AI-powered system to keep blood sugar steady in diabetes
Official title: SCH: Integrating AI and System Engineering for Glucose Regulation in Diabetes
Funded at Illinois Institute of Technology · NIH-11170606 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Building an automated insulin system that uses AI and wearable sensors to keep blood sugar steady for people with Type 1 diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Illinois Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $296,370 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK135116-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11170606 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are people with Type 1 diabetes who use or are willing to use a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump and to wear an activity tracker.
✕Less likely to help
People who manage diabetes without insulin pumps or CGMs, or those with Type 2 diabetes not treated with insulin, are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
This project will develop a next-generation automated insulin delivery system that combines artificial intelligence and systems engineering. It will use data from continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and wristband activity trackers to learn from historical and real-time signals. The system is designed to respond automatically to meals, physical activity, acute stress, and sleep irregularities without requiring manual inputs. The team will build and test a prototype that integrates these data streams to better maintain glucose in the target range.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the system could reduce high and low blood sugar episodes and lessen the need for manual carb counting and pump adjustments.
How similar studies have gone: Existing hybrid closed-loop (artificial pancreas) systems have improved glucose control, but fully multivariable AI-driven systems that handle meals, activity, stress, and sleep without manual inputs are newer and less proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cinar, Ali — Illinois Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Cinar, Ali
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.