Charles Best (medical scientist) Banting and contributed to the discovery of the pancreatic hormone insulin, which led to an effective treatment for diabetes. In the spring of 1921, Banting travelled to Toronto to visit J.J.R. Macleod, professor of physiology at the University of Toronto, and asked Macleod if he could use his laboratory to isolate pancreatic extracts from dogs. Macleod was initially sceptical, but eventually agreed before leaving on holiday for the summer. Before leaving for Scotland he supplied Banting with ten dogs for experiment and two medical students, Charles Best and Clark Noble, as lab assistants. Since Banting required only one assistant, Best
Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School at the school until she was elected in the 2006 federal election. Banting shares an almost exact floor plan with its sister school, Montcalm Secondary School. Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School has produced the Canadian olympic athletes Jason Tunks, three-time Summer olympian discus-thrower, heptathlete Jessica Zelinka, and speed skater Christine Nesbitt, gold-medalist at the 2010 Winter Olympics in women's 1000 m and silver-medalist at the 2006 Winter Olympics in the women's team pursuit. Jude St. John, a Grey Cup-winning Canadian football player, also attended Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School as well as NHL players Mike Van Ryn & Steve Rucchin.