THIS IS THE INTERIOR
OF A PETRI DISH

Here lies our team’s solution to a disease that plagues
indigenous people and the poor scattered across Brazil.

These little balloons floating around are called

LACTOBACILLUS
ACIDOPHILUS

They are known for being used as probiotics and to act as lactose digestors. Our team hopes to harness their usefullness and transform them into a new ally against an old brazilian foe: HELMINTHS.

HELMINTHS

Are parasitic worms protected by a chitinous skin that can infest people.
Currently they afflict up to a fifith of the world’s total population,
being prevalent in developing countries and rural areas that lack adequate sanitization.

HELMINTHS

These worms cause significant damage to the gastrointestinal system,
leading to malnourishment. Left unchecked, the infection can even
stunt the developing process
of children, leaving lifelong scars.

HELMINTHS

Currently these infestations are treated with anthelminthic drugs.
While these drugs do kill the worms, they do nothing to recuperate the patient,
who may keep having digestive problems.
Our proposed solution will kill the parasites while helping the patients stay healthy.

BACK AT THE
PETRI DISH

Something has changed while you were gone. Our newest ally against the helminths
is finally ready. Want to meet him?

MEET AIKUTE¹

Aikute is a genetically modified organism (GMO, for short).
Specifically, he is a modified version of the Lactobacillus acidophilus you’ve met earlier.
We have created him from a bacteria that already aids us in our daily lives but we also taught him
a new fancy trick: He now produces a protein called chitinase.
¹ : Aikute means “child” in the Xakriabá dialect. The Xakriabá are indigenous brazilians that have been struggling against helminthic infections and we decided to pay homage to their plight.

CHITINASE

Is an enzyme that breaks down chitin. This means that when our new friends get ingested,
they start producing a substance that damages the shells of helminths
and their eggs, causing them to die. At the same time they also help with the patient’s recovery,
improving digestive functions and alleviating malnutrition.

HERE AT iGEM

We belive that Aikute might hold the key to a brigher future not only for the Xakriabás, but for many more that
suffer the same fate under the threat of helminthic infections. We hope to take our microscopic “children” to meet real children so they can,
together, rise above this challenge.