Clozapine, a schizophrenic medication, can adversely affect a patient's immune system. In some patients, clozapine causes agranulocytosis by an unknown mechanism. Our working hypothesis is that clozapine reacts with H2O2 within granulocytes, generating a toxic product. We developed an assay in the model organism -- Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 11 reproducibly repeated trials resulted in a negative correlation between the concentration of clozapine and yeast cell density, and determination of the MIC50 of clozapine for yeast cells. The repeated dose dependent inhibition of yeast cell growth by clozapine, in the presence of H2O2, indicates that yeast cells can indeed serve as a model for understanding agranulocytosis in the population of patients treated with clozapine.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Royer, Christine Anne

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-101211-183302

Advisor

• Rao, Reeta Prusty

Year

• 2011

Date created

• 2011-10-12

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright

License

• All rights reserved

Last modified

• 2021-02-02