Estimation of insulin sensitivity in diabetic Göttingen Minipigs

In patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, insulin sensitivity is a parameter which strongly affects insulin therapy. Due to its time-dependent variation, this parameter can improve the strategy for automatic closed-loop blood glucose control. The aim of this work is to estimate the insulin sensitivity of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus based on measured blood glucose concentrations. For this, an Extended Kalman Filter is used, based on a simplified version of the well-known Sorensen model. The compartment model of Sorensen was adapted to the glucose metabolic behaviour in diabetic Göttingen Minipigs by means of experimental data and reduced by neglecting unobservable state variables. Here, the Extended Kalman Filter is designed for simultaneous state and parameter estimation of insulin sensitivity using the insulin infusion rate and the meal size as input signals, and measurements of blood glucose concentration as output signal. The performance of the Extended Kalman Filter was tested in in silico studies using the minipig model, and is analysed by comparing the output signal of the filter with measurement data from the animal trials.