Meet the 2022 Team!

We are a team of 12 students from very different majors and backgrounds that worked to develop AtheroSHuffle, a lateral flow test strip containing antibodies that were produced in bacteria using synthetic biology.

Our Project Abstract

Over 27.6% of the global population suffers from atherosclerosis, a plaque buildup in arteries that causes events like heart attack and stroke after lying dormant for years. Despite high prevalence, current detection methods are costly, time-consuming, and unused during medical visits unless individuals present signs of cardiovascular complications, at which point atherosclerosis is largely irreversible. We describe a method of early, accessible atherosclerosis detection: a lateral flow assay test strip that detects oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), a biomarker correlated with early and middle stages of atherosclerosis. Our device provides a rapid, proactive, point-of-care approach to evaluating atherosclerosis risk, allowing early treatment and potential reversal of disease. We employ a strain of E. coli called SHuffle to produce anti-oxLDL antibodies that integrate into easy-to-read test strips to detect the presence of oxLDL in blood. Our device will provide a sorely-needed low-cost, early detection method for atherosclerosis, improving healthcare globally, especially for under-resourced communities.

Our Team

Meet the members of the iGEM 2022 team here!

(Back row, left to right: Godwin Oluwafemi, Yasir Mahboba, Jayati Maram, Dr. Kozminski, Ivory Tang, Justin Orchard-Hayes, Alex Heise. Front row, left to right: Yilun Zhou, Marisa Guajardo, Isha Patel, Alyssa Dioguardi, Miranda Khoury, Peneeta Wojcik.)