World Diabetes Day – Expert Interview with Carlos Arteaga & Sebastian Kibler (Fraunhofer EMFT)

In MuSiC4Diabetes, Fraunhofer EMFT develops a micropump for insulin dosing. The pump is part of a so-called closed-loop-system. Can you give us a general idea of how the micropump functions within this system?

The micropump is the component that delivers insulin units to the patient. It is implanted inside the body. We bend the pump’s membrane by sending it a series of positive and negative voltages, creating a fill-in and -out of the micropump’s chamber. This is how the insulin in our implant will be delivered. You can find a dynamic example here.

How could this innovative technology improve diabetes management, especially in the workplace?

Nowadays patients with diabetes must control levels of glucose to avoid decompensation episodes caused from hypo- or hyperglycaemia. These episodes can occur unexpectedly, whether while sleeping hours or at work. This causes both physical and mental fatigue, along with discomfort from frequent finger pricks, adding to the stress they already face at work, which can impact their performance. Our unobtrusive system steps in to watch over glucose and other metabolites’ concentration for the patient. Using the measured values, the AI-based model evaluates the need for a dose and initiates the micropump accordingly.

What mechanism does the automated insulin delivery system use to determine the correct dosage?

We employ a self-sensing feature within our micropumps. This feature allows the detection of bubbles that may interfere with the dose to be delivered. This enables the possibility of compensating the delivered dose. Moreover, we conduct pressure measurements to ensure the micropump delivers the aimed doses.

External insulin pumps like patch pumps have to be replaced every three days. How often does the implantable pump has to be refilled and replaced?

We aim to develop an implant that can remain in the body up to 7 years. The reservoir filling would take place every 6 months.

Following the results of a study conducted by MuSiC4Diabetes, adults with diabetes think about their condition for nearly 68 minutes a day. In your opinion, to what extent can your innovative micropump contribute to reducing this amount of time?

We are working to develop an unobtrusive system that helps patients enhance their lifestyle by offering a better diabetes management throughout their daily activities. At the current stage of the project, it is still uncertain. Although we provide a closed-loop system, initially, patients may still feel the need to verify with other systems to confirm the implant’s accuracy. Eventually, as the patient gains confidence and adopts the system, it could potentially reduce the mental effort to manage diabetes.

A sudden incident of hypoglycemia is one of the biggest risks people with diabetes must face in the workplace. What needs to be considered when engineering a micropump to mitigate the risk of these incidents?

We would consider the lifestyle of people with diabetes, including patterns such as physical activities or mealtimes. Understanding these scenarios allows us to determine which safety mechanisms should be integrated into the micropump to reduce hypoglycaemia events.

A new technology developed at Fraunhofer EMFT is implemented, the so-called safety-valve. This feature, integrated in our micropumps, stops any unwanted insulin doses from being delivered. This new technology can handle high pressures, such as those experienced in high-altitude regions or during air travel.

We enhance the safety-valve with integrated sensors in the micropump electronics. An app displays metabolite concentrations every 15 minutes and communicates with the implant via Bluetooth to receive and send information.