Team:MIT/Diagnosis and Future Implications

• BACKGROUND
• EXPERIMENTS
  Synthetic Promoters microRNA Recombinase Proof of Concept Collaborations
• FUTURE WORK
  Circuit Design Clinical Applications
• HUMAN PRACTICES
  Parts Toolbox Accessible Protocols Integrated Human Practices Public Outreach Interlab Study
• NOTEBOOK
  Lab Notebook Parts Mammalian Parts Collection Attributions Safety
• AWARDS
  HP Silver HP Gold Integrated HP Basic Part
• TEAM

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.

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  Read more about our genetic circuit
  
  
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  Read more about 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