Team:UNC-Chapel Hill

Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is prevalent throughout the world especially in the United States and Mexico. Current methods of treatments have largely remained the same. Patients prick their fingers to draw blood in order for a device to report their blood glucose levels. After the device gives them that information, they administer the appropriate amount of insulin to themselves. There has yet to be a unified system for the sensing of blood glucose levels and insulin administration. As a solution, we propose the following:

The UNC Chapel Hill team has devised a protein controlled system in which E coli detects high glucose levels in its environment, and in response release one of two proteins, insulin or glucagon-like peptide-1

cyclic AMP-CRP Complex

This project utilizes the relationship between cAMP (Cyclic adenosine monophosphate) levels and glucose levels in the bacteria's immediate surroundings in order to accomplish accurate glucose sensing. When glucose levels are high cAMP levels are low, and likewise when glucose levels are low cAMP levels are high. Find out more at our project page.

Who will our project help?

Our project has the potential to help millions of people around the world, and push diabetes treatment in the right direction.

Why did we choose this project?

In the National Diabetes Statistics Report of 2014 released by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion it was reported that 29.1 million Americans (9.3% of the US population) have diabetes mellitus. The cost both direct and indirect of diabetes treatment is estimated to be 245 billion dollars, and the disease remains the 7th leading cause of premature death in the United States. With the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the US population the 2014 UNC Chapel Hill iGEM team as part of a University that prides itself in serving "North Carolina, the United States, and the world through teaching, research, and public service" felt an obligation to address this problem