Application of dynamic optimization-based parameter estimation to a diabetes mellitus patient model

This work presents a method for modeling the effect of insulin infusion and meal disturbances in a patient with diabetes mellitus. The model used was presented by Bergman and later modified by Lynch and Bequette. This modified Bergman model is a simple set of four differential equations which account for blood glucose, blood insulin, free insulin and subcutaneous glucose concentration profiles in the body of a person with diabetes mellitus. Using subcutaneous blood sugar measurements and data for the response to insulin of a patient, it is possible to develop an accurate dynamic model, leading to the possibility of applying model-predictive control to help regulate the blood glucose levels of a patient. The initial parameters for the modified Bergman model were recovered from simulated data by performing dynamic optimizations using MAPLE, Matlab reg and IPOPT. In the future, this procedure could be tested using real data for a patient.