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Team:UCL/Notebook
From 2013.igem.org
Notebook
January
First meeting was held after the team has been assembled. Introduction to each other and team building exercises take place to familiarise the team members with each other. Discussions take place with previous iGEM team members from UCL so the new team have some context and guidance concerning how to approach any iGEM project.
Each member of the new team was told to present for 5 minutes on a 2012 based team, commenting on their strengths and weaknesses. Further discussions about the general area 'track' that the team would be interested in. Given that many team members have a medical background, medical based ideas were favoured among the majority of the team.February
First meeting was held after the team has been assembled. Introduction to each other and team building exercises take place to familiarise the team members with each other. Discussions take place with previous iGEM team members from UCL so the new team have some context and guidance concerning how to approach any iGEM project.
Each member of the new team was told to present for 5 minutes on a 2012 based team, commenting on their strengths and weaknesses. Further discussions about the general area 'track' that the team would be interested in. Given that many team members have a medical background, medical based ideas were favoured among the majority of the team.March
Final meetings before exams, both internally and at the Arts Catalyst. The idea pool has been narrowed down to:
Anti-cancer yoghurt Clean Urban Air Alzheimer's disease Neural Network Members of the group also held a probiotic yoghurt workshop for the anti-cancer project, where members of the public made yoghurt. The audience were informed about the project and opinions were gathered.The abilities to think, feel and imagine of those affected will diminish; The patients’ sense of self, personality, even their ability to swallow, will all degrade. AD also frequently has a traumatising effect on family members and close friends. As life expectancies increase, this state of life is set to grow much more common (Ferri et al. 2005). It is a truly terrifying condition, and throughout our research we have been amazed by how hard many spirited sufferers, their family and their friends, struggle against the disease and continue to make the best of themselves.
Research
It may then seem surprising that research efforts into cancer treatments dwarf dementia research (Bonin-Guillaume 2005). Pharmaceutical companies have recently more or less halted their efforts to search for pharmacological solution for AD. This has inspired some scientists to consider novel approaches to combating AD. We see synthetic biology as one of those fields, but new avenues of neuro-genetic research could well bring about genetic modification of the brain for more than just medical reasons.
More information
More information about the condition, including current research, and advice about coping with and caring for AD patients can be found through the Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Disease International and the Alzheimer’s Association.
