Biotechnology Product to Cure

Asthma
By Naomi Michaelis, Elise Chassman, Natalie Metzger, and
Lindsey Loeber

The Problem:
-There are no long-term cures or solutions for
asthma.

Current Limitations:
-Even though there are inhalers that can soothe
the throat, it only provides temporary relief.

Previous Attempted Solutions:

Our original idea was to use gene therapy, but we
had no method to insert it into the body, and we
didnt know how to target it to a specific place in
the body.

Photo via
10homeremedies.com

Which method are we

using?

Drug delivery system- liposome

Liposome- a tiny bubble (vesicle), made
out of the same material as a cell
membrane
*can be filled with drugs for cancer and
other diseases

Our Product:
-drug delivery system using liposomes
-budesonide encapsulated in sterically stabilized liposomes to
prevent lung inflammation and airway hyperreactivity and
swelling (tested in a mouse model of asthma)
-budesonide is a steroid and decongestant
-need to receive delivery of liposome bi-weekly until the patient
is receiving better results in order to have significant reduction
in lung and airway inflammation
-prevents all asthma attacks

Photo via
Wikipedia

Production Process:
-make liposome
Need an equal ratio of phospholipids to key nutrients for
proper liposome encapsulation.
Must be protected from Oxygen
-insert it into patient and watch for any negative side effects

What did our virtual

mentor tell us?

He led us to a PDF that shows Lung tissue

shows a significant decrease in lung
inflammation in the weekly budesonide
treatment groups. These studies have shown
that lung inflammation is significantly
decreased using this novel drug delivery.

-Our virtual mentor is Dr.

Duzgunes.
-He has a Ph.D. in biophysics
-He is currently a professor and chair of
microbiology at University of the Pacific

How We Test the Product

If we made the product, we would test it by injecting it into
the lungs during clinical studies
Then, we would check for lung inflammation and
hyperreactivity and see if the liposomes were successful
Finally, we would record the results and make modifications
as needed to make the medicine safe and work well.

Works Cited:
http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/asthma
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/basics/definition/con20026992
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma/treatment
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/asthma/treatment-for-asthma.php
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26721435
http://www.livonlabs.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi/liposome-encapsulated/high-qualityliposomal-supplements.html

Thank You!
LennGen Productions