Difference between revisions of "Team:Freiburg/Project/Overview"
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<h2>Project Motivation</h2> | <h2>Project Motivation</h2> | ||
<p> | <p> | ||
| − | Serological tests are a key element in modern medicine. Especially for detection and identification of infectious diseases, | + | Serological tests are a key element in modern medicine. Especially for detection and identification of infectious diseases, the performance of several blood tests is inevitable. Testing for more than one disease at once or diagnosing a patient with uncertain symptoms usually requires far more than one test. Every single test that is required increases the time of waiting for a precise diagnosis. In case of dangerous infectious diseases every minute until the onset of an appropriate treatment is crucial for the patient's survival. What if there was a possibility to combine all these tests in one single chip which offers a fast diagnosis and is affordable for everyone? |
</p> | </p> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
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<h2 style="text-align:left">Detecting Antigen-Antibody Interactions</h2> | <h2 style="text-align:left">Detecting Antigen-Antibody Interactions</h2> | ||
<p> | <p> | ||
| − | The DiaCHIP is an innovative tool to screen for a broad range of antibodies | + | The DiaCHIP is an innovative tool to screen for a broad range of antibodies in serum. Their presence serves as an indicator for an immune response towards an infectious disease or a successful vaccination. They also play an important role in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. Identifying diseases by detecting disease associated antibodies in a patient's serum is an established method in modern diagnostics. <br> |
| − | Based on the very same principle, the DiaCHIP enables to | + | Based on the very same principle, the DiaCHIP enables to screen for multiple diseases simultaneously, thereby reducing time and costs of a diagnosis. Especially the ability to differentiate between life threatening diseases and mild infections within a short time bears the potential to save lifes. |
</p> | </p> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
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<h2>The Concept</h2> | <h2>The Concept</h2> | ||
<p> | <p> | ||
| − | The key feature of the DiaCHIP concept is the combination of on-demand protein synthesis | + | The key feature of the DiaCHIP concept is the combination of on-demand protein synthesis and a novel method for label-free detection - all this packed into one device. The idea is to overcome challenges commonly found in protein array production and preservation. By cell-free expression of disease-related antigens, the protein array can be produced right when it is needed. In addition, results can be obtained in a time- and cost-efficient manner using a device simple enough to be rebuilt by future iGEM teams. |
</p> | </p> | ||
<div class="link_button link_button_arrow"> | <div class="link_button link_button_arrow"> | ||
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<div class="slidertext"> | <div class="slidertext"> | ||
<h1>The DiaCHIP - System Overview</h1> | <h1>The DiaCHIP - System Overview</h1> | ||
| − | <p>The core of our new diagnostic device consists of two slides that form a microfluidic chamber. Therein, an antigen array can be generated on demand | + | <p>The core of our new diagnostic device consists of two slides that form a microfluidic chamber. Therein, an antigen array can be generated on demand by cell-free copying of a DNA template array. By flushing the chamber with a blood sample, antibodies present in the sample bind to corresponding antigens. This interaction is detected in real-time using the optical detection method iRIf.</p> |
<p style="margin-top:30px"> | <p style="margin-top:30px"> | ||
<div class="intro_button menu-arrow"> | <div class="intro_button menu-arrow"> | ||
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<div class="slidertext"> | <div class="slidertext"> | ||
<h1>Outlook</h1> | <h1>Outlook</h1> | ||
| − | <p>Our results provide a proof of concept that the functional principle of the DiaCHIP is suitable for antibody detection in complex samples. Although further improvements have to be done in terms of reliablitiy and quantification, various additional applications are conceivable. Representing a way to reduce time and cost required for | + | <p>Our results provide a proof of concept that the functional principle of the DiaCHIP is suitable for antibody detection in complex samples. Although further improvements have to be done in terms of reliablitiy and quantification, various additional applications are conceivable. Representing a way to reduce time and cost required for diagnosing a single patient, the DiaCHIP holds the potential to enhance and enlighten future diagnostics. |
</p> | </p> | ||
<p style="margin-top:30px"> | <p style="margin-top:30px"> | ||
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<h1>Protein Purification</h1> | <h1>Protein Purification</h1> | ||
<p>Protein expression in the DiaCHIP is mediated by cell-free expression. As this is an advanced method dependent on the optimization of many parameters, we got back to conventional protein purification in <i>E. coli</i> for being able to compare the results of both techniques. <br> | <p>Protein expression in the DiaCHIP is mediated by cell-free expression. As this is an advanced method dependent on the optimization of many parameters, we got back to conventional protein purification in <i>E. coli</i> for being able to compare the results of both techniques. <br> | ||
| − | Read more about | + | Read more about overexpression and purification of several antigenic peptides. |
</p> | </p> | ||
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<div class="slidertext"> | <div class="slidertext"> | ||
<h1>Diagnostics Today</h1> | <h1>Diagnostics Today</h1> | ||
| − | <p>Currently used serological tests are available for a broad range of infectious diseases. However, they meet limitations that restrict an early onset of appropriate treatments which could be life-saving. The necessity of performing several tests to check for more than one disease | + | <p>Currently used serological tests are available for a broad range of infectious diseases. However, they meet limitations that restrict an early onset of appropriate treatments which could be life-saving. The necessity of performing several tests to check for more than one disease is not only time-consuming but also costly. The DiaCHIP tackles these issues by providing a fast and affordable method for simultaneous testing. |
</p> | </p> | ||
Revision as of 20:04, 18 September 2015
The DiaCHIP - A Versatile Detection System
Project Motivation
Serological tests are a key element in modern medicine. Especially for detection and identification of infectious diseases, the performance of several blood tests is inevitable. Testing for more than one disease at once or diagnosing a patient with uncertain symptoms usually requires far more than one test. Every single test that is required increases the time of waiting for a precise diagnosis. In case of dangerous infectious diseases every minute until the onset of an appropriate treatment is crucial for the patient's survival. What if there was a possibility to combine all these tests in one single chip which offers a fast diagnosis and is affordable for everyone?
Detecting Antigen-Antibody Interactions
The DiaCHIP is an innovative tool to screen for a broad range of antibodies in serum. Their presence serves as an indicator for an immune response towards an infectious disease or a successful vaccination. They also play an important role in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. Identifying diseases by detecting disease associated antibodies in a patient's serum is an established method in modern diagnostics.
Based on the very same principle, the DiaCHIP enables to screen for multiple diseases simultaneously, thereby reducing time and costs of a diagnosis. Especially the ability to differentiate between life threatening diseases and mild infections within a short time bears the potential to save lifes.
The Concept
The key feature of the DiaCHIP concept is the combination of on-demand protein synthesis and a novel method for label-free detection - all this packed into one device. The idea is to overcome challenges commonly found in protein array production and preservation. By cell-free expression of disease-related antigens, the protein array can be produced right when it is needed. In addition, results can be obtained in a time- and cost-efficient manner using a device simple enough to be rebuilt by future iGEM teams.
-
-
Outlook
Our results provide a proof of concept that the functional principle of the DiaCHIP is suitable for antibody detection in complex samples. Although further improvements have to be done in terms of reliablitiy and quantification, various additional applications are conceivable. Representing a way to reduce time and cost required for diagnosing a single patient, the DiaCHIP holds the potential to enhance and enlighten future diagnostics.
Cell-Free Expression
A key feature of the DiaCHIP is the capability to produce protein arrays on demand via cell-free expression. To reduce the cost of a DiaCHIP measurement, we produced a cell-free expression system based on an E. coli lysate ourselves. This system is also capable of expressing immobilized DNA sequences. See how this sensitive system was established and optimized.
