Strategic Research

Modelling, Identification and Control Engineering (MICELab)

Technologies for Diabetes in MICELab

The MiceLab research group, led by Dr. Josep Vehí, was founded in 2000. Since 2005, the group is recognized by the Generalitat de Catalunya as "consolidated research group SGR- 00296". Since 2003, the group is also part of the Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IdIBGi), in where it is established as a multidisciplinary research team. The group is currently composed by researchers with different backgrounds: mathematicians, control engineers, computer scientists, physicists, electrical engineers, and doctors, nutritionists, biologists and pharmacists.

The MiceLab group is researching technologies for diabetes since 2004, getting more than two billion euros of funding in several competitive projects. The group has worked on modeling and control in type 1 diabetes, including Modelling of complex biological systems, with uncertainty and intra-patient variability

Over the past few years the group has promoted and conducted several clinical studies in collaboration with leading researchers at the University Hospital Dr. Josep Trueta (U. Diabetes: Dr. José Manuel Fernández-Real and Dr. Wifredo RiCAD, UCI: Dr. Sirvent), the University Hospital of Valencia (Dr. Javier Ampudia, Dr. Paolo Rossetti) and the Clinical Hospital of Barcelona (Dr. Ignacio Conget and Dra. Marga Giménez).

Main research lines are:

  • Assessment and condition monitoring for chronic patients
  • Medical devices for diabetes. Artificial Pancreas 
  • Risk glucose prediction uncertainty and intra-patient variability, optimization of insulin therapy, identifying patterns of carbohydrate absorption and gastric emptying, calibration algorithms for continuous glucose monitors development of control algorithms for closed type 1 diabetic patients and also for critical patients and fault detection in continuous monitors and insulin pumps loop.

In the last five years, the group has published over 25 articles in PubMed journals on developing technologies for diabetes and requested 3 patents.

Main projects

  • 1.

    VITALITY – Monitoring & Managing your Health and Well-being

    Funded by EC and MINECO INNPACTO. Period 2011-2014.

  • 2.

    New strategies for post-prandial glycaemic control using insulin pump therapy in type 1 diabetes

    DPI2010-20764-C02-02. Founded by MICINN. Period 2011 - 2013.

  • 3.

    SAFE-AP – New methods for the efficiency and safety of home artificial pancreas

    DPI 2013-46982-C2-2-R. Founded by MICINN. Period 2014 - 2016.

Website

Institutions

Bioinformatics expertise:

Group Leader:

Josep Vehí

Bioinformatics services offered

  • Clinical Database

    Result of various controlled trials are conducted has a large database obtained in studies conducted on over 100 patients (over 1200 hours of monitoring continuous / control) in both open loop and closed loop. The data obtained were used for modeling, study of continuous glucose monitors, assessment therapies and monitoring.

  • Platform for clinical trials of controllers

    We have developed a hardware and software platform based on LabVIEW for implementation and validation of drivers glucose (CL4M controls). The first version of The platform has been validated and approved by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health care Products (AEMPS).

  • Simulator for patients with diabetes type 1 and 2

    Result of several research projects and theses, the group has developed a MICE virtual diabetes patient simulator. This simulator has at present five cohorts, including intrapatient variability (circadian rhythms more than other lower frequency variations). It includes a library of mixed meals and the effects of exercise. It also has the ability to simulate failures in the sensors and pumps insulin. About this simulator can test different strategies and therapies control in both open loop and closed loop.