1. Introduction

In the context of the global challenges facing the environment, society, and economy today, sustainability has become one of the core principles of scientific research and technological innovation. As the LZU-MEDICINE-CHINA team from Lanzhou University, we are fully aware that the development of biotechnology should not only focus on scientific and technological breakthroughs, but also take into account its long-term impacts on the environment, society, and the economy. Therefore, in the research, development, and implementation of this year’s iDEC project, we have consistently adhered to the concept of sustainable development, paying close attention to its connection with human sustainability at every stage of the project. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global development goals established by the United Nations, aiming to comprehensively address the issues of social, economic, and environmental development between 2015 and 2030, and to transition towards a path of sustainable development. Our project, which utilizes Lactobacillus caseito synthesize oleic acid to promote the restoration of gut microbiota homeostasis during the perioperative period, can significantly reduce the burden and risks associated with surgical recovery. This project aligns closely with the SDGs on multiple levels and holds profound significance for sustainable development. Its positive impact is not only reflected in improving human health, but also extends across economic, social, technological, and environmental dimensions.

2. Alignment Between Our Project and the SDGs

2.1 Direct Contributions to the SDGs

2.1.1 SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The restoration of gut microbiota balance after surgery plays a significant role in improving patients’ postoperative conditions and has broad potential for clinical application. The use of lactic acid bacteria to secrete oleic acid accelerates the recovery of postoperative gut microbial homeostasis, which helps restore immune system function, maintain normal metabolism, and support patients’ mental well-being. This directly contributes to SDG 3.

This approach can reduce the difficulty of postoperative recovery for patients of all age groups, thereby promoting good health and well-being for all people.

2.1.2 SDG 4: Quality Education

During the course of our project, we supported quality education through various channels. We carried out extensive educational activities in multiple regions across Gansu Province, including public surveys and science outreach on topics such as the human microbiome and synthetic biology, as well as introducing everyday knowledge about microorganisms. We paid special attention to teaching younger children to develop proper hygiene habits, to correctly understand the existence and role of microbes, and employed a variety of innovative methods—such as drawing the shapes of microorganisms—to enhance memory in a fun and engaging way.

Through these efforts, our project improved public awareness of hygiene and basic knowledge of microbiology, thereby supporting educational development. At the same time, our educational initiatives focused on sharing scientific research methodologies with participants, aiming to inspire a scientific mindset among the next generation of students. To a certain extent, this also contributed to the advancement of quality education.

2.1.3 SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The technology we are researching—using lactic acid bacteria to secrete oleic acid to regulate gut microbial homeostasis—can significantly accelerate postoperative physical recovery and enhance recovery capacity. It helps avoid discomfort or other symptoms after surgery, reducing concerns related to the surgical process for many patients. Moreover, once this technology becomes widely available, its cost is expected to be very low, enabling more people to alleviate both financial and psychological burdens during the postoperative recovery period. This ensures that individuals from diverse backgrounds can achieve similar recovery outcomes.

By reducing disparities in economic burden and recovery effectiveness among different populations, this technology helps bridge inequalities in the application of medical technologies. Additionally, through our educational support activities in underprivileged areas, we are also contributing to the reduction of educational inequalities.

2.1.4 SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The foundation of this project lies in a profound understanding of the gut microbiome ecosystem, and achieving our goals requires interdisciplinary integration and extensive collaboration. We not only applied microbiological knowledge to select human-compatible Lactobacillusstrains as chassis cells, but also utilized the engineering concepts of synthetic biology to attempt transforming them into “living drug factories.” Our project integrates knowledge and technologies from multiple disciplines, including microbiology, clinical medicine, bioengineering, and bioinformatics.

Rather than working alone, our team actively collaborated with multiple other teams, as well as various social organizations and government institutions, to jointly pursue our objectives. This collaborative approach represents the essential driving force required to achieve all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through such partnerships and collective efforts, we aim to create impactful and sustainable solutions.

2.2 Indirect Contributions to the SDGs

2.2.1 SDG 1: No Poverty

Postoperative complications are one of the key factors leading to increased treatment costs and "poverty caused by illness" for families. This project, by accelerating recovery and reducing the risk of infection, can effectively shorten hospital stays and decrease subsequent medical expenses, thereby alleviating the financial burden on patients' families and helping prevent them from falling into poverty.

2.2.2 SDG 2: Zero Hunger

A healthy gut microbiota is fundamental to efficient nutrient absorption. By restoring intestinal microecological balance, this project improves patients' nutritional uptake—particularly for those who are physically weakened after surgery or already experiencing malnutrition. This indirect enhancement of nutrient absorption supports the goal of "eliminating all forms of malnutrition".

2.2.3 SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Through in-depth research on the human gut microbiota, we extended our exploration to common microbial vectors in daily life (e.g., water sources and food). By investigating the types and quantities of microorganisms present in these vectors and analyzing their actual impact on human health through ingestion, we gained new insights into the relationship between microbial environments and human well-being. These insights provide scientific inspiration for future improvements in drinking water safety standards and public health management.

2.2.4 SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The success of this project will give rise to a new industrial chain for "engineered bacterial drugs/health products," encompassing the entire process—from rational design of functional strains and scaled-up fermentation production to rigorous quality control and clinical development. This emerging field will create numerous high-skill, high-value employment opportunities (e.g., synthetic biology researchers, bioprocess engineers, preclinical study specialists), driving the biotechnology industry toward high-end, sustainable growth and injecting innovative momentum into economic development.

2.2.5 SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

By systematically improving the overall health of community residents (particularly reducing postoperative complication rates), this project may significantly alleviates the strain on healthcare resources and eases the operational burden on medical systems in the future. Healthier communities and more efficient healthcare services will collectively support the development of inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and communities.

2.2.6 SDG 12:Responsible Consumption and Production

Postoperative recovery is directly linked to patients' physical and mental well-being, and this project offers an innovative solution that is biologically friendly, efficiency-enhancing, and pain-reducing. Throughout the R&D process, we prioritized biosafety considerations: the engineered bacteria are inherently beneficial to humans and, after fulfilling their role in regulating intestinal microecology, can be programmed for self-clearance via designed biosafety switches. This minimizes environmental contamination and biological hazards. Such an approach—"environmentally friendly, precise in action, and safe to control"—will advance sustainable consumption and eco-friendly, safe production technologies in healthcare, fully aligning with SDG 12's principles of sustainability, high safety, and responsible production/consumption practices.

2.2.7 SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The promotion and application of this project will rely on professional, trustworthy medical regulatory bodies (e.g., authorities overseeing drug approval, clinical protocols, and quality control). Its successful implementation will not only build public trust in scientific institutions and regulatory systems through demonstrated efficacy but also will enhance social equity and stability by providing accessible, equitable medical technologies—a contribution to peace and justice.

3. The contribution and profound significance to sustainable development

3.1 Health Dimension

This project will reduce reliance on antibiotics and mitigate the crisis of antimicrobial resistance. The widespread use of antibiotics for infection prevention during the perioperative period is one of the primary causes of intestinal microbiota dysbiosis and exacerbates the global issue of antibiotic resistance. By maintaining microbial balance through biological regulation rather than chemical eradication, this project will provide a novel pathway to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use. Furthermore, this technology will accelerate postoperative recovery and lower complication rates: a stable gut microbiota enhances intestinal barrier function, reduces bacterial translocation and systemic inflammatory responses, thereby significantly decreasing the risks of severe complications such as infections and anastomotic leakage. This translates to shorter hospital stays, reduced consumption of medical resources, and improved patient quality of life.

3.2 Economic Dimension

This technology will lower overall medical expenditures by preventing complications and accelerating recovery, effectively reducing the average length of patient hospitalization—the most costly component of healthcare. It will generate substantial direct medical cost savings for national medical insurance systems and individual patients. Additionally, it will foster the emergence of a new industrial chain: the development of "engineered bacterial drugs/health products" will create a comprehensive value chain, including strain design and construction, fermentation processes, lyophilization and encapsulation, oral formulation development, clinical testing, and regulatory approval. This will generate high-value employment opportunities and drive economic growth.

The project will promote health equity and address challenges posed by population aging. The proportion of elderly individuals requiring surgical interventions is increasing steadily. The safe and effective rehabilitation solution offered by this project will significantly improve postoperative quality of life and outcomes for elderly patients, serving as a powerful tool to tackle health challenges in aging societies. It will also enhance healthcare accessibility and equity. As a potential oral formulation, its production costs and usage barriers may be far lower than those of many high-end targeted drugs or complex surgeries, facilitating its adoption in primary healthcare settings. This will enable broader populations to benefit from cutting-edge biotechnologies and reduce health disparities. The promotion of this project will be accompanied by public education on synthetic biology and microbiome science, helping the public develop a more rational perspective on genetic engineering and microorganisms. This will foster a favorable social environment for future biotechnological innovations. Faster patient recovery will also reduce the time and effort required from family caregivers, alleviating social issues such as "poverty caused by illness" and "caregiving burdens."

3.4 Technological Dimension

This project will achieve a series of technical breakthroughs in gene circuit design, controllable protein expression, bacterial colonization stability, and biosafety (e.g., biocontainment), accumulating valuable experience and intellectual property for the synthetic biology industry. By deeply integrating microbiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, clinical medicine, and materials science (e.g., delivery vectors), the project will promote interdisciplinary innovation and cultivate versatile talent with expertise across multiple fields.

3.5 Environmental Dimension

Traditional antibiotics, after metabolism in the human body, release residues that enter the water cycle, causing persistent pollution to ecosystems and microbial communities. Engineered bacteria, as biodegradable "live therapeutic agents," carry minimal risks of environmental residue and pollution, aligning with the principles of green chemistry and green pharmaceuticals. The microbial fermentation process used to produce engineered bacteria in this project primarily utilizes renewable carbon sources (e.g., glucose) as raw materials. This constitutes an efficient, low-energy biomanufacturing process that embodies the principles of a circular economy—standing in stark contrast to traditional chemical pharmaceutical production, which is characterized by high energy consumption and significant pollution.

4. Conclusions

Our project holds significant implications for human sustainable development, with its contributions spanning multiple dimensions including health, economy, society, technology, and the environment. Beyond improving postoperative recovery conditions and durations, as well as reducing the risks of complications, this project has the potential to drive industrial upgrading, advance healthcare equity, support environmental protection, and foster talent development—all while alleviating the burden on healthcare systems. Through continuous innovation and practice, our project is poised to make meaningful contributions to achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals.

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