Thank you so much! While we were not able to complete the Time Kill Assay ourselves in the lab, that was my favorite experiment because I feel as though the results truly showed the potential of Azacitidine as an antibiotic.
Hi Judie! We determined the concentrations for our future directions by looking at our dose response curve and and the absorbance at dilutions ranging from 5-0.125uM.
Hi Melissa! We could test the idea that lower dosages may not have the same side effects as seen in larger doses by comparing side effects that are seen Azacitidine’s standard dosing that is used in chemotherapy to side effects seen at lower doses.
Hi Caelan! We did have an experimental error during one of our first few trials so we redid the experimental protocol and it yielded results that were similar to our previous data.
Hi Eitan! Unfortunately yes I would be worried about bacterial resistance to Azacitidine in the future because while the drug could potentially kill the bacteria successfully, mutations in the bacteria are random and resistance could be inevitable.
Hi Alex! A test can be used to determine the proper dose by comparing the compound in question to an antibiotic that is already known to be effective such as Ampicillin. You could use that known antibiotic as the positive control in the experiment and determine the effectiveness of the compound by performing a dosage response curve.
Do you believe that since the dosage is 1000x smaller than chemotherapy that it wouldn’t be nearly as effective, and do you believe that increasing the dosage could increase effectiveness without drastically increasing the side effects?
Hi Casey! I do believe that even though the dosage is decreased, it would continue to be effective as it would inhibit the DNA methylation in the bacteria which could potentially stop the bacteria from growing and killing it over time. Since chemotherapies are very hard on the body and are known for having terrible side effects, I think that if you were to increase the dose, the unwanted side effects would be increased as well.
Great presentation! What was your favorite experiment and why?
Thank you so much! While we were not able to complete the Time Kill Assay ourselves in the lab, that was my favorite experiment because I feel as though the results truly showed the potential of Azacitidine as an antibiotic.
How did you come up with the concentrations for your future directions?
Hi Judie! We determined the concentrations for our future directions by looking at our dose response curve and and the absorbance at dilutions ranging from 5-0.125uM.
How could you test the idea that lower dosages may not have the same side effects seen in larger doses?
Hi Melissa! We could test the idea that lower dosages may not have the same side effects as seen in larger doses by comparing side effects that are seen Azacitidine’s standard dosing that is used in chemotherapy to side effects seen at lower doses.
Do you think any experimental error may have been present?
Hi Caelan! We did have an experimental error during one of our first few trials so we redid the experimental protocol and it yielded results that were similar to our previous data.
Thank you for the presentation! Would you be worried about bacterial resistance to azacitidine in the future?
Hi Eitan! Unfortunately yes I would be worried about bacterial resistance to Azacitidine in the future because while the drug could potentially kill the bacteria successfully, mutations in the bacteria are random and resistance could be inevitable.
How could a test to determine the proper does as an antibiotic be designed?
Hi Alex! A test can be used to determine the proper dose by comparing the compound in question to an antibiotic that is already known to be effective such as Ampicillin. You could use that known antibiotic as the positive control in the experiment and determine the effectiveness of the compound by performing a dosage response curve.
Do you believe that since the dosage is 1000x smaller than chemotherapy that it wouldn’t be nearly as effective, and do you believe that increasing the dosage could increase effectiveness without drastically increasing the side effects?
Hi Casey! I do believe that even though the dosage is decreased, it would continue to be effective as it would inhibit the DNA methylation in the bacteria which could potentially stop the bacteria from growing and killing it over time. Since chemotherapies are very hard on the body and are known for having terrible side effects, I think that if you were to increase the dose, the unwanted side effects would be increased as well.