Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent major healthcare burdens for Finnish people. Instead of focusing on treatment after heart attacks occur, this project aims alternative ways. This project aims to bioengineer a natural substance, ß-glucan (derived from barley), into an oral formulation, and this can “train” our body to better resist heart damage. This may generate a simple, affordable mini-capsules that can be taken daily, so no injections or complex procedures needed. I will produce the engineered ß-glucan formulations using a method named microfluidics, which has been used by creating COVID-19 vaccines, and conduct laboratory studies to see how they affect heart cells under stress. By understanding the biological mechanisms behind this protective effect, I hope to discover a new, preventive strategy against CVDs. Hopefully, this finding could lower healthcare costs, improve patient quality of life, and open new directions in cardiovascular prevention.

2025

2029