Team:TAS Taipei

TAS Taipei iGEM Wiki




RANZYME B

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

BEST WIKI

Nominated: Best Education and Public Engagement, Poster, Presentation, New Composite Part

INHIBITING GRANZYME B

Our device produces a GzmB inhibitor

PROTOTYPE

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

"I appreciate the interdisciplinary aspect of iGEM. Aside from its strong focus on science which I enjoyed, iGEM also incorporates human, design, and technological elements."

- Joseph Chuang

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ABSTRACT


Elevated Granzyme B (GzmB) levels are associated with many chronic inflammatory conditions including vascular, autoimmune and skin diseases. As a serine protease that induces apoptosis in tumor cells, GzmB is an essential part of the immune system. However, high levels of GzmB also result in the random cleavage of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, which leads to damaged tissue structure and elasticity. Our project aim is to prevent tissue damage from chronic inflammation by limiting GzmB activity in the ECM without affecting its intracellular functions. We mutated an extracellular protein (ACT) to allow it to bind and inhibit GzmB specifically in the ECM. To deliver this GzmB inhibitor into inflamed sites without bacteria entering the body, we envision two different prototypes: a bandage with a semi-permeable membrane to target localized sites, and a cream containing only the desired protein for general topical use.