User:Becky Kusko

Name
Becky Kusko

Course
20

Year of Graduation
2009

Email
rkusko AT mit DOT edu

Hometown
Hopewell Junction, NY

Residence
Burton-Conner, Conner 4

Subjects this Term
7.03 20.320 21F.712 20.109 UROP(credit)

Research
Current Project:
 * Samson Lab
 * DNA damage and repair

Research Interests:
 * Base Excision Repair
 * ATM, ATR, DNApk(cs)
 * MMS, Me-Lex

Research Proposal Idea: Cancerphilic bateria
It has long been known that bacteria use external signals to decide when to invade cells, and that bacteria can release proteins into the cells they invade. Using genetic engineering and synthetic biology, these two functions of bacteria could be used as a therapy for cancer. Many cancers are known to have heavily overexpressed or mutant surface proteins. Bacteria could be engineered to only recognize cells with surface proteins indicative of cancer. Moreover, the bacteria could be further mutated to release a cytotoxic agent upon entering the cell, or cause lysis/apoptosis.

Reference: Anderson, J. C., Clarke, E. J., Arkin, A. P., Voigt, C. A. “Environmentally controlled invasion of cancer cells by engineered bacteria” J. Mol Biol., 355(4), 619-27, 2005.