Detection of Electrical Activity of Pancreatic Beta-cells Using Micro-electrode Arrays

In this position paper we propose a new approach to provide online in-vivo recordings of organ activity in real time and to overcome three major shortcuts of currently used invasive glucose sensors. In the context of diabetes, standard glucosensors recognize only glucose, whereas circulating lipids as well as amino acids are known to increase the demand in insulin and, under physiological circumstances, its secretion. Furthermore, the integration of other relevant signals such as hormones provides a clear advantage. Consequently, using the β-cell as a signal integrator combined with ASIC technology ensures a physiological signal and its read-out in real time thus avoiding complex algorithms. We describe a closed-loop architecture for exploiting those bio-sensors and potentially able to provide a control feedback for real-time insulin delivery.