User:Becky Kusko
20.109 Fall 2007
Name
Becky Kusko
Course
20
Year of Graduation
2009
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.
