Since January we have started with 9 enthusiastic and ambitious students to take on the iGEM synthetic biology competition. Our vision this year is to stimulate innovation in the field of healthcare and pushing the boundaries of synthetic biology.
Since starting we have had the pleasure to join multiple events and present our project, but also learn about what other teams and start-ups are doing. Most recently we participated in the TU/e contest and were able to win the audience award!
This year our mission is to create a cell-based therapy for autoimmune diseases, starting with the application on vasculitis. Vasculitis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the small vessels. This can impair the blood circulation and in the most serious cases cut off blood supply for important organs.
To combat this, we are creating a cell that can detect disease specific markers (autoantibodies). Upon detection our cell will produce an anti-inflammatory molecule to locally reduce inflammation. The cells can be given when the disease is first diagnosed by doctors. Once present the cells will be able to react to up-flares.
We would like to thank everyone who voted for us and hope we can continue our project with more of these successes.
