Team:UNC-Chapel Hill/Project
| DIABETES MELLITUS | ||||
Project IntroductionDiabetes mellitus is prevalent throughout the world especially in the United States and Mexico. As a treatable disease, diabetes has fallen in the shadow of more life threatening diseases. Although treatable, diabetes can be life threatening, especially to those who cannot afford treatment options. As a solution, we propose a protein controlled system to sense glucose concentrations and release the needed proteins in response. This project executes the first crucial steps of creating a cost effective and accurate means of glucose sensing via the use of Escherichia coli. |
Results
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| Abstract | Type One | Type Two | Modeling | References |
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Abstract This project introduces a novel glucose sensing system in which glucose-responsive promoters drive the expression of three reporter chromoproteins. We designed four novel glucose-sensitive promoters and tested their ability to drive expression of reporter chromoproteins at various glucose concentrations. In conjunction with existing glucose sensitive promoters from the Parts Registry, we used our novel promoters to design a biological device that expresses different combinations of the three different chromoproteins in response to glucose in Escherichia coli. As such, this device can detect a larger dynamic range of concentrations of selected molecules (e.g., glucose). Our project aims to provide a cheaper alternative for diabetics than current, more expensive, glucose-monitoring systems. While driven by this initial problem, continuing work has shown that our approach may have its greatest potential as a more general molecular sensing platform, capable of being easily customized for the sensing of a broad range of relevant compounds. |
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Type One Diabetes SolutionType 1 diabetes is characterized by the body’s immune system destroying insulin producing cells which leads the body to no longer producing insulin, a hormone that promotes the uptake of glucose by cells. We provide a solution for this problem through the creation of a pseudo beta cell that is able to produce insulin in the presence of high glucose level. |
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Type Two Diabetes SolutionType 2 diabetes is characterized by the body being inefficient in its use of insulin (insulin resistance) which causes the pancreas to decrease insulin production (insulin deficiency). Our potential solution for this is to have pseudo L cells release GLP-1 to promote insulin production. GLP-1 is an incretin. Incretins are a group of gastrointestinal hormones that stimulate a decrease in blood glucose levels. GLP-1 has been shown to promote insulin production and also to decrease glucagon production. Glucagon is a peptide hormone produced by alpha cells of the pancreas that raises the concentration of glucose in the bloodstream. |
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References Thank YouLorem ipsum ad his scripta blandit partiendo, eum fastidii accumsan euripidis in, eum liber hendrerit an. Qui ut wisi vocibus suscipiantur, quo dicit ridens inciderint id. Quo mundi lobortis reformidans eu, legimus senserit definiebas an eos. Eu sit tincidunt incorrupte definitionem, vis mutat affert percipit cu, eirmod consectetuer signiferumque eu per. In usu latine equidem dolores. Quo no falli viris intellegam, ut fugit veritus placerat per. |