Project Description
Histamine is one of the key factors of starting an inflammation process. Limiting the level of histamine effect can be an appropriate approach in those cases, where you can anticipate the histamine level increase. On our skin this includes some chronic diseases such as psoriasis, but more often would be useful in handling the acute increase of histamine level, such as a wasp bite.
Aspiring the decrease in oral histamine administration may also help to prevent some acute GI inflammation and smoothing the symptoms of some chronic bowel diseases.
Our group main aim is to create a complex synthetic biology solution attacking the biologically functional histamine.
Our aim was to achieve the following goals:
- enzymatic decrease of histamine level
- We will use DAO enzyme based on the former iGEM teams’ Registry information – we will make a codon optimisation on the original sequence
- We also plan to use the Histamine N-methyl Transferase (HNMT) as a new part
- capturing histamine molecules by ssDNA aptamers
- We will use the available ssDNA aptamers capturing the histamine from the literature
- We used aptamers which were described as successful choices for trapping histamine.
The products we want to invent are:
- An ointment for skin problems containing both the enzymes and the aptamers.
- A pill formula for oral administration when the patient eats histamine inducing food (strawberry, tomato, etc.).
Measurements / Modelling
- We will check the activity of the DAO and HNMT enzymes before and after the skin transfer. We will work out the proper mathematical model of these experiments.
- We will design a new – magnetic bead based – method of experiment which aims to check the benefit of using the aptamers.
Human Practices:
- We plan to involve the target patient group in finding out the proper needs of them.
- Pharmacy technology research partners at the local university will help us to found out the most proper formulation and check the skin transfer of the active ingredients of the ointment and the dosage of pill administration.
- Researchers in codon optimisation process help us to improve our parts.
- Manufacturers of ointments / pills / soaps will also be involved in the product development process.
Sustainability:
- We try to make the innovation process in a way that includes
- sustainable approach in developing an ointment / pill with the most nature friendly ingredients and
- design the packaging from recyclable materials.
Entrepreneurship:
- We will create a business plan of a startup which will aim
- to develop more products and services based on the proposed technology
- to produce ointments pills and other products which are based on our research.