multiple injections. More sophisticated insulin analogues were introduced to offer faster action, less risk of reactions and more flexibility for diabetes management. The analogues allowed physicians the ability to customize treatment, reduce side effects, and have improved outcomes.
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Exenatide (Byetta) is approved in the United States as a first-in-class drug to treat type 2 diabetes. This is an injectable drug works to increase insulin production in response to blood glucose levels.
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During this year, Invokana was the first in a new class of drugs known as the SGLT-2 inhibitors for lowering elevated blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. This inhibitors block the activity of sodium glucose transport proteins in the kidney, reducing glucose re-uptake and increasing secretion of glucose in the urine.
