Projects

Designing a Conceptual Ambulatory Biosensor to Detect A118G in OPRM1 for Personalized Addiction Risk
This project proposes a proof-of-concept design of a biosensor to detect the A118G mutation in the OPRM1 gene. This gene encodes the mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) to which opioids bind and exert their therapeutic effect. Studies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the OPRM1 gene is associated with dependence related behavioral changes. The specific mutation (OPRM1 A118G or rs1799971), alters receptor binding affinity towards opioid ligands and consequently generates elevated positive reinforcement that may contribute to the susceptibility for developing opioid dependence. Furthermore, the area of this mutation is fundamental for the success of maintenance pharmacotherapies such as; methadone, naltrexone, buprenorphine and buprenorphine-naloxone.
Group Final Project
Group Brainstorm on Bacteriophage Engineering Find a group of ~3–4 students Read through the Phage Reading material listed under “Reading & Resources” below. Review the Bacteriophage Final Project Goals for engineering the L Protein: Increased stability (easiest) Higher titers (medium) Higher toxicity of lysis protein (hard) Brainstorm Session Choose one or two main goals from the list that you think you can address computationally (e.g., “We’ll try to stabilize the lysis protein,” or “We’ll attempt to disrupt its interaction with E. coli DnaJ.”).