https://video.igem.org/videos/watch/4f436816-292a-4d21-8ad3-3a814d096cba Title: CondenSense: Early Detection of Pharmaceutical Toxicity Description: It is estimated that roughly 90% of drugs candidates that progress to clinical trials fail to reach approval, with 30% of the failures being attributed to drug toxicity. This highlights the need for better detection of pharmaceutical toxicity earlier in the development process which CondenSense aims to address. Current toxicity detection approaches rely on changes in gene expression, requiring transcription and translation before a detectable signal can be produced. CondenSense instead utilises liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) which is a natural process that occurs within cells, where molecules gather to form biomolecular condensates. We have designed a fusion protein that consists of OxyR, a linker, the intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of FUS, and superfolder GFP (sfGFP). In response to oxidative stress from hydrogen peroxide, OxyR responds to changes in cellular conditions, promoting interactions involving FUS IDR, promoting condensate formation. As the fusion proteins accumulate together, they produce a visible signal of cellular stress. CondenSense aims to provide a quick and visible readout of cellular stress and has the potential to provide researchers with a tool that can identify toxicity earlier into drug development. This could help reduce time, money and resources spent on a drug that may ultimately fail. Official Page Tue, 01 Sep 2026 16:55:09 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://video.igem.org https://video.igem.org/client/assets/images/icons/icon-1500x1500.png https://video.igem.org/videos/watch/4f436816-292a-4d21-8ad3-3a814d096cba All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://video.igem.org/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.