02/23/2022
By Christopher Hansen
The Mechanical Engineering Department welcomes Eleonora Aiello from Harvard University as part of the department's research seminar series on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 at 1 p.m.
This seminar will be held in Dandeneau 220. Please contact Prof. Chris Hansen for additional details.
Seminar Title: Learning and Estimation for Automated Insulin Delivery Systems
Abstract: Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) must either inject themselves with insulin or use an insulin infusion pump to maintain healthy metabolism, prevent ketosis, and maintain glucose in a desired range to minimize long-term disease complications. Advances in sensing technology, development of fast-acting insulin analogues, and closed-loop control algorithms have enabled automated insulin delivery (AID) systems for T1D management.
Carbohydrate intake represents a challenge for people with T1D, as it results in mild to strong elevations in blood glucose, depending on the meal size. The ability to mimic a real-life eating scenario is fundamental to improve any algorithm evaluation process and can in turn improve the overall glucose regulation. This talk will present a simulation framework able to capture the patterns observed in the data and generate stochastic meal events consistent with the extensive data on eating behaviors available as a byproduct of outpatient trials.
However, effective management of T1D is a very complicated process that requires considerable effort from both patients and their families. Insulin bolus calculators rely on the current glucose concentration, as well as the estimated residual insulin remaining active in the circulation, so-called insulin-on-board (IOB). Unfortunately, estimates for IOB are challenging due to inter-individual differences and often the lack of specificity to insulin type. We will talk how insulin measurements can enhance the glucose regulation, under different physiological conditions.
Speaker Biography: Eleonora Maria Aiello is a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Cambridge, MA, and an adjunct investigator at Sansum Diabetes Research Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. She earned the BSc degree and the MSc degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, in 2014 and 2016, respectively. She received the PhD degree in Electronic, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, in 2020.
During her study, Aiello spent six months at University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Panagiotis D. Christofides, in 2018. Her expertise lies in systems and controls engineering with experience in development of control systems for biomedical problems. Her research interests are in feedback systems, system identification and modeling, with focus on diabetes. She is currently working on automated insulin delivery systems for people with T1D diabetes in Dean Francis J. Doyle,III and Dr. Eyal Dassau research group. Her research contribution focuses on enhancing the control strategy for glucose regulation by including insulin measurements.