The interactive 3D simulation shows beta and alpha cells in the islets of Langerhans responding in real time to a virtual meal or fasting period, releasing insulin or glucagon as blood glucose rises and falls to hold it near the homeostatic set point.
Use the controls to simulate eating a meal or entering a fasting state, then watch how insulin and glucagon levels rise and fall in opposition while blood glucose is pulled back toward the normal 70-100 mg/dL range; try disabling beta cell function to see how the loop breaks down in diabetes.
Sliders and buttons let you trigger a meal or fasting period, adjust beta cell responsiveness, and toggle diabetes conditions to see their effect on the insulin-glucagon feedback loop.
A healthy pancreas releases insulin in tiny pulses every five to fifteen minutes even between meals, a subtle oscillation that helps keep liver cells sensitive to insulin's signal rather than becoming desensitized to a constant level.
The interactive 3D simulation shows beta and alpha cells in the islets of Langerhans responding in real time to a virtual meal or fasting period, releasing insulin or glucagon as blood glucose rises and falls to hold it near the homeostatic set point.
The interactive 3D simulation shows beta and alpha cells in the islets of Langerhans responding in real time to a virtual meal or fasting period, releasing insulin or glucagon as blood glucose rises and falls to hold it near the homeostatic set point.
Use the controls to simulate eating a meal or entering a fasting state, then watch how insulin and glucagon levels rise and fall in opposition while blood glucose is pulled back toward the normal 70-100 mg/dL range; try disabling beta cell function to see how the loop breaks down in diabetes.
A healthy pancreas releases insulin in tiny pulses every five to fifteen minutes even between meals, a subtle oscillation that helps keep liver cells sensitive to insulin's signal rather than becoming desensitized to a constant level.