Hall tells the story of how insulin was transformed from what one clinician called 'thick brown muck' into the very first drug to be produced using genetic engineering, and which earned the founders of US biotech company Genentech a small fortune. Taking the reader on a journey, starting with the discovery of insulin in the 1920s through to the present day, the author reveals a story of monstrous egos, toxic career rivalries, and a few unsung heroes and heroines, such as two little known scientists whose work on wool fibres, carried out in a fume-filled former stable, not only proved to be crucial in unravelling the puzzle of insulin but ushered in a revolution in biology. Hall discusses in detail the circumstances of Canadian scientist Frederick Banting whose award of the 1923 Nobel Prize for this life-saving discovery proved to be both a blessing and a curse for him and explores how the human story behind this discovery still remains one of ongoing political and scientific controversy. The book is the result of the author's own shocking diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes and its story reminds us all of what technology can - and cannot do - for us. As the world struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and face future challenges such as climate change, the lessons that we can learn from the story of insulin have never been more relevant. --From publisher description.