Team:UC Davis

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              It is estimated that about one in every 133 Americans suffer from an autoimmune disorder called Celiac Disease (14, 11). Celiac Disease is a condition in which the small intestines of an affected individual cannot properly digest gliadin, a protein present in gluten. When consumed, gliadin induces immune system responses, the side-effects of which are, but not limited to: abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, and vomiting (14). Currently, the only accepted treatment for this disorder is adhering to a gluten-free diet (14, 12). This can be very difficult as great varieties of food contain gluten. This inspired us to imagine an alternative treatment based on a probiotic organism that can survive and take residence in the stomach, where it would secrete an enzyme that degrades gliadin.
           Then the design elements of this organism should satisfy at least two main criteria. First, it should be able to survive only in the stomach; second, it should secrete an enzyme that degrades gliadin. We envision that these parts would not only be useful for our project, but also to other future projects.

           We decided to focus our summer project on building the first of the two key elements required for our system:
                1. Produce an inducible secretion system
                2. Construct a biological pH sensor limiting this secretion system to the stomach

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  


      UC Davis iGEM team is sponsored by:
     
We want to thank Marc Facciotti for his helpful advice.
Special thanks to Suzy Fenton,Wayne Fenton, Jeanne Joe-Fenton and Wayne Fenton Jr.
Also we thank Charles H. Halsted for reviewing our material regarding celiac disease.