Team:TAS Taipei/Modeling

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Team:TAS Taipei

TAS Taipei iGEM Wiki




CATARACTS

INCREASING GSR/25HC

Our device produces GSR and 25HC

PROTOTYPE

We designed and built a bandage with a semi-permeable membrane

"iGEM is special. It creates a special place for me to practice my computational biology skills."

- Avery Wang

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ABSTRACT


Cataracts is the leading cause of blindness in the world. Oxidation of the lens crystallin protein, which leads to its misfolding and aggregation, is the main cause of cataracts. Among the 20 million people affected annually, over 50% are caused by old age. Currently, eye surgery is the only effective method for treatment. This method, however, is expensive and invasive. Therefore, our goal is to prevent and treat age related cataracts non-invasively by producing an eyedrop that includes GSR for prevention and CH25H for treatment. GSR catalyzes the conversion from GSSG to GSH in order to prevent crystallin oxidation. CH25H converts cholesterol into 25-hydroxycholesterol, which is a molecule that can reverse aggregation and restore solubility of the crystallin protein. To deliver proteins into the lens more efficiently, we engineered an eyedrop containing biodegradable Chitosan nanoparticles that encapsulate the proteins.