A Minimal Model Approach for the Description of Postprandial Glucose Responses from Glucose Sensor Data in Diabetes Mellitus

Modelling of the gluco-regulatory system in response to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) has been the subject of research for decades. This paper presents an adaptation to the well-established oral minimal model that is identifiable from glucose data only and is able to capture the dynamics of glucose following both OGTT and mixed meal consumption. The model is in the form of low-dimensional differential equations with a recently introduced input function consisting of Gaussian shaped components. It was identified from glucose data recorded from six subjects without diabetes, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes under controlled conditions. The inferred parameters of the model are shown to have physiological meaning and produce realistic steady state behavior. This model may be useful in the development of clinical advisory tools for the treatment and prevention of non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus.