Team:Saarland
From 2014.igem.org
Project Rufus or the Force of the Naked Mole Rat
Cancer is not only one of the most common diagnoses, but also the leading cause of death worldwide. There are only limited therapeutic possibilities and these are mostly associated with adverse effects. A special form of hyaluronic acid has the potential to become an innovative therapeutic drug for the treatment of cancer. Originally discovered in connective tissues of Heterocephalus glaber this high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid (HMM-HA) is supposed to mediate the cancer resistance in this species. Our aim is to employ a simple soil bacterium as an expression system for the first ever biotechnological production of this HMM-HA. After purification we want to test and further characterise its inhibitory effect on carcinogenesis in selected human cancer cell lines. We are confident that the anti carcinogenic properties and high biocompatibility of our synthesised HMM-HA will herald a new age of fighting cancer.![](https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2014/7/7e/Welcome_Step1.png)
![](https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2014/2/26/Welcome_Step2.png)
Cancer is not only one of the most common diagnoses, but also the leading cause of death worldwide. There are only limited therapeutic possibilities and these are mostly associated with adverse effects. A special form of hyaluronic acid has the potential to become an innovative therapeutic drug for the treatment of cancer. Originally discovered in connective tissues of Heterocephalus glaber this high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid (HMM-HA) is supposed to mediate the cancer resistance in this species. Our aim is to employ a simple soil bacterium as an expression system for the first ever biotechnological production of this HMM-HA. After purification we want to test and further characterise its inhibitory effect on carcinogenesis in selected human cancer cell lines. We are confident that the anti carcinogenic properties and high biocompatibility of our synthesised HMM-HA will herald a new age of fighting cancer.
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