At the time of its first clinical application 100 years ago, insulin was presented as the cure for people with diabetes mellitus. That transpired to be an overstatement, yet insulin has proven to be the lifesaver for people with type 1 diabetes mellitus and an essential therapy for many with type 2 diabetes mellitus or other forms of diabetes mellitus. Since its discovery, insulin (a molecule of only 51 amino acids) has been the subject of pharmaceutical research and development that has paved the way for other protein-based therapies. From purified animal-extracted insulin and human insulin produced by genetically modified organisms to a spectrum of insulin analogues, pharmaceutical laboratories have strived to tailor the preparations to the needs of patients. Nonetheless, overall glycaemic control often remains poor as exogenous insulin is still not able to mimic the physiological insulin profile. Circumventing subcutaneous administration and the design of analogues with profiles that mimic that of physiological insulin are ongoing areas of research. Novel concepts, such as once-weekly insulins or glucose-dependent and oral insulins, are on the horizon but their real-world effectiveness still needs to be proven. Until a true cure for type 1 diabetes mellitus is found and the therapeutic arsenal for other forms of diabetes mellitus is expanded, insulin will remain central in the treatment of many people living with diabetes mellitus.

在 100 年前首次临床应用时，胰岛素被提出来治疗糖尿病患者。这被夸大了，但事实证明，胰岛素是 1 型糖尿病患者的救命稻草，也是许多 2 型糖尿病或其他形式糖尿病患者的基本疗法。自发现以来，胰岛素（一种只有 51 个氨基酸的分子）一直是药物研究和开发的主题，为其他基于蛋白质的疗法铺平了道路。从纯化的动物提取胰岛素和转基因生物生产的人胰岛素到一系列胰岛素类似物，制药实验室一直在努力根据患者的需求定制制剂。尽管如此，由于外源性胰岛素仍然无法模拟生理胰岛素曲线，因此整体血糖控制通常仍然很差。规避皮下给药和设计具有模拟生理胰岛素特征的类似物是正在进行的研究领域。新概念，例如每周一次的胰岛素或葡萄糖依赖性和口服胰岛素，即将出现，但它们在现实世界中的有效性仍有待证明。在找到真正治愈 1 型糖尿病的方法并扩大其他形式糖尿病的治疗手段之前，胰岛素仍将是许多糖尿病患者治疗的核心。规避皮下给药和设计具有模拟生理胰岛素特征的类似物是正在进行的研究领域。新概念，例如每周一次的胰岛素或葡萄糖依赖性和口服胰岛素，即将出现，但它们在现实世界中的有效性仍有待证明。在找到真正治愈 1 型糖尿病的方法并扩大其他形式糖尿病的治疗手段之前，胰岛素仍将是许多糖尿病患者治疗的核心。规避皮下给药和设计具有模拟生理胰岛素特征的类似物是正在进行的研究领域。新概念，例如每周一次的胰岛素或葡萄糖依赖性和口服胰岛素，即将出现，但它们在现实世界中的有效性仍有待证明。在找到真正治愈 1 型糖尿病的方法并扩大其他形式糖尿病的治疗手段之前，胰岛素仍将是许多糖尿病患者治疗的核心。