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Team:Calgary
From 2014.igem.org
B.s. DETECTOR
We are developing a novel, genome-based, point-of-care synthetic biological device to simultaneously diagnose multiple infectious diseases that are prevalent worldwide.
MALARIA MISDIAGNOSIS
Infectious diseases including dengue fever, typhoid fever, and meningitis are symptomatically similar to malaria, and thus are often misdiagnosed in resource-poor developing countries lacking suitable medical diagnostic facilities. The lack of reliable rapid diagnostic tests to diagnose diseases, such as typhoid fever and meningitis, and a reduced capacity to perform standard tests to accurately diagnose these diseases contribute significantly to the problem of misdiagnosis. Due to these diagnostic challenges, patients can also undergo treatment for multiple diseases like malaria and typhoid fever despite a lack of confirmed diagnosis of co-infection. Improper treatment may prolong illness and cause adverse side effects in patients, in addition to a loss of faith in established health services. Misdiagnosis can also result in increased economic burdens and anti-malarial drug resistance. In Sudan, the 2000 annual cost of both treatment and diagnosis of malaria was $100 million USD whereas the calculated cost of accurate malaria.
CASE STUDY
Prevalent infectious diseases such as meningitis, dengue and typhoid fever are symptomatically similar to malaria, and are thus often misdiagnosed in developing countries which LACK THE RESOURCES to maintain suitable healthcare infrastructures.
Misdiagnosis prevents the appropriate treatments from being administered in a timely manner, which results in unnecessary HUMAN SUFFERING and a significant financial burden on the healthcare system.
OUR DEVICE, OUR IDEA
iGEM Calgary 2014 team is using synthetic biology to develop a NOVEL, GENOME-BASED, RAPID POINT-OF-CARE device to simultaneously diagnose multiple infectious diseases.
COMPONENTS OF OUR SYSTEM
Prevalent infectious diseases such as meningitis, dengue and typhoid fever are symptomatically similar to malaria, and are thus often misdiagnosed in developing countries which lack the resources to maintain suitable healthcare infrastructures (Murray, Quam, & Wilder-Smith, 2013). Failure to accurately diagnose such diseases is of particular concern.
