Early Detection of Pre-Malignant Cancer Cells using a VEGFR2-Wzb Angiogenic Receptor in E. Coli
Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biology
Research Advisor
Shannon, Katie
Westenberg, David J.
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract
The development of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) is a requirement for tumor growth and metastasis and the acquisition of this trait is an early indicator of cellular malignancies. A number of angiogenic factors have been discovered that tightly regulate angiogenesis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the angiogenic factors. VEGF binds to a tyrosine kinase receptor which causes it to dimerize and be activated via transphosphorylation. This project proposes to design a synthetic system that will fuse the extracellular region of the VEGF receptor to the Wzb receptor of E. coli. Using VEGFR-Wzb receptor the system will be able to detect excessive amounts of VEGF that may be indicatory of tumor malignancy. This system will relay a signal to turn on a florescent protein that can easily be detected once VEGF has been bound to the receptor. This will allow for an early, non-invasive detection of pre-malignant cells.
Biography
Tiffany is a senior in the biological sciences department. She works for Dr. Mormile working on Antibiotic resistance studies from isolates in Soap Lake, Washington. She plans on attending the Missouri University of Science and Technology to continue her education as a Masters student. She is actively involved in several organizations on campus including Phi Sigma and AXE.
Research Category
Research Proposals
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Award
Research proposal poster session, Third place
Location
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Presentation Date
03 Apr 2013, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Early Detection of Pre-Malignant Cancer Cells using a VEGFR2-Wzb Angiogenic Receptor in E. Coli
Upper Atrium/Hallway
The development of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) is a requirement for tumor growth and metastasis and the acquisition of this trait is an early indicator of cellular malignancies. A number of angiogenic factors have been discovered that tightly regulate angiogenesis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the angiogenic factors. VEGF binds to a tyrosine kinase receptor which causes it to dimerize and be activated via transphosphorylation. This project proposes to design a synthetic system that will fuse the extracellular region of the VEGF receptor to the Wzb receptor of E. coli. Using VEGFR-Wzb receptor the system will be able to detect excessive amounts of VEGF that may be indicatory of tumor malignancy. This system will relay a signal to turn on a florescent protein that can easily be detected once VEGF has been bound to the receptor. This will allow for an early, non-invasive detection of pre-malignant cells.
