Team:Stockholm/Ideas

From 2010.igem.org

(Difference between revisions)

Latest revision as of 20:29, 8 May 2010

Home	Team	Ideas	Journal club	Sponsors

Idea

We have discussed a lot of different ideas during the startup of our iGEM-project, after much work we have decided to focus our attention on the skin disorder Vitiligo. We have discussed our specific idea with two leading Vitiligo-scientists in Sweden, both have shown us full support to go ahead with our idea (Mats J. Olsson & Håkan Hedstrand, Uppsala University). We have also been given a grant from the Swedish Vitiligo association (http://www.vitiligoforbundet.se/)

Vitiligo

Vitiligo (leukodermi) is a disorder which causes affected parts of the skin to turn white. This is due to abnormal melanocyte function, probably due to the immune system mistakenly targeting the pigment cells. Vitiligo usually begins before the age of 20 and is estimated to affect 0,5-2% of the world population. Vitiligo is a very complex disorder and there is a lack of good treatments. We want to approach this disorder in several ways with the aim to re-pigment the skin using synthetic biology. It will not cure the disorder but it has the possibility to keep the loss of pigment cells under control and also stimulate new pigment cells to develop and thus replace the ones that have been destroyed.

Picture taken from: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/File:Vitiligo.jpg GNU version 1.2 License

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <html>
+<!--- start google analytics igem.se --->
+<script type="text/javascript">
+var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
+document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
+</script>
+<script type="text/javascript">
+try {
+var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-16294882-1");
+pageTracker._trackPageview();
+} catch(err) {}</script>
+<!--- end google analytics igem.se --->
+<!---  start google analytics https://2010.igem.org/Team:Stockholm --->
+<script type="text/javascript">
+var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
+document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
+</script>
+<script type="text/javascript">
+try {
+var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-16294882-2");
+pageTracker._trackPageview();
+} catch(err) {}</script>
+<!---  end google analytics https://2010.igem.org/Team:Stockholm --->
 <style type="text/css">
 body {background-color:#002F5F;}
@@ Line 17: / Line 47: @@
 |}
-==Ideas==
+==Idea==
-Below we present our current ideas. These ideas will be discussed among the participating iGEM members as well as supporting professors. Ultimately one of these will be representing us in the iGEM competition.
+We have discussed a lot of different ideas during the startup of our iGEM-project, after much work we have decided to focus our attention on the skin disorder Vitiligo. We have discussed our specific idea with two leading Vitiligo-scientists in Sweden, both have shown us full support to go ahead with our idea (Mats J. Olsson & Håkan Hedstrand, Uppsala University). We have also been given a grant from the Swedish Vitiligo association (http://www.vitiligoforbundet.se/)
@@ Line 29: / Line 59: @@
 Picture taken from: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/File:Vitiligo.jpg GNU version 1.2 License
-'''Colon cancer'''
-Colon cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer. It normally affects old people. Colon cancer develops in the mucous membrane of the intestine, from a wound or an outgrowth (polyp).
-Current treatments of colon cancer are based on surgical removal of the affected colon section. In addition, chemotherapy may be used depending on the character of the cancer. Although surgery will most likely continue to be the primary treatment for colon cancer, synthetic biology allow us a new approach to chemotherapy which we believe has a promising future.
-[[Image:cancer.jpg‎|300px]]
-Picture taken from: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/File:Colon_cancer.jpg Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
-'''Herpes'''
-Some members of the herpes virus family infect humans. The symptoms of this virus infection are watery blisters in the skin or in mucous membranes of the mouth, lips or genitals. After the initial infection, some infected people get sporadic viral outbreaks. Current treatments for infection do not cure the patients, instead they reduce the likelihood of viral shedding and spread by using antiviral drugs that interfere with the viral replication. We have two approaches, one in where we screen for herpes infection and one in where we produce chemicals reducing the outburst of the virus.
-[[Image:Herpes1.jpg‎‎‎|250px]]
-Picture taken from: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/File:Herpes_labialis_-_opryszczka_wargowa.jpg
-'''Diabetes'''
-The hormone insulin is normally produced by specialized beta cells located in the pancreas. As blood glucose levels rise after a meal, these cells begin to secrete insulin into the blood. Insulin then stimulates glucose uptake in e.g. the liver, thereby lowering the blood glucose levels. In diabetes type I, the beta cells are destroyed by the body’s own immune system. As a result, the body is unable to produce insulin, leading to high glucose levels in the blood - a fatal condition unless treated. Today, diabetes type I treatment generally involves manually injecting insulin into the blood after each meal. We want bacteria that can do the work of the non-functional beta cells.
-[[Image:Dia.jpg‎‎‎|250px]]
-Picture taken from: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/File:Insulin_Application.jpg