L2M NSERC - Powdered Iron Supplement for Redispersion and Quick Consumption

贫血是一个普遍的全球性公共卫生问题，在妇女中尤为普遍，影响约36.5%的孕妇和29.6%的非孕妇。缺铁性贫血是最常见的类型，占所有病例的50%。铁补充剂被推荐用于预防和治疗缺铁性贫血，两种最常见的给药方法是口服和静脉补铁。除了严重贫血患者的情况外，口服给药通常优于静脉内给药，但这两种方法都会因并发症（如铁过载或肠道中存在游离铁）而导致不良的胃肠道副作用。这个问题可以规避，如果补充剂是制定有针对性的交付铁到小肠，它被吸收。市场上存在耐受性良好且负担得起的铁补充剂选择的缺口，这些选择专门设计用于通过靶向释放来提高生物利用度，迫切需要更好的替代品。我们提出的铁补充剂配方是一种可溶性粉末，既利用pH敏感聚合物，又含有维生素C，以增强铁的吸收，预先分配以含有推荐的每日铁摄入量。我们的技术使用定制设计的微流体装置将合适的铁源封装在靶向释放的pH敏感材料的微滴内，该材料通过胃保护胶囊并在小肠中溶解，以提高封装铁的生物利用度。我们胶囊的微米级性质增加了它们的表面积与体积比，加速了胶囊在小肠中的溶解速率，并使铁的快速吸收成为可能。与传统的铁补充片剂相比，我们提出的制剂能够将铁选择性递送到小肠，从而改善铁的生物利用度和吸收。我们的靶向包封方法可以进一步扩展到其他天然健康产品（如益生菌）的靶向递送，以提高其生物利用度。

Anemia is a widespread global public health problem which is particularly prevalent among women, affecting approximately 36.5% of pregnant women and 29.6% of non-pregnant women. Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type of this condition, accounting for up to 50% of all cases. Iron supplementation is recommended for the prevention and treatment of iron-deficiency anemia and the two most common administration methods are oral and intravenous iron supplementation. Oral administration is typically preferred over intravenous, except in the case of severely anemic patients, but both methods result in undesirable gastrointestinal side effects due to complications such as iron overload or the presence of free iron in the gut. This issue can be circumvented if the supplement is formulated for the targeted delivery of iron to the small intestine where it is absorbed. There is a gap in the market for well-tolerated and affordable iron supplementation options specifically engineered to improve bioavailability through targeted release and a better alternative is desperately needed. Our proposed iron supplement formulation is a dissolvable powder both utilizing a pH-sensitive polymer and containing vitamin C to enhance iron absorption, pre-portioned to contain the recommended daily intake of iron. Our technology encapsulates a suitable iron source using a custom-designed microfluidic device within microscale droplets of a targeted-release, pH-sensitive material that protects the capsule through the stomach and dissolves in the small intestine to improve the bioavailability of the encapsulated iron. The micron-sized nature of our capsules increases their surface area-to-volume ratio, accelerating the capsule dissolution rate in the small intestine and enabling the rapid absorption of iron. The selective delivery of iron to the small intestine enabled by our proposed formulation improves the bioavailability and absorption of iron compared to conventional iron supplement tablets. Our targeted encapsulation approach could be further expanded for the targeted delivery of other natural health products (such as probiotics) to enhance their bioavailability.