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From 2013.igem.org

Welcome to the Iron coli Project

Bloodletting consists of the withdrawal of blood for therapeutic purposes. It is one of the oldest medical techniques and is nowadays abandonned. However in hematology, bloodletting (also known as phlebotomy) seems to remain the only reliable solution to cure hemochromatosis and thalassemia. Both are genetic diseases diseases and consist of an iron overload. The iron ion is toxic due to its oxidative potential, and thus, has a very smooth regulation mechanism. In fact, the organism only absorbs the required amount of iron from the intestins. The pathogenic mechanism is due to a seemingly low iron rate in the organism and permanantly activate the absorption system by the instestins, thus leading to an iron overload. The consequences are mainly chronic insufficiencies (renal, hepatic, cardiac, ...). Despite the true efficiency of bloodletting, some patients cannot bear this archaic way of treating their disease. As a consequence, we decided to design an Escherichia coli capable of chelating iron in the intestins: Iron Coli. The bacterium will lower the amount of iron absorbed by the duodenum and reduce the frequency of bloodlettings. Also, certain patients are treated with iron chelators which have a lot of side effects. The reduction of iron absorption by Iron Coli will allow lower drug concentrations and improve the patient's comfort.