From 2013.igem.org

CardBio: The Project

Death by heart diseases is very common worldwide, being Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) its main cause. This fact is deeply related to late diagnosis, which is usually made after the cardiac event had already occurred. We, from UFMG_Brazil team, decided to explore this problem building a system capable of providing a precocious diagnosis for ACS based in 3 biomarkers: Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), Trimethylamine-N-Oxide (TMAO) and Ischemia Modified Albumin (IMA). The main goal is to detect each of these biomarkers using our engineered E. coli by integrating the signals CFP, YFP and RFP produced when BNP, IMA and TMAO, respectively, are present in a sample of patient serum. This diagnosis is based on absorbance intensity of the fluorescent proteins. So, we can establish the presence or absence and severity of ACS disease and predict earlier a myocardial event, thus providing information for fast treatment.

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