The celiac disease affects 1 in 265 people
worldwide and 15% of population in Chile. This in an irreversible autoimmune
disease in which due to the presence of genes HLA DQ2 or HLA DQ8 in those
affected, the consumption of foods containing gluten (all the foods derived from
wheat, barley, rye, etc) cause an inflammation in small intestine causing
multiple effects in the organism (diarrhea, constipation, poor absorption,
among others) significantly affecting their quality of life.
Whereas the majority of the
world food contains gluten, we propose a treatment for those who can't eat
gluten, and can do so without problems. In detail, our project involves a
system able to degrade gluten via the enzyme KumaMax and report the operation
simultaneously with a red fluorescent protein. The foregoing, works in a
genetically modified E.coli bacteria. With this project, in long run, we hope
to improve the quality of life of all those reported with celiac disease.
People who suffer from gluten intolerance have an adverse reaction to gluten
proteins found in wheat, barley and rye products.
