"

From 2010.igem.org

Track

Health/Medicine

Abstract

Universal Platform for Polypeptide Delivery: Intelligent Delivery of Ingestible Enzyme Treatment (iDIET)

Lactose and gluten intolerance involve enzyme production deficiency in the digestive system. These disorders and high cholesterol could be treated by supplementation of the correct enzyme at the correct place in the digestive system. We have designed a universal platform for polypeptide release within the small intestine of the human gastrointestinal tract. Our automated, model system is designed to treat lactose intolerance where patients are unable to break down the lactose disaccharide into monomeric sugars due to deficiency of lactase. The system produces the enzyme beta-galactosidase, a functional homologue of human lactase, and releases it to break down lactose. Colonic acid production occurs prior to ingestion to shield the bacteria from the high acidity of the stomach. Lysis occurs in the duodenum of the small intestine through one of three proposed systems: a timed inducible/repressible system, a bile induced system, or an encryption system. Delivery of different enzymes can be accomplished by simple exchange of one part.

Using DNA we can mimic the functionality of a combination lock, and produce a "locked" gene, which can be effectively "unlocked" only after a specific sequence of inputs. Since DNA functions as a logical medium, the "locked" and "unlocked" states are heritable, which makes this system useful as the computational basis for many higher-order genetic devices from bacterial calculators to engineering of new metabolic pathways to bacterial drug delivery systems.

Continue to our Main Project Page

Continue to our Mini Project Page