Team:OhioState/Contribution
Contribution
While making meaningful contributions to their respective field is the ultimate goal of any scientific researcher, it’s also critical that we work towards providing future researchers with the tools and information they need to succeed. In our project, we've accomplished this by creating several tools we believe will help future iGEM teams and synthetic biologists consider the role of biosafety and incorporate the appropriate safeguards into their projects.
Database
Appropriate biocontainment can help with the implementation of synthetic biology products. We aim to make this as easy as possible with our user-friendly database of biocontainment systems and supporting data. This will allow future teams and researchers to easily view, compare, and ultimately choose the biocontainment system that is best suited for their project.
Mathematical Modeling
There are countless variations of possible biocontainment systems, and testing all of the combinations would take a lot of time and resources. In order to determine the properties of a specific biocontainment system without needing to test the entire construct in the lab, we have created models that can take the properties of component genes and predict characteristics that the resulting biocontainment system would exhibit. These models still need to be proven, but are a welcome addition to our toolset.
Protocols
There is a lack of standardization between researchers measuring different properties of biocontainment systems. To address this, we developed a set of several protocols that can be used to gather consistent, reliable data on these systems and their component genes. Here, we present protocols for measuring properties including promoter strength, toxin lethality, escape frequency, and strain fitness.
Regulations
Products that use synthetic biology or genetic engineering technologies are often regulated by multiple government entities, and the process to gaining the appropriate approvals and certifications can be very confusing. To help future teams make their way through this process, we’ve presented the US regulatory guidelines in a simplified format to be more easily understood. This will serve to help teams know what agencies they will need to work with to get approved.
Educational Videos
In order to apply the tools we have developed, a base understanding of synthetic biology is imperative. Our suite of educational videos, made in collaboration with other teams under the channel title Breaking Down Synbio, are perfectly geared towards helping both aspiring researchers and the general public to understand synthetic biology and the good it can do for the world. We intend for this collaboration to be passed onto future teams to expand upon, creating an extremely comprehensive collection of educational media.