The number of melanoma cases has been increasing in populations worldwide. Nearly every hour, one American dies from melanoma. The technology currently available for melanoma encourages an individual to get a biopsy in order to diagnose it and therefore, another less invasive tool for diagnosis would be very efficient. In places where health care is not as readily available, providing a skin detecting cream for melanoma would allow people to ‘self-check’ for cancerous skin spots. The test would be easy to read and would allow an individual to know that they need to visit their doctor immediately for further action. The purpose of this project is to eventually produce a biosensor system incorporated within a topical cream or salve that can be used to detect the early onset of melanoma. The cream that could be eventually created in the future would function as a diagnostic tool for the early detection of melanoma that would facilitate for earlier and faster treatment to take place. In order to do so, the a biosensor system will be developed within a Saccharomyces cerevisiae chassis, in which a plasmid containing genes that glow in the presence of precancerous cells will be inserted. The plasmid will consist of a receptor protein, FGFR-1 that will have the ability to detect the over expressed Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF2) cell surface proteins located on the surface of potentially malignant melanoma tumors.
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Essentially, the biosensor will operate in such a mechanism in that after mutated FGF2 proteins on the malignant melanocytes have been detected, the biosensor's plasmid will initiate the production of Firefly Luciferase and Renilla, which will cause the yeast to glow and show the patient where potential malignant melanoma tumors may be present. The overall biosensor system that is contained within a yeast chassis will consist of an expressed Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor-1 (FGFR-1) protein that will have the ability to detect mutated FGF2 cell surface proteins upon malignant melanocytes. In the presence of mutated FGF2, the FGFR-1 Receptor located on the yeast chassis will detect and bind to this cell surface marker, initiating the cascade of events that stimulate arabinose production and ultimately lead to the expression of the Firefly Luciferase and Renilla proteins. With its high luminescent output, the Firefly Luciferase and Renilla dual complex will emit a glow indicating the presence of a potential malignant melanoma tumor that may need to be checked by the appropriate physician.
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