Sai Sri Valli Mogilineedi
8th Grade, Mountain View Middle School
Mechanicsburg, PA
A Novel Controlled Release System for GERD Drugs Using Immobilization Techniques
After seeing her grandfather suffer from heartburn, Sai Sri Valli tried to make antacid medications last longer. She combined calcium carbonate with sodium alginate to make gel beads and tested them at different pHs. She showed the alginate beads released their medicine more slowly at low pH.
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Project Background
Sai Sri Valli’s grandfather suffered from heart burn. He tried taking over the counter medications called antacids, but they “only gave him short-term relief,” she says. “This was not only the case for my grandfather, but it was the case for many people struggling with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).” Sai Sri Valli knew that part of the reason the drugs didn’t work for very long is because they dissolved rapidly. She decided to try to create a controlled-release antacid that would last longer.
Tactics and Results
Sai Sri Valli crushed up antacid tablets, which contain calcium carbonate, and dissolved them into water at two different concentrations. She also compared two different concentrations of sodium alginate, which is a complex sugar found in algae that helps molecules form into a gel. She dropped the alginate mixture into her calcium chloride mix, which created beads of calcium alginate. To test whether the beads were stable in stomach acid, she tested them at different pH levels to see how quickly the antacid beads changed the pH of the solution. Her calcium alginate beads released their calcium carbonate more slowly at an acidic pH comparable to stomach acid, while they quickly released their contents in a basic solution. She hopes a more controlled slow release of the drug will provide long-lasting relief.
Beyond the Project
Sai Sri Valli loves Science Olympiad. “I get to learn more about topics that interest me than just my school’s curriculum,” she says. She especially enjoys ecology and has gone to an ecology summer camp and a forensics camp. She plays the violin and oboe, does Kuchipudi, a form of Indian classical dance, and volunteers with a group called Caitlin’s Smiles to help put together craft kits for kids in the hospital. Sai Sri Valli would like to become a surgeon. “I love learning about human anatomy, physiology, and the diseases and disorders that affect it,” she says.
