A new general glucose homeostatic model using a proportional-integral-derivative controller.

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Control Systems

Background:

• The glucose-insulin system presents modeling challenges due to complex feedback mechanisms.
• Accurate modeling is crucial for understanding and managing glycaemic regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel model for characterizing glycaemic regulation.
• To incorporate a three-phase insulin secretion model analogous to proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers.
• To assess model identifiability and parameter estimation using clinical data.

Main Methods:

• A new model was developed, incorporating states for glucose, insulin, insulin action, and an integral glucose function.
• Structural identifiability analysis was performed to assess parameter uniqueness.
• Parameter estimation was conducted using data from Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Tests (IVGTT) and hyperglycaemic clamp studies.

Main Results:

• The model successfully characterizes glycaemic regulation by simulating three phases of insulin secretion.
• Structural identifiability analysis identified two unidentifiable parameters, with clear justifications provided.
• Model simulations demonstrated strong agreement with real-world IVGTT and hyperglycaemic clamp data.

Conclusions:

• The proposed model offers an effective approach to characterizing the glucose-insulin system.
• The model's structure, inspired by PID controllers, provides a biologically plausible framework.
• The model's validation with clinical data supports its utility in glycaemic regulation research.