Cornell iGEM has added significant contributions to the mCardinal registry page, which originally briefly detailed its sequence from addgene. Firstly, through Cornell iGEM’s work, the genetic structure of the biobrick was more fully developed. Through in depth literature research, the protein’s biological mechanism of light absorbance and emittance were explained via helpful figures. Furthermore, Cornell iGEM utilized MATLAB and researched parameter values to be able to solve for the solution of the differential equation describing mCardinal protein production. Another modeling figure generated by Cornell iGEM shows that the concentration of mCardinal within E. Coli reaches a steady state of 403 μM, allowing the Trichoscan device to detect the bacteria at a depth of around 20mm. Cornell iGEM robustly characterized the production of mCardinal and its biological usages in order to build upon the originally much smaller, basic understanding that the iGEM community had on the protein.
This year, our team collaborated with Ohio State University, Purdue University, Michigan State University, University of Maryland, and the College of William & Mary iGEM teams to educate the public about synthetic biology and how iGEM teams function. The videos also serve as a resource for current and future iGEM teams to reference for their own projects. Our team wrote two scripts specifically: The first covers our own project, Lumicure, and the second gives a brief introduction and summary on bioterrorism. Each video is presented in a format that will allow even those with little biology background to understand. This collaboration provides a means for iGEM teams to build upon initial research for their projects, and also allows for a chance to contextualize projects in regards to multiple topics, such as bioterrorism, GMOs and more. You can find the Youtube channel here.