DiscoverY

   TB diagnosing yeast; we aim to discover the yeast that will make a difference in the world.

Who are we?

   We are 12 undergraduate students in Bio and Brain Engineering Department of KAIST. We have been motivated by one of our young professors, Prof. Choi, Jung-Kyun, and we hope to help people in need through this fascinating opportunity.

What difference? We have developed simple and effective tuberculosis antigen detecting method using modified antibody in yeast. Our project is based on FGFR-STAT1 pathway in human. We added fusion antibody and GFP to display existence of antigen. In other words, this yeast emits light when antigen is attached. Tuberculosis, one of the deadliest diseases, has taken many lives since antiquity. Although cases of tuberculosis are rarely reported in a developed country, it still is prevalent in a developing country. Therefore, accurate and rapid tuberculosis diagnosis method has been always required. Our diagnostic method can be modified, by changing antibody, for cases of other diseases such as malaria, HIV or cancer. We strongly believe that our project will offer a new way of diagnosis contributing to the eradication of pandemics.