Team:NCKU Tainan
Oh My Gut (Therapeutics)
Abstract
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a type of kidney disease where the kidney gradually loses its function over time. The kidney's function is to filter out metabolic wastes and help discard them out of the body. However, when the kidney begins to lose its function, the ability to filter out metabolic wastes, especially uremic toxins also begin to decrease. These metabolic wastes, especially p-Cresol that is considered toxic to humans, begin to accumulate inside the body. p-Cresol accumulation in body is associated with cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients and also induces the deterioration of CKD.
We plan to engineer two types of E. coli Nissle, the first one to produce bacteriocin to kill one of the major p-Cresol producers inside the gut, a bacteria called Clostridium difficile and the other to introduce an alternative pathway for tyrosine by adding Tyrosine Ammonia Lyase so that instead of being metabolized into p-Cresol, tyrosine is metabolized into p-Coumaric Acid, which is not dangerous for humans. We also wanted to ensure that the E. coli will not produce tryptophanase to turn tryptophan into indole (which will be metabolized into indoxyl sulfate, another uremic toxin that is dangerous for humans), so we have decided to knock out the tnaA gene, which encodes for tryptophanase.
With Oh My Gut, we will be able to slow down accumulation of the toxic p-Cresol inside the body. Thus allowing patients suffering from CKD to be able to live a more comfortable lifestyle, to live however they want without having to worry much about their health.
Contact Us
FB: https://www.facebook.com/igem.ncku/
Email: igem.ncku.tainan@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igemncku/?igshid=umwewh0j47m5
Before you start
Please read the following pages:
Styling your wiki
You may style this page as you like or you can simply leave the style as it is. You can easily keep the styling and edit the content of these default wiki pages with your project information and completely fulfill the requirement to document your project.
While you may not win Best Wiki with this styling, your team is still eligible for all other awards. This default wiki meets the requirements, it improves navigability and ease of use for visitors, and you should not feel it is necessary to style beyond what has been provided.
Uploading pictures and files
Abstract
When you upload, set the "Destination Filename" to T--YourOfficialTeamName--NameOfFile.jpg. (If you don't do this, someone else might upload a different file with the same "Destination Filename", and your file would be erased!)
Wiki template information
We have created these wiki template pages to help you get started and to help you think about how your team will be evaluated. You can find a list of all the pages tied to awards here at the Pages for awards link. You must edit these pages to be evaluated for medals and awards, but ultimately the design, layout, style and all other elements of your team wiki is up to you!
Editing your wiki
On this page you can document your project, introduce your team members, document your progress and share your iGEM experience with the rest of the world!
Use WikiTools - Edit in the black menu bar to edit this page
Tips
This wiki will be your team’s first interaction with the rest of the world, so here are a few tips to help you get started:
- State your accomplishments! Tell people what you have achieved from the start.
- Be clear about what you are doing and how you plan to do this.
- You have a global audience! Consider the different backgrounds that your users come from.
- Make sure information is easy to find; nothing should be more than 3 clicks away.
- Avoid using very small fonts and low contrast colors; information should be easy to read.
- Start documenting your project as early as possible; don’t leave anything to the last minute before the Wiki Freeze. For a complete list of deadlines visit the iGEM 2019 calendar
- Have lots of fun!
Inspiration
You can also view other team wikis for inspiration! Here are some examples: