The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) 2009 Jamboree dates are coming closer and for next few days we are going to look around the wikis to learn more about what different teams are doing this year. iGEM 2009 is bigger than ever, in fact more than 110 teams competing this year's Jamboree falls on Halloween (October 31) weekend. The 2009 Brown iGEM team is taking an innovative synthetic biological approach to create self-regulating drug factory in the nose to treat the allergic rhinitis which is the most common type of nasal allergy with symptoms such as nasal congestion, itching, burning, sneezing, etc . Team has engineered a new effective strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis that can cure allergy without any side effect.

iGEM team worked to treat allergic rhinitis by engineering Staphylococcus epidermidis, a microbe endogenous to the human nasal flora, to secrete a recombinant histamine-binding protein in response to the elevated histamine concentrations of an allergic response. The engineered strain of S. epidermidis will function as a self-regulating drug factory in the nose, providing relief, without any negative side effects.