Team:Freiburg/Overview

Overview
image/svg+xml Inflamed Tissue in the colon. Caused by an autoimmune reaction. zellen Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is an adherence molecule on cell surface of the cells. CEA To gain multivalency a carrier is used. The endospores of bacillus subtilis provide an excelent vehicle. Spore Glutathion-S-Transferase (GST) is an enzyme that converts our prodrug Azathioprine into 6-Mercaptopurine. gst Nanobodies are used to bind to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Nanobodies are highly specific single-domain antibodies. nb Azathioprine is an inactive prodrug that gets into the colon with enteric-coated capsules. AZA
The treatment of diseases while avoiding systemic side effects is still a major obstacle in modern medicine. After administration, conventional drugs are distributed throughout the whole body thus affecting both, diseased and healthy cells. Current strategies on targeted drug delivery are mainly based on the applications of antibody-drug conjugates or nanoparticles. However, both approaches revealed considerable challenges in their application due to short half-life and expensive production, respectively. We develop a novel platform for targeted drug delivery by implementing highly specific nanobodies directed against surface markers of affected cells. The combination with an enzymatic functionality facilitates the local activation of prodrugs, thus preventing unnecessary side effects by systemic drug dispersal. By engineering the spores of probiotic Bacillus subtilis, a member of the human microbiome, we establish a low-cost carrier for well-tolerated treatment.

Posted by: iGEM Freiburg

Nanocillus - 'cause spore is more!