Objective
The objective of this proposal is to develop a singular glucose-sensing and insulin infusion system. It requires no additional hardware or software. It is user friendly and requires no precise adjustments of bolus insulin dose because the glucose-responsive basal insulin release will compensate any difference between the amount dosed and that the body needs.
Background Rationale
Despite proven clinical benefits, current artificial pancreas requires separate glucose monitoring and insulin injection parts. They often require calibration and impose physical and psychological burdens on patients.
In this project, we aim to develop an insulin delivery system that integrates the glucose sensing and insulin dosing into one simple device. In essence, it is a patch that is Glucose-responsive, Refillable, Electronics-free And Tubing-free (we term as GREAT).
Description of Project
While advancements in insulin pumps/artificial pancreas (AP) are revolutionizing diabetic care, challenges exist. For examples, systems like the Insulet Omnipod Horizon hybrid closed-loop system, the Control-IQ hybrid closed-loop system, and the Diabeloop hybrid system all require separate glucose monitoring and insulin injection parts. Not to mention that they employ sophisticated pumps, are often large in size which can make them unattractive to patients, and the monetary cost of insulin pump therapy remains higher than that of multiple daily insulin injections.
In this proposal, we aim to develop a user-friendly, easy-to-implement, and minimalistic system (combining insulin delivery and glucose sensing into a single electronics-free platform) for automated insulin delivery.
Anticipated Outcome
The anticipated outcome is a prototype of a glucose-responsive insulin patch that is ready for further pre-clinical and clinical development.
Relevance to T1D
If successful, the new system will alleviate many limitations of current insulin pumps, improve glycemic control, and reduce the cost and importantly the burden of care to T1D patients.