Bengaluru: As India grapples with a growing diabetes burden, researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are developing indigenous technologies aimed at making advanced care more affordable and accessible.One such innovation is SugarSight, an AI-powered diabetes management platform incubated at The Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID), IISc, and developed by Prof Radhakant Padhi and his team.The platform analyses a user’s blood glucose readings, meal intake, physical activity and insulin sensitivity to provide personalised insulin dose recommendations. It also predicts whether blood sugar levels are likely to rise or fall over the next few hours, allowing users to take preventive action before episodes of hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia.Speaking at an event, “Affordable technologies for mass diabetes care: Contributions from IISc,” Saturday, Padhi said the team’s larger goal is to develop an artificial pancreas system that closely mimics the function of a healthy pancreas.“The system consists of three key components: electronic glucose sensor that continuously measures blood sugar levels, a control algorithm that functions like the brain by analysing data and determining how much insulin is required, and an insulin pump that delivers precise doses of insulin,” he said.Padhi said a person typically requires only about half a millilitre of insulin over a 24-hour period. “Such tiny quantities cannot be administered manually and require a pump capable of delivering highly accurate doses. Even a slight overdose can result in hypoglycaemia, while an underdose can leave blood sugar levels dangerously high,” he pointed out.The professor from IISc’s department of aerospace engineering said the technology has been under development for nearly a decade and incorporates predictive algorithms and personalised adaptive learning adapted from aerospace engineering.According to him, commercially available artificial pancreas systems cost around Rs 6 lakh, while the IISc team aims to develop an indigenous closed-loop system comprising insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor at a target cost of about Rs 2 lakh. The prototype has been demonstrated and being redeveloped to meet medical device certification requirements.Former CM BS Yediyurappa said scientific innovation must benefit society. “IISc has shown how knowledge and innovation can improve the lives of ordinary people. Diabetes has become one of the biggest public health challenges both in villages and cities, and scientific innovations should go beyond laboratories and reach even the last citizen of a village,” he said.Experts at the event highlighted how emerging technologies are helping people with diabetes lead more normal lives. Senior endocrinologist Dr Mala Dharmalingam said continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pump technologies have significantly reduced the burden of diabetes management by minimising painful finger-prick tests and enabling children with Type 1 diabetes to enjoy occasions such as birthdays through accurate carbohydrate counting and insulin doses.
