Bioengineers create pH-sensing gut bacteria to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease
Researchers engineered a strain of the gut bacteria E. coli to detect gastrointestinal acidosis.
May 25, 2021
In an important step toward the clinical application of synthetic biology, Rice University researchers have engineered a bacterium with the capability of diagnosing a human disease.
An engineered strain of the gut bacteria
E. coli senses pH and glows when it encounters acidosis, an acidic condition that often occurs during flareups of inflammatory bowel diseases like colitis, ileitis and Crohn s disease. The pH-sensing circuit was discovered by Rice researcher Kathryn Brink.
Researchers at the University of Colorado then used the Rice-created organism in a mouse model of Crohn s disease to show that acidosis activates a signature set of genes. The corresponding genetic signature in humans has been observed during active inflammation in Crohn s disease patients. The U.S. National Science
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E. Coli Engineered to Diagnose Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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May 17, 2021
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Rice University researchers say they have engineered a bacterium with the necessary capabilities for diagnosing a human disease. The engineered strain of the gut bacteria
E. coli senses pH and glows when it encounters acidosis, an acidic condition that often occurs during flareups of inflammatory bowel diseases like colitis, ileitis, and Crohn’s disease, according to the scientists.
Researchers at the University of Colorado (CU) School of Medicine used the Rice-created organism in a mouse model of Crohn’s disease to show acidosis activates a signature set of genes. The corresponding genetic signature in humans has previously been observed during active inflammation in Crohn’s disease patients. The study (“Mucosal acidosis elicits a unique molecular signature in epithelia and intestinal tissue mediated by GPR31-induced CREB phosphorylation”) is availa
Wayne A. Leach (81) passed away on January 6, 2021, in Lander, Wyoming.
Born in Natick, MA, in 1939, he was the son of the late Richard C and Sylvia (Hietanen) Leach. He attended schools in Dover and Wareham graduating from Wareham High School in 1957. He furthered his education at Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston earning an Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Military service followed in the U.S. Air Force from 1961 - 1965 continuing with membership in the Air National Guard for twenty years.
Wayne was employed by engineering firms and automobile dealerships on the West coast for most of his working years. By nature he was a serious, quiet man who enjoyed repairing bicycles,trivia and the study of foreign languages.