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CUHK-HongKong-SBS
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iGEM 2026
CUHK-HongKong-SBS
[ iGEM 2026 ] CUHK-HongKong-SBS
[ 01 ] — Move the cursor across the surface
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Our body takes 28 days to grow new skin cells.
0days
But for 125 million people, that clock runs violently fast.
In psoriasis, the immune system panics, forcing cells to replicate in just 3 days.
0days
The result is a chaotic traffic jam on the surface - building a visible, painful armor.
[ 03 ] — Hover over the body to explore types of psoriasis.
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460BC
Hippocrates looked at the dry, scale like plaques of the afflicted and classified it as
"Lopoi"
150AD
Later, the ancient Greek physician Galen formally gave this torment its modern name --"PSORA", meaning itchy.
But in antiquity, to itch was to be cast out.....
Because society could not tell it apart from leprosy, patients were stripped off their dignity and forced to carry bronze bells to clapper their approach.
Patients were not just suffering from diseases, they were exiled to the shadows of the ancient world.
2026AD
Centuries have passed, empires have fallen, and the modern medicine has eroded.
Yet, the core of this tragedy remains entirely unchanged.
Psora remains an unhealed, deeply stubborn riddle of human biology.
Has the ancient stigma truly vanished?
[ 05 ] — Hover on the glowing stars to check our patients' voices
Topical steroids and biologics offer relief, but serious side effects—like skin atrophy and immunosuppression—limit long-term use.
Many patients experience treatment resistance. For instance, long-term methotrexate use risks severe liver toxicity and frequent relapse.
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How Might We leverage synthetic biology to create a targeted, non-invasive therapeutic for plaque psoriasis that prevents plaque formation at its root?
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We genetically modified Lactiplantibacillus plantarum to transcribe inflammatory antagonist and immunomodulator linked by TACE (TNF-α Converting Enzyme) Cleavable Linker with a skin penetrating peptide.
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