Development of A Dual Closed-loop Insulin Delivery Device for Diabetes Management

Professor Zhang, Shiming   (Principal Investigator (PI))

24

2022-09-01

1994100

Development of A Dual Closed-loop Insulin Delivery Device for Diabetes Management

Development of A Dual Closed-loop, Insulin Delivery Device, Diabetes Management

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

MHP/053/21

Mainland-Hong Kong Joint Funding Scheme (MHKJFS)

2022

On-going

Diabetes is the most pressing chronic disease in both Hong Kong and Mainland. There are about 0.7 million people in Hong Kong, and 13 million people in Mainland are suffering from diabetes. Realizing efficient blood glucose management is highly demanded to improve the healthcare of patients with diabetes. Currently, the detection of blood glucose is separated from the delivery of therapeutic insulin, which is less efficient compared to the automatic delivery of insulin controlled by glucose biosensors. However, the biosensor-controlled insulin device has the following two problems: 1) it is difficult to continuously detect blood glucose with less pain and high sensitivity; 2) the falsely elevated glucose may lead to hypoglycemia, which could result in fatal consequences. This project aims to develop a minimally invasive glucose biosensor by using microneedle as a sensor carrier and using novel glucose-responsive insulin to replace conventional insulin to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia. A miniaturized ""dual closed-loop"" insulin delivery device will be developed for better diabetes management. The first closed-loop is the automatic delivery of insulin controlled by the microneedle sensor; The second closed-loop is the release of glucose-responsive insulin whose delivery rate is dependent on the real blood glucose level. This project will generate globally competitive IPs and make a significant technological leap in diabetes management.