Difference between revisions of "Medical Applications of Synthetic Biology - Samantha Simpson"

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My project will be on mechanisms that allow ''E. Coli'' to sense differences in a biological environment and medical applications of these mechanisms.
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My project will be on medical applications of mechanisms that allow ''E. Coli'' to sense differences in a biological environment. I will reference Anderson's paper on utilizing quorum-sensing and hypoxia-responsive genes coupled with invasin from ''Yersinia tuberculosis'' to invade cancer-causing cells. Coupled with Critchley's work, which describes a bacterial system that invades eukaryotic cells and delivers proteins coded for in the bacteria's genome, one could possibly create 'search and destroy' ''E.coli'' that can locate, invade, and kill tumor cells. Garmory's paper also highlights the possibility of using bacteria as a drug-delivering system, specifically vaccine vectors. Kobayashi describes cells that produce a protective biofilm layer after exposure to DNA-damaging agents. These papers, and others that have a focus on direct medical applications such as novel cancer therapies, vaccination technology, and protection from damaging substances, will be referenced to create a cohesive overview of applications of synthetic biology to the medical field.
  
  
 
'''Partial Bibliography'''
 
'''Partial Bibliography'''
  
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Anderson JC, et al. (2006) Environmentally controlled invasion of cancer cells by engineered bacteria. J. of Molecular Biology 355:619-27.
 
Anderson JC, et al. (2006) Environmentally controlled invasion of cancer cells by engineered bacteria. J. of Molecular Biology 355:619-27.

Revision as of 05:17, 9 October 2007

Project Proposal


My project will be on medical applications of mechanisms that allow E. Coli to sense differences in a biological environment. I will reference Anderson's paper on utilizing quorum-sensing and hypoxia-responsive genes coupled with invasin from Yersinia tuberculosis to invade cancer-causing cells. Coupled with Critchley's work, which describes a bacterial system that invades eukaryotic cells and delivers proteins coded for in the bacteria's genome, one could possibly create 'search and destroy' E.coli that can locate, invade, and kill tumor cells. Garmory's paper also highlights the possibility of using bacteria as a drug-delivering system, specifically vaccine vectors. Kobayashi describes cells that produce a protective biofilm layer after exposure to DNA-damaging agents. These papers, and others that have a focus on direct medical applications such as novel cancer therapies, vaccination technology, and protection from damaging substances, will be referenced to create a cohesive overview of applications of synthetic biology to the medical field.


Partial Bibliography


Anderson JC, et al. (2006) Environmentally controlled invasion of cancer cells by engineered bacteria. J. of Molecular Biology 355:619-27.

Critchley RJ, et al. (2004) Potential therapeutic applications of recombinant, invasive E. coli. Gene therapy 11:1224-33.

Garmory HS, et al. (2003) The use of live attenuated bacteria as a delivery system for heterologous antigens. J. of Drug Targeting 11:471-79.

Kobayashi H, et al. (2004) Programmable cells: Interfacing natural and engineered gene networks. PNAS 101:8414-19.