Difference between revisions of "Team:MIT/Diagnosis and Future Implications"
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| + | <h2 style="text-decoration: bold; font-family: Trebuchet MS; color: black; text-align: center;">There is vast, untapped potential for mammalian synthetic biology in medicine; our project is only one example of that. Having characterized a toolkit of mammalian parts that could be applied to a diagnostic circuit for endometriosis, we designed a full circuit and tested its logic step-by-step in both hormone phases and disease vs. healthy state. We've also considered an ideal clinical situation, what we consider a possibility after more rigorous testing of our work, and a broader view on the applications of mammalian synbio in medicine. </h2> | ||
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Revision as of 04:30, 19 October 2016
Future Work & Design
There is vast, untapped potential for mammalian synthetic biology in medicine; our project is only one example of that. Having characterized a toolkit of mammalian parts that could be applied to a diagnostic circuit for endometriosis, we designed a full circuit and tested its logic step-by-step in both hormone phases and disease vs. healthy state. We've also considered an ideal clinical situation, what we consider a possibility after more rigorous testing of our work, and a broader view on the applications of mammalian synbio in medicine.
Developing a diagnosis
Endometriosis is a complex disease – any diagnostic needs to account for a variety of factors. We opted for a three-pronged approach, sensing progesterone resistance and miRNA dysfunction while maintaining temporal specificity. Each of these components represents a key hallmark of the disease, and when put together can create a sensitive diagnostic tool.
A Proposed Genetic Circuit
There should be a circuit diagram or flow-chart here, along with an explanation of how it works. https://2016.igem.org/Team:MIT/Genetic_Circuit
Implementing a Diagnosis
We initially contemplated creating an in-vivo diagnostic, but changed our minds after speaking with Professor Linda Griffith (MIT). Realistically, inserting a genetic circuit into a human (likely through the use of a viral vector) is many years away from being a possibility due to major safety concerns. Implementing an in-vitro diagnostic that can be used on an endometrial biopsy is more feasible. An endometrial biopsy is a procedure that can be done in a doctor’s office without anesthesia and is commonly used when testing for endometrial cancer. While not a pain-free procedure, endometrial biopsies are considerably less invasive than laparoscopic surgery, the current diagnostic method for endometriosis. The tissue from the biopsy can be dosed with hormones.... TALK MORE ABOUT THIS, UNSURE OF SPECIFICS. https://2016.igem.org/Team:MIT/Clinical_Applications
Synthetic Biology & Medicine - How SynBio Approaches Can Transform Diagnostics
Our approach of using a genetic circuit to sense diseased cells presents possibilities beyond endometriosis. Similar strategies can be used to diagnose other diseases... KEEP GOING WITH THIS https://2016.igem.org/Team:MIT/Clinical_Applications
