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Team:Caltech
From 2008.igem.org
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==The big idea== | ==The big idea== | ||
[[Image:Gut_flora_color.png|right|thumb|200px|Engineered gut flora]] | [[Image:Gut_flora_color.png|right|thumb|200px|Engineered gut flora]] | ||
| - | We aim to engineer a | + | The human gut houses a diverse collection of microorganisms, with important implications for the health and welfare of the host. We aim to engineer a member of this microbial community to provide innovative medical treatments. Our work focuses on four main areas: (1) pathogen defense, either by expression of pathogen-specific bacteriophage or by targeted bursts of reactive oxygen species; (2) prevention of birth defects by folate over-expression and delivery; (3) treatment of lactose intolerance, by cleaving lactose to allow absorption in the large intestine; and (4) regulation of these three treatment functions to produce renewable subpopulations specialized for each function. Combined, these treatments demonstrate the breadth and relevance of applying synthetic biology techniques to modify naturally occurring microbial communities. |
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Revision as of 18:45, 19 September 2008
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People
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The big idea The human gut houses a diverse collection of microorganisms, with important implications for the health and welfare of the host. We aim to engineer a member of this microbial community to provide innovative medical treatments. Our work focuses on four main areas: (1) pathogen defense, either by expression of pathogen-specific bacteriophage or by targeted bursts of reactive oxygen species; (2) prevention of birth defects by folate over-expression and delivery; (3) treatment of lactose intolerance, by cleaving lactose to allow absorption in the large intestine; and (4) regulation of these three treatment functions to produce renewable subpopulations specialized for each function. Combined, these treatments demonstrate the breadth and relevance of applying synthetic biology techniques to modify naturally occurring microbial communities. Why engineer gut microbes?The large intestine: an ideal bioreactor Talk about the colon Probiotic bacteria and other natural examples Talk about probiotics Nissle 1917: Probiotic, commercially available E. coli Talk about Nissle 1917 For more details, please see our project page.   |
