Team:MIT/Project

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Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that afflicts nearly
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30 million people worldwide.  It is characterized by the aggregation of
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beta-amyloid oligomers and plaques which cause neuron death and inhibit
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the proper functioning of surviving neurons. There is no definitive
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molecular detection or treatment mechanisms for the disease; this is
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what MIT iGEM 2014 seeks to address in our project, The Diagnosis and
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Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.<br />
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We built two systems to detect Alzheimer's disease in the brain. The
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<tr><td><h3 align="center" style="font-size:42px; color:teal"><b> MOTIVATION </b></h3><br></td></tr>
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first is a detection system for beta-amyloid, in which extracellular
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<tr><td><p style="font-size:12px" align=center><i>Attributions: Kathryn Brink, Alexa Garcia</i></p></td></tr>
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oligomers bind to a transmembrane receptor and result in the release
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<tr><td align=center> <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2014/c/cf/MIT_2014_Motivation.png"> </td></tr>
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of a transcription factor.  For this detection system, we employed two
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different beta-amyloid specific receptors: LilrB2, a protein receptor
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found naturally occuring in the human immune system; and a synthetic
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B-cell receptor we designed based on an antibody that recognizes
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beta-amyloid.<br />
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The second system detects the disease using a different biomarker: an  
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intracellular microRNA profile, specific to neurons affected by
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<p style="font-size:15.5px" align=center><i>Alzheimer's is a severe disease with limited diagnosis and treatment options. The application of synthetic biology to disease research, is an emerging strategy, and it allows for the development of dynamic, specific and effective therapeutics. By tackling Alzheimer's disease within the framework of synthetic biology, our project has potential implications for both the scientific and medical communities, <br>as well as the general public. </i></p>
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Alzheimer's. Cells express different miRNAs according to their cell
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type and disease state. It is known that several miRNAs are up- or down-
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<b>MIT iGEM 2014 project “The Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease”</b><br><br>
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regulated in “Alzheimer’s state” neurons compared to healthy ones. Using
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At first, we were motivated by a general understanding of the severity of Alzheimer’s disease. We knew that it was a prominent problem without many treatment options. We found a deeper understanding and appreciation in the statistics and testimonials of Alzheimer’s patients and their families. <br><br>
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this knowledge, we have built 2 sensors: a "low" sensor to detect miRNAs
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The 6th leading cause of death in the US, this disease affects nearly 30 million patients and caretakers worldwide. Alzheimer’s was more serious that any of us had originally believed - if we could successfully “cure” this affliction, we could positively impact the lives of millions of people around the world. <br><br>
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that are down-regulated compared to healthy neurons, and a "high"
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And so we started where any good scientist would - with the work of others. We looked into numerous papers, publications and current research projects, searching for information on how to tackle this disease, and hoping to improve our knowledge and understanding of the current state of the art. <br> <br>
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sensor to detect miRNAs which are up-regulated. These sensors can then
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We then sought out professionals in the field, to further improve our understanding of the current tactics and ideas used in Alzheimer's research. We contacted several scientists and doctors, two of whom we interviewed in person (see <a href="https://2014.igem.org/Team:MIT/2014.igem.org/Team:MIT/Interviews" style="color:teal">Interviews</a>) and inquired about the currents needs of researchers, doctors and patients who deal with Alzheimer’s disease. The insight we obtained led us to the decision to address the most prominent limitations in the fight against Alzheimer’s: the inability to properly diagnose and treat the disease.
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be combined to sense the specific combination of miRNAs that indicate a
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neuron in the Alzheimer's state.<br />
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Throughout the course of this project, each of us has become closer to the cause - iGEM became more than a competition and our project was more than a task. Through iGEM, we were able to use the tools of synthetic biology to address a severe affliction, and to create a system that has the potential to be meaningful to both the scientific community and the general public as a whole. We were driven by a desire to successfully complete our project, and produce a fully characterized and functional system, for the sake of its implications for the future and the lives of many. <br><br>
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Although the competition is over, we hope that our work can be used to advance the field of Alzheimer’s research. We hope that we might have made something that could impact the lives of Alzheimer’s sufferers and their families sometime in the future. It was this hope that kept us motivated throughout our research journey, and it is this hope that we wish to share with you and many others, that one day, we may all see a world free from the pain of Alzheimer’s disease.</i>
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Finally, we designed a treatment module that could be activated by one
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of the detection modules to actually treat Alzheimer's disease. In
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order to treat the disease, we aim to reduce the number of beta-amyloid
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oligomers and plaques in the brain. We do this by expressing a  
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beta-amyloid-degrading enzyme – BACE2 – and down-regulating an
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endogenous enzyme that is crucial for beta-amyloid formation – BACE1.  
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This module can be coupled to any of our diagnostic modules to form an
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integrated circuit to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease.</p>
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<h3>References </h3>
 
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iGEM teams are encouraged to record references you use during the course of your research. They should be posted somewhere on your wiki so that judges and other visitors can see how you though about your project and what works inspired you. </p>
 
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<p> You can use these subtopics to further explain your project</p>
 
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<li>Overall project summary</li>
 
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<li>Project Details</li>
 
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<li>Materials and Methods</li>
 
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<li>The Experiments</li>
 
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<li>Results</li>
 
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<li>Data analysis</li>
 
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<li>Conclusions</li>
 
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It's important for teams to describe all the creativity that goes into an iGEM project, along with all the great ideas your team will come up with over the course of your work.
 
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It's also important to clearly describe your achievements so that judges will know what you tried to do and where you succeeded. Please write your project page such that what you achieved is easy to distinguish from what you attempted.
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Latest revision as of 03:51, 18 October 2014

 


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MOTIVATION


Attributions: Kathryn Brink, Alexa Garcia



Alzheimer's is a severe disease with limited diagnosis and treatment options. The application of synthetic biology to disease research, is an emerging strategy, and it allows for the development of dynamic, specific and effective therapeutics. By tackling Alzheimer's disease within the framework of synthetic biology, our project has potential implications for both the scientific and medical communities,
as well as the general public.




MIT iGEM 2014 project “The Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease”

At first, we were motivated by a general understanding of the severity of Alzheimer’s disease. We knew that it was a prominent problem without many treatment options. We found a deeper understanding and appreciation in the statistics and testimonials of Alzheimer’s patients and their families.

The 6th leading cause of death in the US, this disease affects nearly 30 million patients and caretakers worldwide. Alzheimer’s was more serious that any of us had originally believed - if we could successfully “cure” this affliction, we could positively impact the lives of millions of people around the world.

And so we started where any good scientist would - with the work of others. We looked into numerous papers, publications and current research projects, searching for information on how to tackle this disease, and hoping to improve our knowledge and understanding of the current state of the art.

We then sought out professionals in the field, to further improve our understanding of the current tactics and ideas used in Alzheimer's research. We contacted several scientists and doctors, two of whom we interviewed in person (see Interviews) and inquired about the currents needs of researchers, doctors and patients who deal with Alzheimer’s disease. The insight we obtained led us to the decision to address the most prominent limitations in the fight against Alzheimer’s: the inability to properly diagnose and treat the disease.

Throughout the course of this project, each of us has become closer to the cause - iGEM became more than a competition and our project was more than a task. Through iGEM, we were able to use the tools of synthetic biology to address a severe affliction, and to create a system that has the potential to be meaningful to both the scientific community and the general public as a whole. We were driven by a desire to successfully complete our project, and produce a fully characterized and functional system, for the sake of its implications for the future and the lives of many.

Although the competition is over, we hope that our work can be used to advance the field of Alzheimer’s research. We hope that we might have made something that could impact the lives of Alzheimer’s sufferers and their families sometime in the future. It was this hope that kept us motivated throughout our research journey, and it is this hope that we wish to share with you and many others, that one day, we may all see a world free from the pain of Alzheimer’s disease.



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