A boron mineral product was developed in Kütahya for the treatment of intestinal diseases.

Founded in 2019 at KSBU Faculty of Medicine, KUYAM conducts R&D studies as well as cell culture, preclinical research, and animal experimentation studies.

The study, initiated three years ago at KUYAM to develop products for the treatment of intestinal diseases with the project supported by the Turkish Health Institutes Presidency (TÜSEB), yielded positive results.

Three international scientific articles have been published so far regarding the product called "BOROBIYOTA" and a patent application has also been made for the project.

After the product is patented, it is aimed to be used both as a functional food and as an innovative product in healthcare.

KUYAM Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kar told an AA correspondent that Türkiye has a strong R&D base in the field of healthcare.

Kar, noting that Kütahya has the largest boron reserves in Türkiye, said, "We are conducting important scientific studies on boron at our center. On this path, which we embarked on with the slogan of 'national and local,' we aim to contribute to our country, particularly through our health-related work on boron."

Kar reminded that they started working three years ago to develop a product for the treatment of intestinal diseases with a project supported by TÜSEB.

In this context, Kar explained that they have started studies on the treatment of intestinal diseases and said:

Neurodegenerative diseases, which we call brain diseases, also occur in connection with the gut. When we look at the literature, we see that millions of bacteria live in the gut, also known as the 'second brain,' and how these millions of bacteria react to these diseases. To this end, we developed a project. This project had already begun the process of evolving from an idea to a product. In our studies, we found that when intestinal health deteriorates, these bacteria also disappear, some multiply, and some beneficial bacteria are removed from the environment.

Kar stated that they are working to increase the number of beneficial bacteria, based on the idea that intestinal diseases may be related to bacteria, and explained that they decided to use boron minerals for this purpose.

Kar stated that they have started using boron minerals in their work and continued as follows:

We set out to find out how we could increase the number of these beneficial bacteria, known as probiotics, using boron, which we consider a domestic and national product, and how we could prevent intestinal diseases before they occur. Our studies have determined that boron increases the habitat of beneficial bacteria and not only prevents but also treats diseases. To this end, we conducted both experimental and cell culture studies. In animal studies, we determined that it is effective not only in treating intestinal diseases but also in the treatment of related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Kar said that as a result of all these studies, they developed a boron mineral product called "BOROBIOTA" that regulates intestinal health and helps treat neurodegenerative diseases.

Kar stated that similar drugs have been developed in Türkiye in a limited number and that there are no other studies using boron. He said, "These studies conducted at our research center have demonstrated the effectiveness of boron. In our research, we analyzed the entire microbiome, identifying which of those millions of bacteria are beneficial. We demonstrated how we increased this with boron. Such a study is not yet available in the literature. We developed a prototype of our product and applied for a patent."

Kar added that a team of 10 people, consisting of students and academics working at the center, contributed to the work.