There are many instances where we see young minds change the world for the better with their innovations. Here is an instance where Alishba and Abdullah Khalid, two high school students from the United Kingdom, are working hard to create a solution for an environmentally friendly post-surgery medication.
The students' company ChlamyHEALTH is currently developing a novel selenoprotein injection formulated from selenoproteins harvested from a widely available algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. With a mission to aid recovery and decrease mortality in outpatients having had cardiac surgery, Alishba and Abdullah began to research into a group of proteins with distinct selenocysteine residues - selenoproteins (found abundantly in algal species).
Selenoproteins are highly expressed throughout our bodies, but our ability to synthesize these proteins decreases as we consume less and less of the protein synthesizer selenium. This is especially prevalent in patients receiving open-heart surgeries. Seeing the urgency of this problem, Alishba and Abdullah aim to assist patients with cardiovascular disease and built-up cholesterol levels in the arteries by using an eco-friendly and efficient medication after heart surgery.
Currently, the British high schoolers are conducting further research and lab experiments to extract the selenoproteins from the algae. They will be advancing to the next stage once they have succeeded in doing so.
Young intellectuals like Alishba and Abdullah continuously create innovations that have a positive impact on our society. Their actions are setting the path for our world to achieve a greater sustainable future.