Eli Lilly and Company Insulins - A Century of Innovation.

Eli Lilly and Company has played a pivotal role in the development of insulin products since its discovery in 1921. Through their dedication to pharmaceutical innovation, Josiah K. Lilly Sr. and George HA Clowes, in close collaborations with the University of Toronto, made insulin commercially available in 1923. Other innovations include the development and commercialization of the first biosynthetic human insulin, a rapid-acting insulin analog and analog mixtures. Lilly has advanced the field of knowledge with significant efforts toward developing a hepatic preferential basal insulin. Other important insulin projects include the first concentrated rapid-acting insulin analog, clinical studies supporting the use of highly concentrated human insulin, and an advanced clinical development program for an ultra-rapid insulin analog. Lilly's commitment to people affected with diabetes remains strong and will continue into the future through collaborative research, innovative product development and investing in advanced technologies.

The role of mitochondrial function and cellular bioenergetics in ageing and disease.

Mitochondria constitute an important topic of biomedical enquiry (one paper in every 154 indexed in PubMed since 1998 is retrieved by the keyword 'mitochondria') because of widespread recognition of their importance in cell physiology and pathology. Mitochondrial dysfunction is widely implicated in ageing and in the diseases of ageing, through dysfunction in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, Ca(2+) homeostasis, central metabolic pathways or radical production. Nonetheless, the mechanisms and regulation of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide formation by mitochondria remain poorly described. Measurement of the capacities of different sites of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production in isolated skeletal muscle mitochondria show that the maximum capacities of sites in complexes I, II and III and in several associated redox enzymes greatly exceed the native rates observed in the absence of respiratory chain inhibitors. In vitro, the native rates and the relative importance of different sites both depend on the substrate being oxidized, with sites IQ, IIF, GPDH, IF and IIIQo each being important with particular substrates. The techniques involved in measuring rates from each site should become applicable to cell cultures and in vivo in the future.