Background: Chronic continuous glucose monitoring options for animal research have been very limited due to various technical and biological challenges. We provide an evaluation of a novel telemetry device for continuous monitoring of temperature, activity, and plasma glucose levels in the arterial blood of rats for up to 2 months. Methods: In vivo testing in rats including oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (IPGTTs) and ex vivo waterbath testing were performed to evaluate acute and chronic sensor performance. Animal studies were in accordance with the guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals and approved by the corresponding animal care and use committees (Data Sciences International, Eli Lilly). Results: Results demonstrated the ability to record continuous measurements for 75 days or longer. Bench testing demonstrated a high degree of linearity over a range of 20-850 mg/dL with R2 = .998 for linear fit and .999 for second order fit (n = 8 sensors). Evaluation of 6 rats over 28 days with 52 daily and OGTT test strip measurements each resulted in mean error of 3.8% and mean absolute relative difference of 16.6%. Conclusions: This device provides significant advantages in the quality and quantity of data that can be obtained relative to existing alternatives such as intermittent blood sampling. These devices provide the opportunity to expand the understanding of both glucose metabolism and homeostasis and to work toward improved therapies and cures for diabetes.
