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Revision as of 19:44, 16 June 2014
Choking Cancer
Every year approximately eight million people die of cancer, and an additional fourteen million are diagnosed with the disease. The World Heath Organization predicts that without immediate action these numbers will increase by eighty percent by the year 2030.
Cancer needs an abundant source of oxygenated blood to grow. To achieve this cancer cells release angiogenic factors that promote vascular growth. Without these factors, cancer is unable to survive. Consequently, current treatments focus on targeting/inhibiting the angiogenic factors released by cancer cells. Targeted therapy has also been a successful treatment option.
Our project aims to combine these two therapeutic approaches to create a synthetic biological machine that seeks out cancer cells and inhibits angiogenesis. We plan to design a bacterium that in the presence of cancer cells secretes an anti-angiogenic factor. This will inhibit the growth of the capillary system that is crucial for cancer cell survival.
