I-Corps: Translation Potential of Technology to Improve Adaptive Insulin Delivery

Award ID: 2628120

This I-Corps project is based on the development of an insulin delivery system to stabilize insulin uptake during the initial hours of infusion for patients living with type 1 diabetes. Patients with type 1 diabetes commonly rely on insulin pumps, which generally offer better glucose control than insulin pens. However, a persistent problem occurs immediately after initiating a new infusion site with an insulin pump: insulin absorption is extremely low during the first few hours. As a result, blood glucose levels often remain elevated, leading patients to believe that insufficient insulin is being delivered. Many respond by administering additional insulin boluses. When absorption later increases, the accumulated insulin can take effect all at once, causing a rapid and sometimes dangerous drop in blood glucose. These early fluctuations create ongoing uncertainty, stress, and clinical risk for both patients and clinicians. This technology aims to stabilize insulin absorption during these early hours by applying new insights into how tissue mechanics influence insulin transport, and the technology is designed to be compatible with existing wearable insulin pump systems. By improving insulin tissue interactions at the infusion site, the system is designed to provide more reliable glucose control without requiring changes in patient behavior, dosing routines, or existing wearable pump platforms. In addition, the technology may reduce early high glucose levels and prevent delayed low glucose levels following insulin pump insertion, and improve patient outcomes. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of a new framework for designing insulin delivery systems for patients with type 1 diabetes that improve insulin-tissue interaction immediately after insertion. When a new infusion site is placed, insulin absorption is often reduced during the first several hours, which leads to elevated blood glucose levels and the need for corrective insulin doses. As absorption increases later, the accumulated insulin can enter circulation rapidly and create a risk of delayed hypoglycemia. This technology is based on newly identified relationships between tissue mechanics and insulin transport to stabilize early insulin absorption and reduce glucose instability immediately after insertion of the infusion site. This, in turn, may reduce early hyperglycemia and prevent delayed hypoglycemia following insulin pump insertion. In addition to diabetes care, the technology may be applied to other wearable and subcutaneous drug-delivery systems to improve therapeutic consistency and safety. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman