Understanding BIO‑MICRO

Critical illness disrupts the body’s delicate micronutrient balance, while doctors currently lack reliable ways to measure patients’ true needs. BIO-MICRO seeks to change this by developing better diagnostics and insights to support more personalised care during and after intensive care.

Micronutrients in critical illness

When someone is critically ill, their body is under intense stress and their organs must work hard to cope. In this situation, vitamins and trace elements – collectively called micronutrients – are essential helpers: they support immune cells, help wounds and burns to heal, and protect tissues against damage caused by inflammation and oxidative stress. At the same time, serious illness can increase the body’s needs and cause extra losses, for example via wounds, dialysis or reduced absorption.

Towards personalised insight

Today, it is difficult for doctors to see exactly how much of each micronutrient a critically ill patient truly needs. Standard blood tests are influenced by inflammation and may not show what is happening inside cells and tissues. Furthermore, most patients receive similar doses of micronutrients regardless of their individual situation. BIO‑MICRO aims to close this gap by developing more precise tests and by following patients closely during and after their ICU stay. The project looks at how micronutrient status changes over time and how this relates to complications, length of stay, survival and longer‑term problems such as muscle weakness, memory issues or anxiety (Post‑Intensive Care Syndrome).

Patients and society

The project does not do this in isolation. BIO‑MICRO aims to be accessible to the wider public, in particular to (former) ICU patients and their families. There is frequent interaction with patient organisations such as the Center for Medical Supplementation of Micronutrients (CMSM) and IC‑connect, a network for (former) ICU patients and their relatives. Together with these partners, the consortium works to ensure that information materials are easy to understand and that results are shared in a clear, practical way for people who have experienced intensive care.

Watch a video about BIO-MICRO below.