The Insulin is a hormone secreted by the islets of Langerhans (endocrine pancreas beta cells) that participate in the metabolism

of carbohydrates. Insulin is the most important hormone in carbohydrate metabolism, contributing primarily to a decrease in blood glucose concentration as it increases cell membrane permeability to glucose and glucagon has an antagonistic action. Israel S. Kleiner showed in the years 1915 - 1919 for the first time the hypoglycemic effect of a pancreatic extract intravenously injected to a pancreatectomized dog. Continuing this research, Nicolae Paulescu, professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Bucharest, discovered the anti diabetic hormone released by the pancreas, which he called "Pancreine". Paulescu demonstrated the effect of pancreatic extract on ketonic bodies and urea (substances that occur in diabetes unbalanced) for the first time in 1921. First results of his work emerged in 1916, when he succeeded in developing an aqueous pancreatic extract which, when injected into a diabetic dog, proved to have a normalizing effect on blood levels. After a gap during the World War I, Paulescu resumed his research and in 1921, he published four papers at the Romanian Section of the Society of Biology in Paris:

The effect of the pancreatic extract injected into a diabetic animal by way of the blood. The influence of the time elapsed from the intravenous pancreatic injection into a diabetic animal.

The effect of the pancreatic extract injected into a normal animal by way of the blood. An extensive paper on this subject - Research on the Role of the Pancreas in Food

Assimilation - was submitted by Paulescu on June 22 to the Archives Internationales de Physiologie in Lige,Belgium and it was published in the August 1921 issue of this journal.1 In addition, Paulescu obtained in 1922 from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Romania the patent no. 6255, entitled The Pancreine and its manufacturing process."2 He has patented his technique in Romania but unfortunately, no clinical use was resulted from his work, as his saline extract could not be used on humans, needed to be purified. The Canadian team formed by the doctor Frederick Grant Banting and the biochemist John James Rickard McLeod from the University of Toronto, benefited of this situation and the work they published in 1922 represented the injection of purified insulin (pancreatin) extract,

1 2

http://www.em-consulte.com/showarticlefile/79613/index.pdf www.inventatori.ro/N.C.Paulescu

into a diabetic individual ameliorating symptom of the disease. Not surprisingly, Banting and Macleod received in 1923 the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the insulin treatment. They stated that although Paulescu has demonstrated the efficacy of the pancreatic extract in reduction of the amount of urea in the blood sugar or diabetic animals, he would have stated that the injections would not have effect. One of Paulescus postmortem supporters was the professor Ian Murray, the vicepresident of the British Association of Diabetes and a founding member of the International Diabetes Federation. He was particularly active in working to correct "the historical mistake" against Paulescu. Responding to the international campaign to restore the truth initiated by Ian Murray, in January 1969, the Nobel Committee recognized the merits of Nicolae Paulescu and his priority in the discovery diabetic treatment. Professor A.W.K. Tiselius, Nobel Institute director, laments the situation from 1923, but - according to the statutes Committee the possibility of an official repair is excluded, only expressing the hope that international scientific bodies rightly praise the pioneering work of Paulescu. At the festivity of 50 years of the discovery of insuli n, these forums have unanimously recognized the priority of the Romanian scientist. Nicolae Paulescu was the first man who had successfully developed a pancreatic extract (anti diabetic hormone) with a real normalizing effect on blood levels and no side effects. Unfortunately for him, two Canadian scientists benefited by a good technology of that times and they succeed in purifying Paulescus pancreatin into today so -called insulin. They also benefited from the support of a big American pharmaceutical company (Eli Lilly) which started to be produce insulin in 1923.

Now, after doing some research and dealing with the above described stories it seems clear that having an idea is not always the key to success and wealth. There are more facts which have a crucial impact on how your innovation is going to perform. You need money, you need to have the right time and the right place. And maybe the most important fact is that you need to have fellow people who believe in you, who trust you and whom you can trust. Without someone who believes in you and your visions, your innovation is likely to fail, although it might be revolutionary. Promotion is as crucial as the invention itself.

Reference:
http://www.em-consulte.com/showarticlefile/79613/index.pdf www.inventatori.ro/N.C.Paulescu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Paulescu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin