Team:Georgia State

A Novel Synthesis of Factor C

A Story of Blood and Venom

We’re Doing It #TheStateWay

Located at the heart of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, GSU is among the top 20 most innovative institutions in the USA.

Mambalgin

Mambalgin is a potent analgesic protein found in the venom of the Black Mamba snake (Dendroaspis polylepis). This protein has been found to inhibit acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) in the central and peripheral nervous systems of mice through intraplantar and intrathecal injections. We are using the expression of mambalgin (the subject of last year's GSU team project) to assess our ability to produce, purify, and detect new recombinant fusion proteins with a glutathione-s-transferase tag.

Horseshoe Crab Factor C

Horseshoe crab blood is used in a test to detect bacterial contamination in medical solutions and devices. We propose to replace this test with a synthetic protein consisting of human chorionic gonadotropin fused to factor C, the protein that activates the coagulation response in horseshoe crab blood. Using this fusion protein and a simple pregnancy test strip we hope to create a system to detect gram negative bacteria without the harvesting of horseshoe crabs.