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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
An In Ovo Model for Testing Insulin-mimetic Compounds
Published on: April 23, 2018
Design and clinical pilot testing of the model-based dynamic insulin sensitivity and secretion test (DISST)
Thomas F Lotz1, J Geoffrey Chase, Kirsten A McAuley
1Centre for Bioengineering, University of Canterbury, and Department of Intensive Medicine, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Background:
Insulin resistance is a significant risk factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. This article presents pilot study results of the dynamic insulin sensitivity and secretion test (DISST), a high-resolution, low-intensity test to diagnose insulin sensitivity (IS) and characterize pancreatic insulin secretion in response to a (small) glucose challenge. This pilot study examines the effect of glucose and insulin dose on the DISST, and tests its repeatability.
Methods:
DISST tests were performed on 16 subjects randomly allocated to low (5 g glucose, 0.5 U insulin), medium (10 g glucose, 1 U insulin) and high dose (20 g glucose, 2 U insulin) protocols. Two or three tests were performed on each subject a few days apart.
Results:
Average variability in IS between low and medium dose was 10.3% (p=.50) and between medium and high dose 6.0% (p=.87). Geometric mean variability between tests was 6.0% (multiplicative standard deviation (MSD) 4.9%). Geometric mean variability in first phase endogenous insulin response was 6.8% (MSD 2.2%). Results were most consistent in subjects with low IS.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that DISST may be an easily performed dynamic test to quantify IS with high resolution, especially among those with reduced IS.
