Team:The Webb Schools/Proof Of Concept
Proof of Concept
Our product is not the traditional antidepressant, but a supplement that gives
gentle influence to the
human body and provides relief to the body's sub-health condition. Thus, we hope that Elummy could fill the
vacancy among the treatments for mild depression and give a new option for the patients. Plus, Elummy is a
supplement that has almost no side effects on the human body. Unlike other medicines, it does not affect
patients’ daily life such as sleeping and eating. Besides treating depression, the reduction of cellular
oxidative stress and MDA could also result in the delaying aging process, reducing mental pressure,
maintaining healthy body condition, and avoiding multiple kinds of diseases.
Effective treatment method without side effects
During the function test, we prove the efficiency of the efeB gene in helping cells
survive under a high H2O2 environment, which is common among depressed patients. As shown in the bellowing
graph, the relative biomass of bacteria A and bacteria C remained the same when the concentration of
hydrogen peroxide was 0 mM. As the concentration of hydrogen peroxide increases to 1mM, the relative biomass
of bacteria A increases while the relative biomass of bacteria C remains the same, which shows that without
efeB, bacteria are unable to grow when ROS is present. As the concentration of hydrogen peroxide increases
to 2mM, the relative biomass of bacteria A decreases by half while the relative biomass of bacteria D
decreases to 0mM. This shows that bacteria with the efeB gene is able to survive when the level of ROS
increases.
While ensuring the normal function of neuron cells under H2O2 concentration, efeB
is having fewer side effects as its effect could get adjusted according to the H2O2 concentration. For our
engineered strain, the more intense the fluorescence means the more efeB is expressed. As shown below, H2O2
climbed from 0 to 2.5 mM, and the intensity of fluorescence climbed higher, too. The tendency of the
intensity shows that the expression of efeB increases with the H2O2 concentration, namely the oxidation
level, meanwhile the expression of efeB could disturb the production of MDA so as to ease patients'
depression.
Prevent aging process
In bacteria C, the expression of GFP is controlled by the expression of efeB. The
more intense the fluorescence means the more efeB is expressed. As mentioned above, the expression of efeB
would adjust itself to the oxidation level (the concentration of H2O2) and in return, the expression of efeB
could inhibit the production level of MDA.
MDA is a product of lipid peroxidation induced by a diversity of oxidative
injuries. Plasma MDA and PC levels were found to be increased in plasma of elderly subjects as compared to
young subjects, which means MDA concentration level is associated with aging speed. Therefore, our Elummy
can lower the oxidation level to prevent aging process.