Charles Best was born on February 27, 1899 in Maine, United States. He was the youngest member of the quartet who discovered insulin. Best served in Wales in World War One before completing an undergraduate degree in Physiology and Biochemistry.

Best was a research assistant for Professor John Macleod when he was given the opportunity to assist Dr Frederick Banting who was experimenting on the removal of insulin from the pancreas of a dog. The discoveries he participated in during the summer of 1921 were a defining moment in his career.

Banting eventually shared his Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Best. In 1924, he completed his medical degree and married his wife, Margaret Mahon. He went on to forge a celebrated research career receiving countless awards and honours. He died in 1978, at the age of 79.