Team:CLS CLSG UK/Collaborations
Collaboration
With an aim of improving our project while also learning more about the diverse applications of synthetic biology, the CLS_CLSG iGEM team has collaborated with multiple university and high school iGEM teams from around the world by exchanging emails and texts as well as having meetings on Zoom or Google Meets. The products of our collaborations include raising awareness about important issues faced by the world today, from both a medical and environmental standpoint.
Baltimore BioCrew
Our team collaborated with Baltimore BioCrew, a high school iGEM team from North America. Learning about their project gave us insight into the effects of climate change on oceans, especially the influence of the lowering iron levels on phytoplankton. Our team shared with them the impact of cocaine in the river Thames on ecosystems in addition to the threat of antibiotic resistance. To raise awareness about this issue, we worked together to create a class that could be shared with younger students.
Exeter
We also worked with Exeter, another team with a focus on the relationship between climate change and the deteriorating conditions of oceans. Through our collaborations, our team learnt about the current conditions of coral reefs and its impact on marine ecosystems. We got the Exeter iGEM team in touch with Baltimore BioCrew due to their similar aims and the Exeter team agreed to act as mentors and answer any questions we had regarding our project.
Edinburgh
Collaborating with Edinburgh showed us the importance of infographics when explaining concepts and projects. While discussing our projects, we also noticed how compatible our projects were. Their creation of a versatile biosensor would be very useful in situations such as detecting bacteria or antibiotics in sewage systems to ensure that no genetically-modified bacteria entered the environment and increased rates of antibiotic resistance.
KCL
Our team also collaborated with KCL, who taught us about the body’s reaction to spinal cord injury. Similarly to the Exeter team, the KCL team agreed to answer any questions we had about our project, regarding both laboratory work and medal criteria. Since the first meeting, the messages on our Whatsapp chat have barely stopped. Between that and the numerous Zoom calls, everyone at the KCL team has been massively helpful in not only advising our lab work but also on fulfilling medal criteria and even uploading parts to the wiki.
THPS
Our collaboration with TPHS brought to our attention the harmful nature of Betel nuts, which are used in many practices and religious ceremonies in South Asia. Although the TPHS team has decided not to take part in the iGEM competition this year, they agreed to share a video about our project with their neighbourhood and school, thus raising awareness about the dangers faced by the European eel as well as the effects its demise is having on the wider ecosystem.
Warwick
Collaborating with the Warwick iGEM team illustrated to us the link between colorectal cancer and a particular strain of E.coli. The importance of this topic meant that our team was eager to aid them in raising awareness in younger years about bowel cancer.
Imperial
Our collaboration with the imperial team was very helpful. Our interactions with them mainly regarded our model, Gabe and the rest of the team helped us to understand and use Michaelis-Menten kinetics and use this to construct a model to find the rate at which our enzyme would work to break down the cocaine. As well as this, their team’s introduction to Synthetic Biology modelling was very helpful in understanding the basics of what we were trying to achieve as well as being a good stepping stone between the theoretical and practical construction of a model for a biological system.