Team:Exeter/Applications
From 2012.igem.org
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<p>Cyclodextrin is a cyclic oligosaccharide which has hydroxyl groups. They are able to engulf hydrophobic molecules and dispatch them within environments such molecules would be unable to reach. This gives them the ability to be a drug delivery system able to access fatty tissues, organs and even bone!</p> <br> | <p>Cyclodextrin is a cyclic oligosaccharide which has hydroxyl groups. They are able to engulf hydrophobic molecules and dispatch them within environments such molecules would be unable to reach. This gives them the ability to be a drug delivery system able to access fatty tissues, organs and even bone!</p> <br> | ||
- | <p>Could we go further still? Blood types are distinguished by the presence of their surface polysaccharides. Depending on which antigens are present some | + | <p>Could we go further still? Blood types are distinguished by the presence of their surface polysaccharides. Depending on which antigens are present some patients can only receive donations from their own blood group or other specific blood types according to their rarity. This drastically reduces the list of potential options. </p> <br> |
<p><br><CENTER><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/1/11/Exe2012_appmed.jpg" alt="" title="" width="780" height="278"></CENTER></p><br><br> | <p><br><CENTER><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/1/11/Exe2012_appmed.jpg" alt="" title="" width="780" height="278"></CENTER></p><br><br> |
Revision as of 11:59, 24 September 2012
Polysaccharides have a spectacular range of properties. These properties stem from the relationships between the chemical nature of the sugars within the polysaccharide, their arrangement within the polymer and the arrangement of the polymer itself. Polysaccharides appear in every corner of the natural world and have multiple applications ranging from protection to energy storage. Not surprisingly humanity has taken advantage of their diversity and by doing so created a huge variety of uses within the medicinal, material and consumable sectors. In this section we invite you to take a brief look at what could one day be possible if a system to design and build bespoke polysaccharides existed. Alex Clowsley, 2012. |