Heart disease is the number one cause of death in humans. But fish can also suffer from heart problems-especially in fish farms, where sick fish often go unnoticed. Many fish die from blood clots inside their bodies, and farmers cannot easily tell what caused it.
Our team is studying a special molecule called hirudin, which comes from leeches. Hirudin stops blood from clotting and has been used to treat human heart disease for over 100 years. We want to know: can hirudin also help fish?
We Identified hirudin genes from 12 types of leeches. We then converted these genes into genetic parts that can be used by all iGEM teams to do research on. Our own research shows that synthetic hirudin from these genes have the potential to help fish live longer and healthier lives in farms.
This project brings together biology, medicine, and care for animals. We hope it will lead to better ways to treat fish and improve fish farming around the world.