Thompson, Leonard

The first diabetic patient to receive insuUn was a 14-year-old boy, Leonard Thompson. His recovery from near-death was speedy and he was discharged from hospital within a few weeks — although dependent on regular insulin injections. 

Taking precautions to prevent proteolysis, Banting and Best (later aided by biochemist J. B. Collip) succeeded in December 1921 in preparing a purified pancreatic extract that cured the symptoms of experimental diabetes in dogs. On January 25,1922 (just one month later ), their insulin preparation was injected into Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy severely ill with diabetes mellitus. Within days, the levels of ketone bodies and glucose in Thompson s urine dropped dramatically the extract saved his life. In 1923, Banting and MacLeod won the Nobel Prize for their isolation of insulin. Banting immediately announced that he would share his prize with Best MacLeod shared his with Collip. 

Structure of a crystalline fatty acidbinding protein from liver with two molecules of bound oleate (dark rods). The lower molecule is more deeply embedded in the protein and more tightly bound than the second molecule, which is closer to the outer surface of the protein. Semitransparent grey marks the solvent-accessible surface of the binding cavity. An unknown molecule, perhaps butanoic acid (as modeled), binds also at top of the protein. See Thompson et al.n Courtesy of Leonard Banaszak. 

Cooper, S. J., Leonard, G. A., McSweeney, S. M., Thompson, A. W., Naismith, J. H., Qamar, S., et al. The Crystal Structure of a Class II Fructose-1,6-Bisphosphate Aldolase Shows a Novel Binuclear Metal-Binding Active Site Embedded in a Familiar Fold. Structure 1996, 4, 1303-1315. 

S. J. Cooper, G.A. Leonard, S.M. McSweeney, A.W. Thompson, J.H. Naismith, S. Qamar, A. Plater, A. Berry, and W.N. Hunter. 1996. The crystal structure of a class II fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase shows a novel hinuclear metalbinding active site embedded in a familiar fold Structure 4 1303-1315. (PubMed)... 

Manno CS, Chew AJ, Hutchison S, Larson PJ, Herzog RW, Arruda VR, Tai SJ, Ragni MV, Thompson A, Ozelo M, Couto LB, Leonard DG, Johnson FA, McClelland A, ScaUan C, Skarsgard E, Flake AW, Kay MA, High KA, Glader B. AAV-mediated factor IX gene transfer to skeletal muscle in patients with severe hemophilia B. Blood 2003 101 2963-2972. 

Setchell, K.D., Schwarz, M., O Connell, N.C., Lund, E.G., Davis, D.L., Lathe, R., Thompson, H.R., Weslie Tyson, R., Sokol, RJ., Russell, D.W. 1998. Identification of a new inborn error in bile acid synthesis mutation of the oxysterol 7ot-hydroxylase gene causes severe neonatal liver disease. J. Clin. Invest. 102 1690-1703. Clayton, P.T., Leonard, J.V., Lawson, A.M., Setchell, K.D., Andersson, S., Egestad, B., Sjovall, J. 1987. Familial giant cell hepatitis associated with synthesis of 3p,7a-dihydroxy- and 3p,7a,12a-trihydroxy-5-cholenoic acids. J. Clin. Invest. 79 1031-1038. 

Leonard, W. C., S. R. Thompson, and R. A. Brown. 1994. Air Sparging Reduces Solvent Contamination, Environmental Solutions, June, pp. 69-71. 

SJ Cooper, GA Leonard, SM McSweeney, AW Thompson, JH Naismith, S Qamar, A Plater, A Berry, WN Hunter. Structure 4 1303-1315, 1996. 

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