System and method for enhancement of glucose production by stimulation of pancreatic beta cells
First Claim
1. A system for stimulating pancreatic beta cells located at a predetermined patient location for the purpose of increasing insulin production by such beta cells, comprising:
- a controllable stimulus generator for generating stimulus pulses;
delivery means for delivering said stimulus pulses to said cells at said location; and
control means for controlling said generator to generate stimulus pulses timed to increase the rate of insulin production by said beta cells.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a system for automatically responding to insulin demand without any need for external monitoring or injecting of insulin into the diabetic patient. The system provides for sensing glucose levels internally, and responding by stimulating either the pancreas or a transplant of pancreatic islets in order to enhance insulin production. The enhancing stimulation is delivered at a rate greater than the burst rate, or is otherwise controlled so that the depolarization burst constitutes a greater portion of each islet electrical cycle, thereby resulting in increased insulin production. The system also provides for continuous glucose monitoring, and reacts to sensed hypoglycemia by delivering stimulus pulses timed to reduce the burst durations, and thus to inhibit insulin production. In another embodiment, the system responds to a good intake signal, either externally or internally generated, by going through a time response algorithm to provide a stimulation-enhanced insulin response which simulates the natural response. In yet another embodiment, the functionality of an islet transplant is continually monitored, and performance data is logged and down loaded on command to an external programmer. The stimulation of patient pancreatic cells may be combined with administration of a hypoglycemic agent.
-
Citations
56 Claims
-
1. A system for stimulating pancreatic beta cells located at a predetermined patient location for the purpose of increasing insulin production by such beta cells, comprising:
-
a controllable stimulus generator for generating stimulus pulses; delivery means for delivering said stimulus pulses to said cells at said location; and control means for controlling said generator to generate stimulus pulses timed to increase the rate of insulin production by said beta cells. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A system implantable in a patient for detecting and responding to patient hypoglycemia, comprising:
-
glucose means for monitoring patient blood glucose; means for determining when said monitored blood glucose indicates hypoglycemia; stimulus means for generating stimulus pulses and delivering said pulses to a selected patient location containing insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells; and control means for controlling the timing of said stimulus pulses so as to decrease the insulin secretion of said beta cells. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. An implantable system for sensing electrical activity of pancreatic beta cells and stimulating said beta cells to promote increased insulin production therefrom, comprising:
-
glucose means for continually obtaining a measure of patient blood glucose level, and determining from said measure when increased insulin production is indicated; and stimulus means responsive to an indication of increased insulin production for stimulating said beta cells with pulses timed to increase the duty cycle of depolarization bursts of said cells. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A system for delivering a timed insulin response to start of food intake by a patient, comprising:
-
intake means for determining when a patient has commenced and/or completed food intake; algorithm means initiated by said intake means for determining a timed insulin production response following a said food intake; and insulin means for increasing insulin in said patient according to said timed insulin response. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
-
-
36. A system for monitoring functionality of an islet transplant in a patient, comprising:
-
glucose means for determining and storing representations of patient blood glucose level; sensing means for sensing electrical activity of said transplant and for storing representations of said activity corresponding timewise with said glucose representations; and diagnostic means for providing diagnostic data based on said stored glucose and activity representations. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. A method of increasing insulin production by stimulating insulin-producing islets in a patient, comprising:
-
sensing spontaneous electrical signals of said islets and determining at least one predetermined parameter relating to the depolarization bursts of said signals; and delivering stimulus pulses to said islets so as to increase the time duration of said bursts relative to the islet repolarization intervals. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
-
-
44. A method of responding to patient food intake by delivering insulin in accord with a predetermined time response, comprising:
-
determining when a patient has commenced food intake; processing an algorithm to determine a timed response as a function of patient glucose and insulin dynamics; and increasing insulin production in said patient in accord with said timed response. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46)
-
-
47. A method of enhancing insulin production in a patient concurrently with the administration of a hypoglycemic agent to the patient, comprising determining when a said agent has been administered to the patient, and initiating a stimulation program following said determining, and stimulating insulin-producing islets in said patient in accord with said program.
-
48. A system for enhancing production of insulin by a patient'"'"'s pancreas, comprising:
-
a stimulus generator for generating stimulus signals; delivery means for delivering said stimulus signals to the patient'"'"'s pancreas, having at least three electrodes positioned in or on said pancreas; switching means for switching said signals to respective different pairs of said electrodes; and control means for controlling said stimulus generator to generate said stimulus pulses at a rate so as to increase pancreatic insulin production. - View Dependent Claims (49)
-
-
50. A system for delivering a timed insulin response to start of food intake by a patient, comprising:
-
intake means for determining when a patient has commenced and/or completed food intake; algorithm means initiated by said intake means for determining a timed insulin production response following a said food intake; and insulin means for altering insulin production in said patient according to said timed insulin response. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
-
Specification