Team:TU-Eindhoven

Welcome to the homepage of the 2013 iGEM team of the Eindhoven University of Technology.

Within our project we aim to focus on a relatively new form of MRI: CEST imaging. Within CEST imaging proteins containing hydrogen atoms can be used to create the same quality of images as when heavy metals are used.

We attempt to use E. coli K-12 strains to produce these proteins once the bacteria enters the body, allowing the E. coli to be our delivery system and production factory. Unique to our process is the injection of the protein producing bacteria into the patient, as well as the tumor targeting element of the bacteria. Tumors present a hypoxic environment, allowing them to be targeted by our bacteria. These hypoxic conditions will furthermore be the trigger for the production of our CEST proteins. This will ensure contrast is created where tumors are present, and also provides a good means of tumor targeting for drug delivery in the future. Once the CEST MR images have been taken, the bacteria will be killed and eliminated from the body by using our killing mechanism.

In order to achieve the production of our bacteria based CEST MRI contrast agent, we must perform a series of diverse models focusing on different components of the MRI contrast agent production, ranging from the selection of the most adequate proteins for CEST MRI, to the behavior of the FNR promotor and the decoy sites, as well as the killing mechanism of our bacteria.