Bioengineering aspects of the artificial pancreas

In this paper, results of work aimed at the development of artificial beta-cells are presented. An electrolytically driven pump is considered to be a proper device for insulin injection. The transient characteristics of the simplified version of such a pump make it suitable for application in open-loop devices. Methods for electrical control of the injection rate of this pump for application in closed-loop artificial beta-cells are given. An essential component of a closed-loop artificial beta-cell is a glucose sensor. A modified version of the glucose sensor has been developed and its performance is described. Considerations of some control problems related to the artificial pancreas are briefly discussed.