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Dear Prof. Qasaimeh
I hope you're doing well. I am reaching out from the NYUAD iGEM biotech group. We are multidisciplinary diverse undergraduate researchers with teams currently working on synthetic biology parts, hardware development, and data management solutions. We tap the huge incubating environment our university has afforded us to develop solutions using synthetic biology methods. The group has previously worked to develop Exterminator Coli self-sustaining mosquito trap in 2015, a shiga-like toxin detection using PAGE gels with Prokary-eat in 2016, a travel food pathogen detection device using novel DNA amplification techniques in 2017/8, and a three-part solution to pandemic prevention in global travel using microfluidics-based rapid diagnostics back in 2019.
With a quest to finally develop a finished market-ready solution, we are now developing a field point of care fungal diagnostic device based on DNA detection. Since the engineering aspect of our project is closely associated with your work, I thought it best to build rapport. The engineering team expects to make some major decisions about the components of our solution early next week and I was hoping you'd be able to join a meeting with the rest of our faculty advisors (Yong-Ak Song, Alan Richard Healy, Mazin Magzoub, Andras Gyorgy, Ibrahim Chehade, Esteban Salvemini and others) early next week.
Here's a brief progress report we made earlier in the summer to get a brief overview of our project. Our process involved understanding the testing pathway beginning with sample collection -- swabbing the animal in our case (although we're also looking into eDNA means). The first stage of our project, which we plan on completing by the end of October, involves making decisions and prototyping our extraction/purification method, reaction medium/method, and reporting/sensing methods. To that end, we have spent the past few months researching and working with stakeholders to better understand the problem and potential solutions, particularly with chytrid in Amphibians. Our running options are the following:
- DNA Extraction and Purification:
- We have narrowed down our methods to two options: bead beating and using a lysis buffer. The engineering team has taken the lead on looking into bead beating and the biology team will input on lysis buffers for extraction. We are also still looking into sonication and electrical lysis but there is little prospect to it so far. While we're not yet certain about the need for DNA purification after lysis, we are looking into Whatman FTA paper, silica matrices, and magnetic beads for DNA separation if we do need to purify.
- Reaction medium:
- Reaction medium is a term we use to refer to the architecture that runs the reaction i.e. microfluidics, LFA, etc. This is another area we expect to have more clarity on later in August and we are hoping you could particularly be of help in this area. In the past, the group has worked with microfluidics as our reaction medium but we're looking into other options to make sure we conceptualize the most suited method.
- Reporting and sensing:
- The three possible options we are looking at are using a lateral flow assay, E-CRISPR, and fluorescence which that team has already experience on. We currently have members looking at all three options and potential sensing mechanisms we could use.
The team would greatly benefit from your input as the campus expert on microfluidic and MEMS devices for biomedical applications, and point of care diagnostics. We would truly appreciate engaging beginning with the meeting we intend to have early next week. Please let me know if that's possible and any questions you might have.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Dear Zoltan,
I hope this email reaches you well I am reaching from the NYUAD iGEM undergraduate research group. With a quest to finally develop a finished market-ready solution, we are now developing a field point of care fungal diagnostic device based on DNA detection. Since the engineering team has greatly benefited from the quick interaction they had with you the past year, I thought its best to build rapport. The engineering team expects to make some major decisions about the components of our solution this coming week and I was hoping you'd be able to join a meeting with the rest of our faculty advisors (Yong-Ak Song, Alan Richard Healy, Mazin Magzoub, Andras Gyorgy, Ibrahim Chehade, Esteban Salvemini and others) early next week.
Here's a brief progress report we made earlier in the summer to get a brief overview of our project. Our process involved understanding the testing pathway beginning with sample collection -- swabbing the animal in our case (although we're also looking into eDNA means). The first stage of our project, which we plan on completing by the end of October, involves making decisions and prototyping our extraction/purification method, reaction medium/method, and reporting/sensing methods. To that end, we have spent the past few months researching and working with stakeholders to better understand the problem and potential solutions, particularly with chytrid in Amphibians. Our running options are the following:
- Extraction and Purification:
- We have narrowed down our methods to two options: bead beating and using a lysis buffer. The engineering team has taken the lead on looking into bead beating and the biology team will input on lysis buffers for extraction. As of now, we don't see a need for purification. We are also still looking into sonication and electrical lysis but there is little prospect to it so far.
- Reaction medium:
- Reaction medium is a term we use to refer to the architecture that runs the reaction i.e. microfluidics, LFA, etc. This is an area we expect to have more clarity on later in August. In the past, the group has worked with microfluidics as our reaction medium but we're looking into other options to make sure we conceptualize the most suited method.
- Reporting and sensing:
- The three possible options we are looking at are using a lateral flow assay, E-CRISPR, and fluorescence which the team has already experience on. We currently have members looking at all three options and potential sensing mechanisms we could use.
I think the team would greatly benefit from your input as you've proven to be knowledgable in a lot of areas and we would truly appreciate engaging beginning with the meeting we intend to have later this week. Please fill in this doodle poll if that's possible and let me know of any questions you might have.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Faculty Advisors
Dear all,
The first stage of our project, which we plan on completing by the end of October, involves making decisions and prototyping our extraction/purification method, reaction medium/method, and reporting/sensing mechanism.
In the following week, we anticipate making important decisions on which methods we are going to conceptualize and we would greatly benefit from your input. To that end, the biology team would like to request an hour-long meeting early this coming week and the same for the engineering team but next week.
Please fill in this doodle poll to indicate your availability for the biology meeting and this one for the engineering.
Warm regards,
NYUAD iGEM