HackMyHaploid

Ever wonder how cancer cells become cancer cells? In our app, you'll get to hack genes and interact with proteins.

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How it all started

Back in 2014, I had an interesting idea for a potential science fair zinger- testing to see how cancer cells would adapt or react in certain environments with different factors. Without any funds or direction, I saved the idea for a brighter day. When MHacks 8 rolled into town, the Dreem Meem Teem and I were excited to implement my idea. Personally, I've always known I wanted to major in Biomedical Engineering in college. Finding out new research is really exciting to me, but teaching others about seemingly complex ideas is very rewarding; especially when it is done with such an aesthetically-pleasing interface.

What it does

This a simulation that allows the user to interact with a normal cell with the aim to disturb its gene expression. Our simulation addresses the question: What does it take for a cell become a cancer? In this simulation, for demo purposes, we decided to focus on the p53 gene, once thought to code for oncogenes. The p53 gene is the tumor suppressor gene located in the 17th chromosome of the human genome. If the gene experiences base pair mutations, then the cell runs the risk of becoming malignant as a result of suppressed gene expression.

There are many ways that the trillions of cells populating your person can become malignant and dangerous. This simulation highlights a few of the multitudinous ways your cells can become cancer cells. Specifically in this program, single base pair mutations in the chromosomal DNA located in the nucleus can be controlled by the user, allowing them to see how a seemingly insignificant change in the genetic make-up of an organism can seriously affect how certain processes are carried out (or if they aren't carried out at all).

The user is presented with a series of variables to affect the normal cell in its environment in order to convert it into a cancer cell. With a series of fun animations and interesting tinkering capabilities, people of all ages can see how genomics can play a role into the creation of cancer cells. Perhaps, using this simulation to further understand how cancer comes into being, we can raise more awareness for something a lot of people around the world must live with on a daily basis. By understanding the arbitrary, we will be able come up with answers.

How I built it

We divided the work into 3 large categories: research, design, and frame-working. Two members worked on research, while one did frame-working and general simulation-building while the other focused primarily on designing the animations. Later, we uploaded the bits and pieces to the framework. I wrote a set of directions for the user to follow along to guide them through the app's functionality.

Challenges I ran into

We did not have enough time to add each idea to the completed program, which would've been more fun for the user to play with. We had a hard time choosing only a few of the variables to incorporate into the project. However, we do wish we could've shown more creativity, which was impossible in such a short amount of time.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We were very organized. We were able to divide up work equally and work for hours with sleep shifts as well. We were able to brainstorm and cooperate as group in order to complete such a strenuous task. We finished before the deadline, which goes to show that we were able to accomplish so much in 36 hours while still having tons of fun.

What I learned

Amino acids play a crucial role in the formation of proteins that assist in carrying out metabolic functions of cells. After they are translated from DNA to RNA and then RNA is pushed through a ribosome which then prints out the amino acid chain the DNA originally coded for, the little amino acid strands all link up together to form tertiary and quaternary structures of proteins. Any little mistake, even single base pairs being replaced, can cause serious problems for any cell.

When genes are expressed incorrectly, they have the potential of becoming cancer cells. The gene we selected for this demo is especially prone to single base pair mutations. Discovered only a decade ago, recent studies, experiments and clinical trials note that the p53 gene seems to play a large role in the development of many common cancers. Awareness and understanding is vital in order to begin to solve the problems we currently face in medicine. Cancer has been around longer than recorded human history. People are pre-disposed to certain malignant diseases, and it is imperative that people obtain the proper screenings necessary to potentially catch cancer at an early stage. Single base pair mutations happen all the time, but our DNA polymerases and helices (molecular tools that replicate and spellcheck DNA) tends to take care of this issue most of the time, as well as B and T-cells, specialized white blood cells, which actively comb through our cells to find cancerous cells that are ready to rebel.

However, this is not enough in some cases. Cancer can go undetected in your immune system and mobilize, metastasizing throughout your body until it is too powerful to fight. Yet, we are on the verge of using gene editing tools to fully eradicate powerful diseases such as cancer. Today, you used a simulated, digital version of a gene editing tool in order to prompt a normal cell to become malignant, much like what scientists have recently been doing in laboratories across the world.

What's next for HackMyHaploid

We're hoping to add more traceable genes that can be affected by single base pair mutations within the human genome. We really want to add more variables, such as antibodies and receptor proteins to show users that it can be theoretically possible to stop a cancer cell from dividing further or even revert back to it's original state. We really want to raise awareness, globally, by educating a lot of people on how mutations in their genomes actually work, and how it sometimes causes cancer. More curiosity equals more interested folks willing to stand behind the scientists and health care professionals wanting grants and donations to further our research and get closer to the miracle cure that could save millions of lives.

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