Alternative Project Ideas

These are some alternative ideas I had for the final project:

Relaxing Sound Chewing Gum

A chewing gum that produces relaxing sounds conducted via bones. The more relaxed the chewing rythm, the more relaxing the sounds become… Be careful, don’t fall asleep or you can swallow it. Actually, not a problem (I guess) - it’s not plastic!

Just so that we can stay even more relaxed, let’s add some antimicrobial components and some viral interceptors to it.

100% Biodegradable! Degrades harmlessly into natural fatty acid monomers in compost, soil, or marine environments within weeks.

Oral Biotherapeutic MSG / Glutamate Neutralizer

Problem

While monosodium glutamate (MSG) is generally recognized as safe for the majority of the population, a subset of sensitive individuals (me included) experiences adverse reactions (“MSG symptom complex”): diaphoresis, severe flushing, chest tightness, palpitations, and throbbing headaches within 15–30 minutes of ingesting free glutamate.

The supposed physiological mechanism: unlike protein-bound glutamate (which is digested and absorbed slowly), free MSG dissolved in soups or sauces causes a rapid, massive spike in portal and systemic blood plasma glutamate concentration, overstimulating peripheral glutamate receptors and autonomic ganglia.

The (hypothetical) solutions bellow are AI generated, using current scientific literature as a reference:

Solution 1

Engineered Glutamate Decarboxylase (GAD) Micro-Capsule

  • Mechanism: GAD is a pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that decarboxylates L-glutamate into GABA, the mammalian nervous system’s primary inhibitory, calming neurotransmitter.

  • Engineering: Directed evolution of bacterial GAD (from Lactobacillus brevis or Escherichia coli) to resist pepsin/trypsin proteolysis and operate across the acidic-to-neutral pH gradient of the stomach and upper duodenum.

  • Outcome: Converts excess dietary excitatory glutamate into calming GABA directly inside the stomach lumen before it can enter the bloodstream.

Solution 2

Non-Absorbable Molecular Scavenger Proteins (The “Glutamate Sponge”)

  • Engineered derivatives of the bacterial periplasmic glutamate/aspartate-binding protein (GltI / PEB1a).

  • Formulated as an insoluble, non-absorbable crosslinked polymer or edible hydrogel. It acts as an oral ion-exchange sponge, binding free glutamate ions with nanomolar affinity (Kd < 100 nM) and carrying them through the stool, completely blunting the plasma Cmax surge.

(or stop addind MSG to food)