Season 17 Innovators

About Laid

Laid Dardabou never imagined that his drive to innovate would begin at the bedside of someone he loved. It wasn’t a lab or a classroom, but a moment of helplessness—watching a close cousin spiral into postpartum depression—that changed his life. 

“She had just brought life into the world,” he recalls. “And yet, slowly her mental health began to suffer.” The cause? A severe Vitamin D deficiency that went unnoticed until it had taken an emotional toll. 

For Dardabou, that moment was more than a wake-up call. It was a turning point. He made a quiet but resolute promise: to use science not just to understand, but to protect others with the same issue.

Born and raised in Algeria, Dardabou was always fuelled by questions. That curiosity led him through a challenging academic journey earning an engineering degree in agricultural sciences before holding a PhD in animal nutrition and physiology. 

But it wasn’t his degrees that shaped his idea—it was love, empathy, and a fierce desire to make sure no one else feels alone in their struggle.

“I wasn’t trying to develop something impressive,” he says. “I was trying to develop something that could help someone—as a preventive measure.” 

About the Project

A mental health dip isn’t always visible. It creeps in slowly, often masked by exhaustion and stress. Dardabou’s invention is designed to shine a light on the issue and provide a solution. 

By transforming a smartwatch into an early alert system, his device continuously monitors Vitamin D, when out of balance, can signal increased vulnerability to depression or anxiety. 

“When Vitamen D level drops, your body is telling you something,” Dardabou explains. “But without tools, most people don’t hear the warning.”   

Unlike clinical blood tests that come after symptoms appear, his device offers a non-invasive, real-time alternative, allowing people to take preventive action. 

The Impact

In many places, conversations around mental health are still scarce. For Dardabou, that silence can be as dangerous as the illness itself.

“In so many communities around the world, people don’t talk about what they’re going through,” he says. “And that delay can negatively impact lives.”

He believes his invention can make those conversations easier. By normalizing mental health tracking his device can help break stigma, encourage openness, and improve lives. Its impact is especially critical in regions with widespread Vitamin D deficiency, whether it be in the Middle East or anywhere else. 

With the support of Stars of Science, Dardabou hopes to take his invention global. He dreams of building a startup that focuses on preventive biotech solutions, and one day creating an ecosystem of tools that help people care for their minds as intuitively as they do their bodies.

“I started with one person,” he says. “But this is for everyone who’s ever felt something was wrong and didn’t know how to deal with it. I want them to know—they are supported.”