Glucagon pump controller

• US 20120232519A1
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imperial White City Incubator Limited
• Original Assignee: Imperial Innovations Limited (Imperial College London)
• Inventors: Toumazou, Christofer, Georgiou, Pantelis, Lim, Kok Thay
• Granted Patent: US 9,656,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/504
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection

Abstract

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a controller for controlling a glucagon pump. The controller comprises an input 8 for receiving an input signal indicative of a measured blood glucose concentration, an output 9 for providing a pulsed glucagon pump drive signal, each pulse being arranged to cause a glucagon pump to deliver a volume of glucagon, and a processing unit 10 for setting the pulse frequency of the pump drive signal in dependence upon the input signal, such that when the input signal indicates that the measured blood glucose concentration is above a threshold concentration the pulse frequency is zero and when the input signal indicates that the measured blood glucose concentration is below the threshold concentration the pulse frequency is increased as the measured blood glucose concentration decreases.

Claims

1. A controller for controlling a glucagon pump, the controller comprising:

an input for receiving an input signal indicative of a measured blood glucose concentration;

an output for providing a pulsed glucagon pump drive signal, each pulse being arranged to cause a glucagon pump to deliver a volume of glucagon; and

a processing unit for setting the pulse frequency of the pump drive signal in dependence upon the input signal, such that when the input signal indicates that the measured blood glucose concentration is above a threshold concentration the pulse frequency is zero and when the input signal indicates that the measured blood glucose concentration is below the threshold concentration the pulse frequency is increased as the measured blood glucose concentration decreases.

2. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to implement an integrate and fire model to simulate the electrical response of a pancreatic alpha cell to blood glucose concentration.

3. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to implement a Dirac delta function model to simulate the electrical response of a pancreatic alpha cell to blood glucose concentration.

4. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to convert a simulated electrical response of a pancreatic alpha cell to blood glucose concentration into the pulsed glucagon pump drive signal.

5. A system for controlling blood glucose concentration, the system comprising:

a glucagon pump controller according to claim 1; and

a glucagon pump.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, and further comprising:

an insulin pump controller; and

an insulin pump.

7. The system as claimed in claim 5, and further comprising an adjustment unit for accepting input of patient specific information and for using the patient specific information to modify the volume of glucagon delivered by the glucagon pump in response to each pulse of the pump drive signal.

8. A method of operating a controller for controlling a glucagon pump, the method comprising:

receiving an input signal indicative of a measured blood glucose concentration;

processing the input signal to generate a pulsed glucagon pump drive signal, each pulse being arranged to cause a glucagon pump to deliver a volume of glucagon, setting the pulse frequency of the pump drive signal in dependence upon the input signal, such that when the input signal indicates that the measured blood glucose concentration is above a threshold concentration the pulse frequency is zero and when the input signal indicates that the measured blood glucose concentration is below the threshold concentration the pulse frequency is increased as the measured blood glucose concentration decreases; and

outputting the pulsed glucagon pump drive signal.