Team Venus: Meeting 4 (with Dr. Wasser)

After lab this week team Venus met with Dr. Wasser to discuss our ideas in order to determine if they were realistic and possible. We also wanted to make sure it was okay to make our device using the disease myasthenia gravis as a focus. Dr. Wasser assured us that it was fine to use myasthenia gravis as a focus, as long as we do not make a device that targets the acetylcholine receptors. The two ideas we are considering are to create synthetic ion channels to increase the amount of sodium ions through the membrane or to create pumps that would accelerate the sodium ions through the existing channels. Dr. Wasser said these were both great ideas but that the pump may be more difficult because we would have to find a way to accelerate the ions. We were also assured that if we make a pump then it would never pump too many ions into the membrane to disturb the gradient. In addition, Dr. Wasser suggested that if we do the synthetic channels then we should model them after the natural channels. Before this meeting, we were hesitant to continue until we knew we were on the right track. Now, with Dr. Wasser’s advice and assurance, we have decided to research both ideas and write the pros and cons of each in order to pick the idea we want to use.