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| | <h3>Overview</h3> | | <h3>Overview</h3> |
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| − | <p>This year, UFMG_Brazil iGEM team project aims to create a new system of drug production and delivery based on an attenuated strain of <i>Leishmania</i> phagocytized by macrophages.<br/></p>
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| − | <p>Mediators of inflammation induced by macrophages are critical for a variety of human inflammatory disorders, such as sepsis microbial infection, acute brain/lung/hepatic/renal injuries, neurodegenerative disorders, osteoporosis/osteonecrosis, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and autoimmune diseases.<br/></p>
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| − | <p>Once activated, macrophages actively secrete and cause an imbalance of cytokines, chemokines, and mediators of inflammation.<br/></p>
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| − | <p>The protozoan <i>Leishmania</i> is a good new chassi, first of all because of it’s ability to infect macrophages efficiently. <br/></p>
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| − | <p>Therefore, its application should reduce toxicity due to systemic effects. Also, because it has the ability to express proteins with proper post-translational modifications, and deliver these proteins inside macrophages. <br/></p>
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| − | <p>We aim to deliver Interferon beta (IFN-β), that is already used as a treatment for some inflammatory joint diseases, to induce clinical improvement due to decreased synovial inflammation and protection against joint destruction.<br/></p>
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| − | <p>Our project acts on the treatment of inflammatory joint diseases by producing IFN-β, a drug that is used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), with a modelling system based on the Gout.<br/></p>
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| − | <p>Safety: The visceral <i>Leishmania donovani</i> strain with the virulence factor Centrin-1 deleted has very low risks of contamination, and its virulence reduction has been evaluated and confirmed with different animal models, such as mice, hamsters, and dogs.<br/></p>
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| | <img class="centered-image" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/f/f6/UFMG-Brazil-Overview.png"/> | | <img class="centered-image" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/f/f6/UFMG-Brazil-Overview.png"/> |
