Team:Lubbock TTU/Test
TITLE
Tagling
PROJECT
In 2010, it was estimated that 6.5 million people in the United States alone suffered from chronic wounds, accruing an annual cost of about $2.5 billion. Furthermore, experts predict that the burden of chronic wounds will increase rapidly in the near future due to increasing medical costs, an aging population, and the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. A chronic wound is considered a wound that does not heal in an orderly set of stages or within a time period of about three months. The etiology of chronic wounds is very diverse. One of the most prevalent reasons patients have persistent chronic wounds is that their bodies produce too many proteases at the wound site. In turn, these proteases degrade the extracellular matrix of the wound site which acts as a scaffold for new cells to migrate and grow. Proteases have also been shown to decrease healing rates by degrading growth factors that are needed for recruiting wound healing cells and inducing cellular proliferation. Wound healing progresses through three successive stages known as inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Ultimately, the degradation of the extracellular matrix and growth factor cause the wound to remain stuck in the inflammation phase, thus unable to heal. Our goal is to use synthetic biology principles to help treat chronic wounds by targeting the overproduction of wound sit protease.
GOALS
Project
- Aim 1: Genetically engineer E. coli (Escherichia coli) to produce a protease inhibitor and platelet derived growth factor
- Aim 2: Purify the protease inhibitor and platelet derived growth factor in a bioreactor
- Aim 3: Design a collagen bandage that mimics the human extracellular matrix and infuse it with purified protease inhibitor and platelet derived growth factor
Outreach
- Establish the first ever biotechnology community lab in Lubbock, Texas
- Mentor ambitious high school students to initiate their own iGEM team for 2017
