Assessment of a Noninvasive Chronic Glucose Monitoring System in Euglycemic and Diabetic Swine (Sus scrofa)

Models of type-I diabetes are well-characterized and commonly used in the preclinical evaluation of drugs and medical devices. The diabetic minipig is an excellent example of a translational model. However, chronic glucose monitoring in this species can be challenging; frequent blood sampling can be technically difficult and poorly tolerated in conscious swine. Skin-patch continuous blood glucose monitors are FDA-approved for human use and offer a potential refinement to cageside blood collection. However, this modality has not been evaluated in pigs. In this study, young adult male STZ-induced diabetic Yucatan minipigs (n = 4) and healthy York pigs (n = 4) were implanted with a 14-d skin-patch continuous glucose monitor. Readings from continuous glucose monitors were time-matched to whole blood samples, with glucose measurements performed using point-of-care blood glucose monitors, serum chemistry or both. The aims of the study were to assess if a continuous glucose monitoring system could accurately detect glucose levels in swine, and to compare the readings to both point-of-care glucometers and serum chemistry results. We hypothesized that a continuous glucose monitoring system would accurately detect glucose levels in swine in comparison with a validated analyzer and could serve as an animal welfare refinement for studies of diabetes. We found that the continuous glucose monitor used in this study provided an adequate adjunct for clinical management in the stable diabetic pig and a minimally invasive and inexpensive option for colony maintenance of chronically diabetic swine.