Team:Utrecht/

<!DOCTYPE html>

  • Home
  • Experimental
  • Human practices
  • Team & Sponsors


Cas9 & Cpf1 secretion
and activity
Comparison of endonuclease activity for Cas9 and Cpf1 that has been produced in, and excreted by, HEK293 cells.
MESA two-component system replication
Details on the MESA two-component system, explanation of its relation to our design and the results of its reproduction.
OUTCASST system production
Detailed explanation of the OUTCASST mechanism, experimental progress and technical prospects.
Modeling and
mathematics
Ordinary differential equations, cellular automaton and an object based model for optimal linker-length estimation.
Interlab study participation
Results and details of our measurements for the iGEM 2017 Interlab Study.
Stakeholders & opinions
Interviews and dialogues with stakeholders, potential users, third parties and experts relating to pathogen detection or DNA-based diagnostics.
Risks & safety-issues
Implications and design considerations relating to safety in the usage and implementation of OUTCASST as a diagnostics tool.
Design & integration
OUTCASST toolkit and product design with factors such as bio-safety and user-friendliness taken into account.
Meet our team
About us, our interests and roles in the team and our supervisors.
Sponsors
A listing of our sponsors, how they assisted us and our gratitude for their assistance.
Achievements
A short description of all that we have achieved during our participation in the iGEM.
Intro
The problem
The system
The OUTCASST two-component system
This year, Utrecht University participates in the iGEM for the first time. We aim to create a cheap DNA detection kit for disease diagnosis that is easy to use and does not rely on complicated sequencing technologies.

The problem

Disease diagnosis is of great importance for healthcare. In developing countries, diagnoses often have to be made based on limited information, even though accurate disease determination based on pathogen specific DNA sequences is possible through sequencing technologies. These technologies, however, require specialised equipment and expertise that simply is not available everywhere. The OUTCASST two-component system and detection kit hopes to alleviate this problem.
Start
2
3
4

The system

The OUTCASST two-component system consists of two proteins, expressed to the membrane of a dryable cell. One of the proteins is a Cas9-fusion and the other contains Cpf1. Both proteins can be given a guide RNA that makes it bind to a specific, user-chosen, complementary sequence. When both proteins bind a DNA fragment from a sample, they co-localize, so that a transcription factor is released intracellularly which then induces an intracellular reporter mechanism such as a dye or fluorescent signal.
Binding of components with search-specific gRNA sequences.

Next
DNA sample fragment binds to one of the components.

Next
Fragment binding with both components induces co-localization.

Next
Protease cleaves, transcription factor is released from complex.