Bio-assays for the analysis of insulin

Abstract

An account is given of the development of tests for the bio-assay of insulin and the progress made, at the Wellcome Foundation Limited, during the last 30 years in reducing the number of animals used in the testing of insulin for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus. The progressive evolution of methods shows how the number of mice used per sample has already been reduced five-fold and an ongoing development of in vitro methods, particularly high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), has enabled Wellcome to recommend to the regulatory authorities alternative procedures to replace animal testing.