QGEM was happy to collaborate and partner with many other iGEM teams and external partners this year.
Our collaborations and partnerships remind us that the iGEM competition is not just a chance to engage in synthetic biology, but engage with others!
Biosensor Working Group
Our biosensor working group met bi-weekly to provide general knowledge sharing and specialized seminars. Lambert High School in Georgia and the University of Rochester met repeatedly with us regarding modelling, molecular dynamics, human practices throughout the summer months. Though we will miss our meetings, we have no doubt about staying in touch!
This year the University of Rochester was looking to design a biosensor for detection of endometriosis. With this disease, endometrial tissue grows outside the uterine cavity, and affects 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years. Currently an invasive laparoscopy procedure is used to diagnose endometriosis, but biomarker diagnostics are a good future direction.
In our biosensor working group we:
- Discussed methods of biomarker detection and collection such as surface plasmon resonance, fluorescence, antibody detection, microfluidics, and swabs.
- Troubleshooted what biomarkers to detect – it was considered that multiple biomarkers detected is a good strategy, to confirm a diagnosis.
- Provided a live demonstration of mutating with BLAST and protein homology using Phyre2, PyMOL, and Chimera.
- Introduced the topics of molecular dynamics and what it can be used for.
- Shared resources and tips on the creation of synthetic biology education videos.
Lambert High School in Georgia is developing a biosensor to detect levels of phosphate, nitrogen, and iron in aquaponics systems. Aquaponics agriculture can grow fish the same time as growing plants, with plants grown from the fish’s waste discharge. Aquaponics presents an environmentally stable agriculture solution; however, it is important to monitor the levels of nutrients in these systems to best promote plant growth.
In our biosensor working group we:
- Discussed methods of nutrient detection and collection such as live cell fluorescence and external biosensor apparatuses.
- Helped decide upon a system to detect aquaponic nutrients; these may include different cellular pathways that detect phosphate, or nitrogen binding proteins.
- Aided in the methods of expressing and purifying synthetic proteins.
- Provided a live demonstration of mutating with BLAST and protein homology using Phyre2, PyMOL, and Chimera.
- Introduced the topics of molecular dynamics and what it can be used for.
- Shared resources and tips on the creation of synthetic biology education videos.
A partnership is one that should go both ways. Our partners at University of Rochester and Lambert High School taught us so much. We learned about wiki development, got new outreach ideas, and how different biomarkers circulate through the body. The troubleshooting and advice we received was incredibly valuable to the progression of our project.