Diabetes mellitus is one of the most frequently diagnosed endocrinopathies in cats.
Insulin therapy and glycemic control are of chief importance in the management of the disease. In recent years, numerous tools for glycemic control have been developed in human and veterinary medicine, including continuous glucose monitoring devices, external or implantable insulin pumps and the artificial pancreas. The latter is composed of a continuous glucose monitoring device, an insulin delivery pump and a software with a dedicated algorithm for smartphones. The system allows to autonomously and continuously adjust the administration of micro-doses of insulin according to the variations in the patient's blood glucose levels, maintaining it in the normal reference range. Recently, we have successfully used this system in a cat with poorly controlled diabetes, obtaining a marked improvement in glycemic control.

In light of this result, we planned a study to evaluate the ability of the artificial pancreas to improve glycemic control and its safety in diabetic cats on insulin therapy with poor glycemic control.

Five publications related to the Research Topic for the candidate interview:

1. Crino C, Iavazzo F, Ferri F, Coppola LM, Salesov E, Lutz TA, Reusch CE, Zini E (2020). Diabetic remission in a cat treated withan implantable pump to deliver insulin. CANADIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL, vol. 61, p. 30-34, ISSN: 0008-5286
2. Hafner M, Dietiker Moretti S, Kaufmann K, Mueller C, Lutz TA, Reusch CE, Zini E (2014). Intensive Intravenous Infusionof Insulin in Diabetic Cats. JOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE, vol. 28, p. 1753-1759, ISSN: 0891-6640, https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.12449
3. Callegari C, Mercuriali E, Hafner M, Coppola LM, Guazzetti S, Lutz TA, Reusch CE, Zini E (2013). Survival time and prognostic factors in cats with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus: 114 cases (2000.2009). JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, vol. 243, p. 91-95, ISSN: 0003-1488, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.243.1.91
4. Zini E, Osto M, Franchini M, Guscetti F, Donath MY, Perren A, Heller RS, Linscheid P, Bouwman M, Ackermann M, Lutz TA,Reusch CE (2009). Hyperglycaemia but not hyperlipidaemia causes beta cell dysfunction and beta cell loss in the domestic cat. DIABETOLOGIA, vol. 52, ISSN: 0012-186X, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-008-1201-y
5. Osto M, Zini E, Reusch CE, Lutz TA (2013). Diabetes from humans to cats. GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY, vol. 182, p. 48-53, ISSN: 0016-6480, DOI: doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.11.019

Tutor: Prof. Eric Zini
mail: eric.zini@unipd.it