Our Crowdfunding Groups
Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious, airborne, infectious disease that kills around 1.5 million people annually. It is thought that around 1/3 of the entire population, around 2 billion people, is infected with tuberculosis. Despite current treatments, TB is still the leading infectious cause of death worldwide. At the moment, the tuberculosis epidemic is magnified by the emergence of multidrug resistant strains of TB, or strains that are resistant to more than one of the established drugs used to treat TB. This renders the immediate need for new drugs that are able to effectively treat tuberculosis.
Our Role
As a part of the Gemstone interdisciplinary research program in the University of Maryland Honors College, Team MTB is conducting research on protein interactions within Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which is the leading cause of human tuberculosis. Our research centers around the fact that certain protein interactions are necessary components to the virulence, or the capability to cause infection, of Mtb . We plan to screen a drug panel from the NIH composed of preexisiting, FDA approved drugs with the goal of identifying drugs that are able to disrupt one of the vital protein interactions in Mtb. This would prevent the Mtb from causing a tuberculosis infection.
A huge component of our project is the identification of an effective preexisiting drug as a treatment. This will allow a much quicker and easier alternative option because it avoids the extremely long approval process that comes with creating new drugs. We hope to identify a drug that could quickly turn around and be used to treat TB immediately. With our research we hope to alleviate the difficult treatment process of TB.
The drug panel that is integral to our project is our biggest cost and, in addition to the many lab supplies we will need to complete the research, the costs add up. We are excited to begin our research in the lab and have already begun establishing a screening system. Our next step is to begin looking into the different protein interactions and then we hope to start our screen of the drug panel. We cannot wait to see what discoveries we will make in our research, but in order to do so, we need your help! We would appreciate any donation you would like to give to help support the monetary costs of our research, from ordering basic lab supplies, to purchasing our drug panel and running our tests.
Thank you so much for supporting our project! Together, we can work to find new, effective treatments for tuberculosis and tackle this grave issue. Visit our website for more information: ter.ps/teammtb
Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents. Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.
This contribution will go towards the purchase of basic lab materials such as inkbottles, cloning prep kits, and bacterial growth plates, all needed for lab preparation.
This contribution will go towards the purchase of record keeping supplies such as notebooks that are essential to keeping protocols organized and maintaining accurate data.
This contribution will go towards member fees and travel costs to conferences, where we can share our lab findings with others in the discipline. REWARD: Receive a personal shout out on our social media!
This contribution will go towards the purchase of essential lab supplies such as micropipette tips and centrifuge tips that are needed to conduct basic lab techniques. REWARD: Receive a handwritten thank you note from a team member!
This contribution will go towards the purchase of two types of growth medium, essential to growing our M. smegmatis cells. REWARD: Receive a photo of our team signed by all our members!
This contribution will go towards the purchase of cloning materials such as PCR kits and restriction enzymes, both needed to construct plasmids containing the suspect proteins. REWARD: Receive recognition in our future presentations.
This contribution will help purchase Alamar Blue, an important cell viability reagent needed to evaluate cell proliferation. REWARD: Receive a personal invitation to come have dinner with members from our team to have all your questions answered!
This contribution will go towards our most crucial item, a drug panel from the NIH, which we will need to conduct screening systems to find a drug that will treat TB! REWARD: Receive a personal invitation to our Thesis Conference and a copy of our final thesis!