Insulin at 100: still central in protein-based therapy for chronic disease

The discovery of insulin has inspired several pivotal medical and scientific developments during the past 100 years. Here, we describe how insulin as a model protein will drive future advances in peptide- and protein-based therapies for chronic diseases. Kurtzhals et al. mark the centenary of the discovery of insulin by looking back at how this model protein has changed science and medicine. They discuss how lessons learned from insulin over the last one hundred years are shaping the present and future of protein-based therapies for chronic disease.