Team:HKUST-Hong Kong/Background and Motive

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           <a href="http://www.ust.hk"><img id="HKUST_Logo" class="Upper_Logos" src=""></a>
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          <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong"><img id="HKUST_iGEM_Logo" class="Upper_Logos" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/4/43/295197_446935765350523_472857901_n.jpg"></a>
           <div class="Navigation_Buttons" id="Team" align="center"><h3><p>TEAM</p></h3></div>
           <div class="Navigation_Buttons" id="Team" align="center"><h3><p>TEAM</p></h3></div>
           <div class="Navigation_Buttons" id="Project" align="center"><h3><p>PROJECT</p></h3></div>
           <div class="Navigation_Buttons" id="Project" align="center"><h3><p>PROJECT</p></h3></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Members">Members</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Members">Members</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Advisors">Advisors</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Advisors">Advisors</a></p></div>
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              <div class="Content_Buttons""><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Acknowledgement">Acknowledgement</a></p></div>
 
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Project_Abstraction">Project Abstract</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Project_Abstraction">Abstract</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Background_and_Motive">Background and<br> Motive</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Background_and_Motive">Motive</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Project">Project Description</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Design_Overview">Design - Overview</a></p></div>
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              <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Module">Module</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Design_Module">Design - Module</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Chasis">Chasis</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Design_Chassis">Design - Chassis</a></p></div>
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              <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Safety">Safety</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Expectation">Expectation</a></p></div>
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              <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Potential_Application">Potential applicaiton</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Parts_and_Device">Parts and Device</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Parts_and_Device">Parts and Devices</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Notebook">Notebook</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Notebook">Notebook</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Characterization">Characterization</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Characterization">Characterization</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Achievement">Achievement</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Achievement">Achievement</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Prospect">Prospect</a></p></div>
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               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Future_Work">Future Work</a></p></div>
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                <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Medal_Requirements">Medal Requirements</a></p></div>
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                <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Safety">Safety</a></p></div>
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                <div class="Content_Buttons""><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Attribution">Attribution</a></p></div>
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                <div class="Content_Buttons""><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Acknowledgement">Acknowledgement</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Glossary">Glossary</a></p></div>
               <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Glossary">Glossary</a></p></div>
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              <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Site_Map">Site Map</a></p></div>
 
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              <div class="Content_Buttons"><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Photo_Gallery">Photo Gallery</a></p></div>
 
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           <div><p align="center"><font size="20">BACKGROUND AND MOTIVE</font></p></div>
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           <div><p align="center"><font size="20">Motive</font></p></div>
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               <h1>Conventional cancer therapies and their limitations</h1>
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               <h1><p>Conventional Cancer Therapies and their Limitations</p></h1>
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           <p>Cancer has gradually become the nightmare of patients  because of its high incidence, mortality and low recovery rate. With an annual  incidence of more than 12 million, cancer accounts for more than 7.6 million deaths each year. [1] Once diagnosed as cancer, patients have to rely on conventional  cancer therapies to extend their life. However, while prolonging the lifespan of patient, these traditional therapeutic ways inevitably bring adverse effects to patients and intensively reduce their quality of life. <br />
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           <p>Cancer stands out as one of the most severe health issues today and is one of the toughest problems that medical practitioners face. The few treatment methods we currently have are painful and successful treatment cases often lead to relapse. Globally, more than 12 million new cases are being diagnosed each year (World Cancer Research Fund International 2012) and 7.6 million deaths attributable to cancer were observed in 2008 (World Health Organization 2012). Once diagnosed with cancer, patients have to be treated as soon as possible to increase their chances of survival. However, while conventional therapies are able to prolong the lifespan of patients, and in some cases, cure them, these traditional therapeutic methods have adverse effects on patients and reduce their quality of life.   <br>
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  Surgery and cryosurgery are engaged as the main approaches  in type I cancer treatment. While Small superficial cancer cells are physically  removed during surgery, normal tissues or sometimes even parts of the organ need to be removed as well to prevent the recurrence of cancer. The loss of  organ and changes of physical conditions in body are suffered by patients and  long recovery time is needed after surgery as well.  <br />
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  Chemotherapy engages drugs which are circulated through  blood vessel, reaching cancer cell, killing or inhibiting cancer cell growing. Since  most of the drugs used in chemotherapy targets cells which are highly divided, organ  or system which involves active cell replacement will be affect at most. This  will bring about problems say bleeding, anemia, hair loss, infections and etcIn addition, <br />
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<br>Surgery and cryosurgery are the most direct forms of treatment for cancer. They involve the removal or destruction of cancer cells by physical means. Unfortunately, healthy tissues constituting essential parts of the affected organ often need to be removed together with the cancerous tissue to prevent recurrence. As a result, patients may require an extended period of time for recovery as the tissue damage severely affects the overall physical conditions of the body. <br>
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  Radiotherapy which relies on high energy of X-rays, gamma rays or charged particles, kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA. However, the potential damage of normal tissue around cancer cells can never be  eliminated. Temporary side effect and chronic side effect will be suffered by  patent. Meanwhile, patient still also need to take the risk of induction of  second tumor by radiation. </p>
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<br>Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs that, via blood circulation, reach cancer cells and kill or inhibit their growth. Most drugs used in chemotherapy target biochemical processes unique to rapidly dividing cells (rapid division is a key cancer cell trait). Unfortunately, this means that organs or systems that contain actively dividing cells are likely to also be affected by such treatment, and this leads to side effects that may include bleeding, anemia, hair loss and opportunistic infections.  <br>
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<br>Radiotherapy relies on high energy electromagnetic waves such as X-rays, gamma rays, and charged particles to kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA. However, this treatment unavoidably damages normal tissues around cancer cells, which means patients may suffer from temporary or even chronic side effects. At the same time, this treatment also carries the risk of inducing secondary tumors by radiation damage. </p>
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               <h1>Our mission</h1>
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               <h1><p>Focusing on Colorectal Cancer - Adenocarcinomas</p></h1>
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           <p><p>Considering all limitations in conventional cancer therapy, we, 2012 HKUST igem team initiated our project and aimed to establish an alternative cancer therapeutic way using the idea of synthetic biology.<br />
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           <p><p>In view of all the limitations of conventional cancer therapies, our team initiated this project with the aim to establish an alternative cancer therapeutic method by making use of a biological system. However, few cancer types prove to be suitable candidates for such treatment method. We thus decided to focus our attention on colorectal cancer for reasons detailed below. <br />
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   We would like to make a breakthrough in the following aspect of cancer therapy through our project:</p>
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<br>95% of diagnosed bowel cancer cases take the form of adenocarcinomas (epithelial tissue cancers). These present a unique opportunity for treatment using our suggested biological method.<br>
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<br>Early form of bowel adenocarcinomas take the form of rapidly dividing polyps (growths of gland cells lining the bowel wall). Their proliferation eventually leads to the damage of epithelial cells in the digestive tract, resulting in bloody stool.  <br>
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<br>Adenocarcinomas on the mucosal surface usually comprise tumor cells exposed to the digestive tract. This particular property means an anti-tumor agent can be applied from the digestive tract, removing the need to administer the drug through the circulatory system. This property may thus enable us to prevent the undesirable spread of drug molecules to the whole body, limiting any adverse effects the drug may have. <br>
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<br>The human normal gut flora, which consists hundreds of bacterial species that coexist and function in harmony with each other and their human host. It is theoretically possible that one such species that operates harmlessly in our gut could be engineered to suppress the growth of colorectal adenocarcinoma cells by acting from the digestive tract. With these considerations in mind, we progressed to the next stage of project development.<br>
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              <h1><p>Our Mission</p></h1>
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   We have the following goals for our project:</p>
<ol>
<ol>
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   <li>Providing a simple cancer therapeutic way that is more acceptable to patient</li>
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   <li>To create a simple cancer therapy that has fewer side effects for the patient</li>
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   <li>Relieving patients&rsquo; pain during cancer treatment</li>
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   <li>To reduce patients’ pain during cancer treatment.</li>
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   <li>Treating cancer without affecting patients&rsquo; quality of life intensely. </li>
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   <li>To treat tumour(s) without greatly affecting patients’ quality of life.</li>
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   <li>Minimizing adverse effect to  patients throughout and after cancer treatment</li>
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<p>Bearing these in mind, we propose the following plan for the design of our system:</p>
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<p>Bearing these in mind, we stretch our project as the following:</p>
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<ol>
<ol>
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   <li>To release patients from stress  and fear in surgery and radiotherapy, anti-tumor drug is going to be employed to combat with cancer.</li>
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   <li>An anti-tumor drug is going to be employed to combat cancer cells, hopefully removing the need for surgery and radiotherapy.</li>
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   <li>A new drug delivery system is thus  decided to be established in bacteria which are used as a carrier, facilitating  drug transportation.</li>
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   <li>A new drug delivery system will be established using recombinant bacteria as the drug carrier.</li>
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   <li>To reduce interaction between  anti-tumor drug and normal tissue and establish a locally high drug  concentration, our drug-delivery bacteria are designed to recognize cancer cells and target them specifically.</li>
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   <li>Our drug-delivery bacteria will be designed to specifically recognize and target cancer cells to reduce interaction between the anti-tumor drug and healthy tissues.</li>
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   <li>Apart from delivery, our bacteria can work as a drug synthesis machine, producing anti-tumor drug in a controllable situation.</li>
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   <li>For improved safety, our recombinant bacteria will also work to synthesize and secrete the anti-tumor drug in a manner we can control.</li>
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   <li>To be controllable, regulatory  systems are introduced, internally and externally guiding the timing and dosage of drug delivery.</li>
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   <li>Regulatory systems will be introduced to internally and externally guide the timing and dosage of drug delivery by the bacteria.</li>
</ol>
</ol>
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<p>To achieve these, three modules require developing:</p>
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<p>To achieve the mentioned objectives, we decided to separate our project into three modules:</p>
<ol>
<ol>
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   <li>Targeting module: Targeting of  bacteria to tumor cell is designed to be achieved through a tumor specific binding  peptide which is first discovered in a phage displaying selection. It is  expressed and displaying on the surface of bacteria with the facilitation of a cell wall binding system. </li>
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   <li><strong>Target Binding.</strong> This module pursues the identification and subsequent implementation of a method to target our drug-delivery bacteria specifically at cancerous cells. </li>
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   <li>Drug synthesizing module:  Employing an anti-tumor cytokine in our project, we design to have it synthesized  by bacteria and secreted out to external environment. As a signaling molecule,  the anti-tumor cytokine represses the proliferation of tumor cells and arrest  them in G1 phase.</li>
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   <li><strong>Anti-tumor Molecule Secretion.</strong> Work under this module first involves selection of a suitable anti-tumor drug that can be produced via recombinant means. Mechanisms would then be designed for the synthesis of the drug within our drug-delivery bacteria and subsequent secretion of the drug to the external environment.</li>
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   <li>Regulating module: Two  regulatory systems are established in consideration of possible harm from uncontrolled  drug releasing.  An inducible system is  set up to externally control the timing of drug secretion. A toxin-antitoxin  system is applied as well to minimize the adverse effect from anti-tumor drug over-dosage. </li>
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   <li><strong>Regulation and Control.</strong> This module aims to devise and improve regulatory mechanisms that establish some control over the anti-tumor drug’s dosage and release time. </li>
</ol></p>
</ol></p>
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               <h1>Why we focus on Colon cancer</h1>
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               <h1><p>References</p></h1>
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          <p><p>Instead of investigating a universal cancer therapy, we choose  to focus on colon cancer only this year. Colon cancer is not the most popular  cancer in the world and neither has it been well studied. However, several  properties and features of colon cancer promote our interest and prompt us to  construct the whole project.</p>
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<ol>
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  <li>Adenocarcinoma: adenocarcinoma  is the most common type of colon cancer. It contributes to more than 95% cases  (http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/type/bowel-cancer/about/types-of-bowel-cancer).  Originated from highly dividing polys (gland cells lining in bowel wall), they  proliferate, protruding and damaging epithelial cells in digestive tract which  usually results in bloody stool. The exposure of colon adenocarcinoma on  mucosal surface makes tumor cells accessible in digestive tract. This  accessibility of colon tumor allows us to come up with this anti-tumor agent,  which can target tumor cells in digestive tract without circulating in body  fluid. The prevention of drug delivery through blood vessel eliminates the  spreading of anti-molecules throughout body and to some extent minimizes the  adverse effect from drug treatment.  </li>
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  <li>Low diagnose rate: Colon cancer  is curable and preventable if it is diagnosed in early stage. However, usually,  colon cancer in early stage is silent without any symptom. Therefore, in order  to lower the prevalence of colon cancer and reduce its mortality, it is  important to execute cost-efficient screening in patients without symptoms or  signs. The engagement of a bacteria anti-tumor agent with recognition peptide  can right serve as a detecting agent in colon tumor screening which cause no  adverse effect or even discomfort to the public. Once colon tumor is detected, this  bacteria anti-tumor agent can synthesis and produce anti-tumor molecules to  colon cancer cells immediately.</li>
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          <p>World Cancer Research Fund International. "Worldwide cancer statistics | WCRF." <em>World Cancer Research Fund | Cancer Prevention Charity. </em>N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <a href="http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/world_cancer_statistics.php">http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/world_cancer_statistics.php</a><br>
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<br>World Health Organization. "Cancer."<em>WHO | Cancer.</em>World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/">www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/</a>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Introduction">Introduction</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Supervisor">Supervisor</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Members">Members</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Advisors">Advisors</a></p></li>
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</ol>
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</div>
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<div class="Sitemap_Content">
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<li><p><b>Project</b></p><ol>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Project_Abstraction">Abstract</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Background_and_Motive">Motive</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Design_Overview">Design - Overview</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Design_Module">Design - Module</a></p></li>
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<p>-- <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Module/Target_binding">Target Binding Module</a></p>
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<p>-- <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Module/Anti_tumor">Anti-tumor Molecule Secretion Module</a></p>
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<p>-- <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Module/Regulation_and_control">Regulation and Control Module</a></p>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Design_Chassis">Design - Chassis</a></p></li></ol>
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</div>
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<div class="Sitemap_Content">
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<li><p><b>Wet Lab</b></p><ol>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Parts_and_Device">Parts and Devices</a></p></li>
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<p>-- <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Parts_and_Device">Overview</a></p>
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<p>-- <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Construction">Construction</a></p>
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<p>-- <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Assembly">Assembly</a></p>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Notebook">Notebook</a></p></li>
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<p>-- <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Notebook/Logbook">Logbook</a></p>
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<p>-- <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Notebook/Protocol">Protocol</a></p>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Characterization">Characterization</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Achievement">Achievement</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Future_Work">Future Work</a></p></li></ol>
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</div>
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<div class="Sitemap_Content">
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<li><p><b>Human Practice</b></p><ol>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Overview">Overview</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Interview">Interview</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Presentation">Presentation</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Calendar">Calendar</a></p></li></ol>
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</div>
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<div class="Sitemap_Content">
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<li><p><b>Extras</b></p><ol>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Medal_Requirements">Medal Requirements</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Safety">Safety</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Attribution">Attribution</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Acknowledgement">Acknowledgement</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:HKUST-Hong_Kong/Glossary">Glossary</a></p></li></ol>
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</div>
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Latest revision as of 22:27, 26 September 2012

Team:HKUST-Hong Kong - 2012.igem.org

Motive

Conventional Cancer Therapies and their Limitations

Cancer stands out as one of the most severe health issues today and is one of the toughest problems that medical practitioners face. The few treatment methods we currently have are painful and successful treatment cases often lead to relapse. Globally, more than 12 million new cases are being diagnosed each year (World Cancer Research Fund International 2012) and 7.6 million deaths attributable to cancer were observed in 2008 (World Health Organization 2012). Once diagnosed with cancer, patients have to be treated as soon as possible to increase their chances of survival. However, while conventional therapies are able to prolong the lifespan of patients, and in some cases, cure them, these traditional therapeutic methods have adverse effects on patients and reduce their quality of life.

Surgery and cryosurgery are the most direct forms of treatment for cancer. They involve the removal or destruction of cancer cells by physical means. Unfortunately, healthy tissues constituting essential parts of the affected organ often need to be removed together with the cancerous tissue to prevent recurrence. As a result, patients may require an extended period of time for recovery as the tissue damage severely affects the overall physical conditions of the body. 

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs that, via blood circulation, reach cancer cells and kill or inhibit their growth. Most drugs used in chemotherapy target biochemical processes unique to rapidly dividing cells (rapid division is a key cancer cell trait). Unfortunately, this means that organs or systems that contain actively dividing cells are likely to also be affected by such treatment, and this leads to side effects that may include bleeding, anemia, hair loss and opportunistic infections.

Radiotherapy relies on high energy electromagnetic waves such as X-rays, gamma rays, and charged particles to kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA. However, this treatment unavoidably damages normal tissues around cancer cells, which means patients may suffer from temporary or even chronic side effects. At the same time, this treatment also carries the risk of inducing secondary tumors by radiation damage.

Focusing on Colorectal Cancer - Adenocarcinomas

In view of all the limitations of conventional cancer therapies, our team initiated this project with the aim to establish an alternative cancer therapeutic method by making use of a biological system. However, few cancer types prove to be suitable candidates for such treatment method. We thus decided to focus our attention on colorectal cancer for reasons detailed below.

95% of diagnosed bowel cancer cases take the form of adenocarcinomas (epithelial tissue cancers). These present a unique opportunity for treatment using our suggested biological method.

Early form of bowel adenocarcinomas take the form of rapidly dividing polyps (growths of gland cells lining the bowel wall). Their proliferation eventually leads to the damage of epithelial cells in the digestive tract, resulting in bloody stool.

Adenocarcinomas on the mucosal surface usually comprise tumor cells exposed to the digestive tract. This particular property means an anti-tumor agent can be applied from the digestive tract, removing the need to administer the drug through the circulatory system. This property may thus enable us to prevent the undesirable spread of drug molecules to the whole body, limiting any adverse effects the drug may have.

The human normal gut flora, which consists hundreds of bacterial species that coexist and function in harmony with each other and their human host. It is theoretically possible that one such species that operates harmlessly in our gut could be engineered to suppress the growth of colorectal adenocarcinoma cells by acting from the digestive tract. With these considerations in mind, we progressed to the next stage of project development.

Our Mission

We have the following goals for our project:

  1. To create a simple cancer therapy that has fewer side effects for the patient
  2. To reduce patients’ pain during cancer treatment.
  3. To treat tumour(s) without greatly affecting patients’ quality of life.

Bearing these in mind, we propose the following plan for the design of our system:

  1. An anti-tumor drug is going to be employed to combat cancer cells, hopefully removing the need for surgery and radiotherapy.
  2. A new drug delivery system will be established using recombinant bacteria as the drug carrier.
  3. Our drug-delivery bacteria will be designed to specifically recognize and target cancer cells to reduce interaction between the anti-tumor drug and healthy tissues.
  4. For improved safety, our recombinant bacteria will also work to synthesize and secrete the anti-tumor drug in a manner we can control.
  5. Regulatory systems will be introduced to internally and externally guide the timing and dosage of drug delivery by the bacteria.

To achieve the mentioned objectives, we decided to separate our project into three modules:

  1. Target Binding. This module pursues the identification and subsequent implementation of a method to target our drug-delivery bacteria specifically at cancerous cells.
  2. Anti-tumor Molecule Secretion. Work under this module first involves selection of a suitable anti-tumor drug that can be produced via recombinant means. Mechanisms would then be designed for the synthesis of the drug within our drug-delivery bacteria and subsequent secretion of the drug to the external environment.
  3. Regulation and Control. This module aims to devise and improve regulatory mechanisms that establish some control over the anti-tumor drug’s dosage and release time.

References

World Cancer Research Fund International. "Worldwide cancer statistics | WCRF." World Cancer Research Fund | Cancer Prevention Charity. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/world_cancer_statistics.php

World Health Organization. "Cancer."WHO | Cancer.World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/