Team:Hong Kong HKU/Parts
Part Overview
What we wish our system to achieve:
DNA in vivo Synthesis Parts
The parts were improved from 2018 iGEM system ETHERNO, with an addition of interchangeable aptamer system. The parts can provide E. Coli or other prokaryotes with:
- The ability to synthesise ssDNA in vivo.
- The opportunity of synthesising DNA nanostructure at tumour site, providing more utility and flexibility to bacterial cancer therapeutics.
- Higher safety for chemotherapy, as DNA intercalates on the nanostructure carrier, decreasing unspecific spreading to non-cancer body tissue.
- Specific delivery via aptamers to cancer cells/cancer stem cells. Interchangeable aptamer system also increases the flexibility of system for other diseases.
flhDC Transcription Factor Parts
The parts can contribute to Salmonella therapeutic with:
- Increasing safety of clinical application, and specificity of bacteria to tumour site, avoiding spread of bacteria to other body tissue.
- 10-fold higher colonisation of spheroids, allowing the development of better co-culture model.
- Increasing gene delivery rate and frequency via higher colonisation.
eSIBR Cassette: amiRNA Parts
The parts can function in mammalian cells (when delivered with a vector, bacterial or liposomal or other methods) by:
- Knock down any desired mRNA via customised insertion into the empty eSIBR cassette biobrick.
- Multiple mRNA knockdown via a single plasmid construct.
- Stem-cell targeting via knock down of STAT3, SOX4, SOX9. Decreasing drug resistance and stemness, for the use in combination for efficient chemotherapy.
- Safe method, for not involving any sort of toxin mediated therapy. Eliminating side effects.
The Whole System
The combination of all the parts could:
- Provide a safe and efficient clinical method for cancer treatment.
- Eliminate the use of mouse model for ethical purposes.
- Dual approach via chemotherapy and also mRNA knockdown.
- Dual specificity via aptamer conjugation and also bacterial chemo-sensing properties.
- Cheap andefficient method, since liposomal gene delivery is expensive, and virus based delivery is unstable in tumour microenvironment. Bacterial could inhabit in tumour environment bringing consistent effect.
Part Table