<p>Kidney stones are one of the most painful conditions, primarily because most stones need to exit the body with the urine. Most kidney stones (>65%) are hard stones consisting of calcium oxalate crystals that form in the renal pelvis. Smaller stones are able to move down the ureters into the bladder and out with the urine. Treatment consists of pain-relieving medication, an excess of water, and movement. Large stones that get stuck, often in the ureters, are either removed by surgery or broken down with sound waves before being excreted from the body naturally.
<h3class="sub-title">Why and how?</h3>
<p>Kidney stones are one of the most painful conditions a human can suffer from, primarily because most stones need to exit the body with the urine. Most kidney stones (>65%) are hard stones consisting of calcium oxalate crystals that form in the renal pelvis. Smaller stones are able to move down the ureters into the bladder and out with the urine. Treatment consists of pain-relieving medication, an excess of water, and movement. Large stones that get stuck, often in the ureters, are either removed by surgery or broken down with sound waves before being excreted from the body naturally.
Our goal is to use synthetic biology to build the stepping stones for a potential enzyme-based treatment against kidney stones. In our project, we will research whether you can break down oxalate, and potentially calcium oxalate crystals, using E. coli (K-12) producing the enzyme oxalate oxidase. We aspire to find an alternative, less painful way of removing kidney stones. Furthermore, a large majority of kidney stone patients experience a recurrence of kidney stones, and we hope that the enzyme produced by the bacteria will be able to lower the levels of oxalate, as kidney stones are often caused by hyperoxaluria.</p>
