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Introduction

Diabetes mellitus is a disease that is characterized by abnormally high blood glucose concentrations. Animal cells need glucose for energy, and these cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream with the help of insulin. Diabetes mellitus occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin so not enough is produced (type 1) or when the body’s cells become resistant to the action of insulin (type 2).

Our goal is to use the natural glucose detecting mechanism found in Escherichia coli and combine it with the human insulin producing gene to create a “prosthetic” pancreatic beta cell. The transcription of insulin will only begin when a change in glucose levels in the cell’s external environment stimulates a sensory transduction chain of events.There are two parts to our project:

1) Construct 1 focuses on the glucose sensing mechanism.

2) Construct 2 focuses on insulin production and release.

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