Make calcium supplements sustainable
In Asia, many old people suffer from insufficient calcium intake and related diseases such as osteoporosis. Considering that traditional calcium supplementation is not efficient and user-friendly enough, we intended to develop a kind of engineered bacteria based on E. coli that can colonize in the human intestine and secrete peptides to promote calcium absorption. We introduced the quorum sensing system to colonize bacteria in the intestine. Once the bacteria have successfully colonized the intestinal tract, the luxPR promoter will be activated and a series of short peptides that can bind to calcium and promote calcium absorption of intestinal epithelial cells will be expressed. A kill switch is added accordingly for safety. Our project provides a novel delivery method to provide calcium supplements sustainably. And we are actively seeking commercialization possibilities to expand our project impact, to reach more population, for the elderly’s good health and well-being.
Inspiration
Our member Tian Shizheng heard from her grandmother that she suffered from leg pain caused by calcium deficiency when she went home during the holiday, and the effect of taking calcium tablets was not good, so she had to go to the hospital to seek more professional treatment advice. This thing reminds him of insufficient calcium intake，even in the era of rising quality of life when food choices are plentiful.
In January, before the COVID-19 outbreak, one of our members, Xinran Li's grandmother, lost her footing and fell slightly to the ground while playing badminton. As the elderly played badminton together, their speed and movements were not severe, but they still broke their bones because they fell on the ground with their hands. It is not the first time. A few years ago, her grandmother had broken her lower back in a fall while active. It reminds her of many similar cases among other relatives in the past few years, especially among women. As a result of a severe fracture caused by a fall, she needs to take care of her family members, especially middle-aged people. If the family has some school-age children in need of care, the elderly cannot continue to help.
It makes us realize the importance of bone health in the elderly, and osteoporosis is a significant cause of fractures in the elderly. In 2018, the National Health Commission of China released an epidemiological survey of osteoporosis in China, which is the first large-scale multi-center epidemiological survey of osteoporosis among Chinese residents based on community population in China. The results show that osteoporosis has become a significant health problem for people over 50 in China, especially middle-aged and older women. The prevalence rate of osteoporosis reached 32.0% in people over 65 years old, 10.7% in men, and 51.6% in women. Due to the state of low bone mass and the lack of apparent clinical manifestations in the early stage of osteoporosis, the lack of public awareness of the importance of osteoporosis prevention, and the insufficient ability of primary medical and health institutions to prevent osteoporosis, the bone mineral density detection rate of Chinese residents is low.
At present, there are good medical treatments for osteoporosis, but there is still a big gap in preventing calcium deficiency in the elderly. The existing calcium supplement products still have disadvantages such as low absorption rate, poor user experience, and easy to miss taking. So we want to add a new and convenient daily calcium supplement for the elderly to achieve sustainable calcium supplementation and improve the quality of life and health of the elderly. That's where our project came from.
Signature: Shizheng