Engineering a device to measure how much insulin someone is making

Dr Samet Sahin is part of an engineering research group at the University of Lancaster and is applying his knowledge in engineering to tackle a problem in type 1 diabetes (T1D). In his project funded by Breakthrough T1D, Samet will develop a quick and easy tool to allow healthcare professionals to measure how much insulin a person can make.

What is C-peptide?

Beta cells release a molecule called C-peptide (short for connecting peptide) with insulin in equal amounts. C-peptide stays in the body longer than insulin before it breaks down and is used to calculate how much insulin beta cells are releasing. This measurement can be used to understand how many functioning beta cells a person with T1D still has.

A better tool to measure insulin release

C-peptide is currently measured using a blood test, which is then sent to a lab for analysis. This process is time-consuming and expensive making it impractical for both healthcare professionals and their patients. Samet is tackling this issue by developing a tool for healthcare professionals to quickly, easily, and reliably measure an individual’s C-peptide levels.

Samet is making an electrochemical sensor that uses a sophisticated combination of chemistry and electricity to detect C-peptide levels in blood samples. The sensor would enable patients to do a simple finger prick test while at their GP or in a diabetes clinic that the sensor would use to give a measurement of C-peptide in minutes without the need for lab tests. Samet’s sensor promises to offer a significant reduction in time and practicality compared to current methods.

Monitoring progression of T1D

Measuring beta cell function is crucial to understand how an individual’s T1D is progressing. T1D develops in stages as more and more beta cells are destroyed. People in the early stages don’t require insulin, but they will do when they reach stage three.

Being able to quickly and easily assess someone’s beta cell function will help clinicians monitor people in the early stages of T1D to ensure they start insulin therapy at the right time. This timely care would help to avoid the long- and short-term consequences of a late diagnosis in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

Enabling personalised medicine in T1D

Treatments to protect beta cells are emerging, including immunotherapies like teplizumab (licensed in the US) and drugs repurposed from other conditions. Samet’s sensor could be used to measure how well these therapies are working to delay the onset of T1D in clinical trials and even one day in clinic. This new monitoring technique could unlock the potential for personalised care in T1D treatment, as an individual could try different therapies and use the sensor in clinic to find what works best for them.

Is Breakthrough T1D funding any other research like this?

As well as helping us monitor how T1D is progressing and whether immunotherapies are working, C-peptide tests could help identify misdiagnoses between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We recently funded Dr Nicholas Thomas’ project at the University of Exeter to explore whether measuring the C-peptide levels in people three years after starting insulin therapy can accurately diagnose either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.