Team:Tsinghua/Brainstorm
Brainstorming
Before we focused on NBA, we had brainstorming several times together. Lots of ideas had come up for our project, including Biomedical (creating cheap and efficient drugs using synthetic biology), Biochemical (synthesis of synthetic chemicals), Bioelectronics (synthetic biology-based biosensors) and so on.
All the ideas are summarized as following:
BS1: Detection of Parkinson's Disease using a biosensor based on perillaldehyde
Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting an estimated 7 million people worldwide.
Current diagnostic procedures rely on observations of late-stage motor symptoms, meaning delays and misdiagnoses occur. For individuals, this means therapies which delay the severity of Parkinson’s Disease may not begin until physical symptoms are present.
Our project, inspired by a Super Smeller who can distinguish PD even pre-PD patients among normal population, investigated the use of biosensors to detect pre-motor symptom biomarker, perillaldehyde, associated with Parkinson’s Disease.
BS2: Fight with Toothache
Everyone who has suffered from toothache would agree that: “Toothache is nothing serious, but once it hurts, it kills.” When the balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria in our mouth is broken, it will lead to dental plaque and then tooth decay, which can usually cause the toothache.
Nowadays, the usual way to cure toothache is the gargle of chlorine or just take some painkillers and antibiotics. But these methods usually can also kill the good bacteria in our mouth.
In our Project, we want to build a human antimicrobial peptide expression system and dental plaque detect system.
BS3: Utilizing melanin to degrade drugs
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which gather medicines discharged from hospitals, pharmaceutical factories, households, and veterinary hospitals, are considered to be the main source of medicines in the environment.
However, the traditional treatment methods used in factories have low efficiency in removing drugs, because traditional methods are suitable for the degradation of non-polar, biodegradable, and large compounds, rather than small compounds and polar-prone drug substances, such as ofloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and so on.
In our project, Fluoroquinolones can be combined with melanin and separated from melanin when the pH value decreases, so as to achieve the purpose of treatment and recovery.
BS4: Control Locust with Sterile Embryo by Targeted delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein into Ovaries
BS5: Make Tissue Bonding Strips by Mussel Foot Proteins
Marine mussels have mastered the ability to anchor to foreign surfaces in seawater through the use of adhesive proteins. These mussel foot proteins (Mfps) are known to cure rapidly to form adhesive plaques with high interfacial binding strength, durability, and toughness, which are nontoxic, biodegradable, and have low immunogenic qualities.
Our project investigated the use of mussel foot proteins to make tissue bonding strips for hemostasis or tissue repairing in the body, where is moist and of high tension like tendon, muscle and so on.
BS6: CAMERA
The systems CAMERA 1/2 are reported in 2018, which picture us a new way to record stimulis that occur in the cell's living environment. It uses Crispr to detect various substances in the environment.
The system is divided into two system Compared with other recording methods developed previously, these CRISPR-used systems have obviously advantage in the recording time which can last more than 144 hours.
These systems meet our expectation in the field of CRISPR logic gate system.
BS7: Artificial gender in E.coli
Most bacteria reproduce by fission, while some germs like E.coli can have conjugation through transmitting the f-plasmid. We want to utilize this property to construct an artificial gender in E.coli. Two kinds of gender-specific plasmid will be generate. Germs with male-plasmid (E.coli_M) will have the ability to conjugate with germs with female-plasmid (E.coli_F) . E.coli_F can attract the other E.coli_M and germs in the same gender will be more distant. With various fluorescent protein, we can monitor the distribution of two genders and the mating status, only germs have already conjugated can start a cycle of fission.
We anticipate this artificial gender model will be a novel and interesting idea as an iGEM project. It will be useful to investigate sexual-related behavior since we can generate any kinds of sexual properties on the germ.
BS8: Anti-biofouling by Bilayer
Although significant progress has been made in finding effective and environmentally friendly antifoulants, releasing them efficiently is still challenging.
Our project aims to develop a bilayer anti-microfouling coating system to increase the efficiency of releasing antifoulants. The outer layer of the system contains the antifoulant, vanadium haloperoxidase, and the inner layer contains Pseudoalteromonas Tunicata, which is able to sense the infect bacteria and release the antifoulant by degrading the matrix of the outer layer.
BS9: Detecting pesticide using biosensor of immoblized acetylcholinesterase outside cells
Organophophorous Pesticides (OPPs) are currently widely used pesticides, and poisoning incidents related to OPPs occur from time to time, especially in underdeveloped countries and regions. At present, there are many detection methods for OPPs, which can be roughly divided into physical-chemical methods and biological methods.
Physical-chemical method requires more preparations for testing materials, so it is difficult to perform rapidly and conveniently. Biosensor detection technology overcomes the shortcomings and is currently being widely used. Even so, they still have some problems of continuity, stability, diversity, enzyme activity and so on.
In our project, we decided to use immobilized acetylcholinesterase outside cells to realize biosensor detection of pesticide residues, and made specific implementation methods, possible problems, HP and other aspects. Analysis, hope to provide an effective and convenient OPPs detection method.
BS10: Clock oscillator based RSM
The purpose of this project is to make a sequential logic control system and use this control system to connect the biological signal generated by a rhythm oscillator.
The system consists of a “clock” and a RSM-based logic pathway in bacteria. The clock is an oscillator with a repeated signal cycle that act as a "metronome" to trigger actions of sequential logic circuits. RSM is a sequential logic control system based on recombinase which can indicate and control states. Paired with a clock signal, it can realize state transition. The control unit is a functional part which can convert a signal from the clock into complex functions.
BS1: Detection of Parkinson's Disease using a biosensor based on perillaldehyde
Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting an estimated 7 million people worldwide.
Current diagnostic procedures rely on observations of late-stage motor symptoms, meaning delays and misdiagnoses occur. For individuals, this means therapies which delay the severity of Parkinson’s Disease may not begin until physical symptoms are present.
Our project, inspired by a Super Smeller who can distinguish PD even pre-PD patients among normal population, investigated the use of biosensors to detect pre-motor symptom biomarker, perillaldehyde, associated with Parkinson’s Disease.
BS2: Fight with Toothache
Everyone who has suffered from toothache would agree that: “Toothache is nothing serious, but once it hurts, it kills.” When the balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria in our mouth is broken, it will lead to dental plaque and then tooth decay, which can usually cause the toothache.
Nowadays, the usual way to cure toothache is the gargle of chlorine or just take some painkillers and antibiotics. But these methods usually can also kill the good bacteria in our mouth.
In our Project, we want to build a human antimicrobial peptide expression system and dental plaque detect system.
BS3: Utilizing melanin to degrade drugs
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which gather medicines discharged from hospitals, pharmaceutical factories, households, and veterinary hospitals, are considered to be the main source of medicines in the environment.
However, the traditional treatment methods used in factories have low efficiency in removing drugs, because traditional methods are suitable for the degradation of non-polar, biodegradable, and large compounds, rather than small compounds and polar-prone drug substances, such as ofloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and so on.
In our project, Fluoroquinolones can be combined with melanin and separated from melanin when the pH value decreases, so as to achieve the purpose of treatment and recovery.
BS4: Control Locust with Sterile Embryo by Targeted delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein into Ovaries
BS5: Make Tissue Bonding Strips by Mussel Foot Proteins
Marine mussels have mastered the ability to anchor to foreign surfaces in seawater through the use of adhesive proteins. These mussel foot proteins (Mfps) are known to cure rapidly to form adhesive plaques with high interfacial binding strength, durability, and toughness, which are nontoxic, biodegradable, and have low immunogenic qualities.
Our project investigated the use of mussel foot proteins to make tissue bonding strips for hemostasis or tissue repairing in the body, where is moist and of high tension like tendon, muscle and so on.
BS6: CAMERA
The systems CAMERA 1/2 are reported in 2018, which picture us a new way to record stimulis that occur in the cell's living environment. It uses Crispr to detect various substances in the environment.
The system is divided into two system Compared with other recording methods developed previously, these CRISPR-used systems have obviously advantage in the recording time which can last more than 144 hours.
These systems meet our expectation in the field of CRISPR logic gate system.
BS7: Artificial gender in E.coli
Most bacteria reproduce by fission, while some germs like E.coli can have conjugation through transmitting the f-plasmid. We want to utilize this property to construct an artificial gender in E.coli. Two kinds of gender-specific plasmid will be generate. Germs with male-plasmid (E.coli_M) will have the ability to conjugate with germs with female-plasmid (E.coli_F) . E.coli_F can attract the other E.coli_M and germs in the same gender will be more distant. With various fluorescent protein, we can monitor the distribution of two genders and the mating status, only germs have already conjugated can start a cycle of fission.
We anticipate this artificial gender model will be a novel and interesting idea as an iGEM project. It will be useful to investigate sexual-related behavior since we can generate any kinds of sexual properties on the germ.
BS8: Anti-biofouling by Bilayer
Although significant progress has been made in finding effective and environmentally friendly antifoulants, releasing them efficiently is still challenging.
Our project aims to develop a bilayer anti-microfouling coating system to increase the efficiency of releasing antifoulants. The outer layer of the system contains the antifoulant, vanadium haloperoxidase, and the inner layer contains Pseudoalteromonas Tunicata, which is able to sense the infect bacteria and release the antifoulant by degrading the matrix of the outer layer.
BS9: Detecting pesticide using biosensor of immoblized acetylcholinesterase outside cells
Organophophorous Pesticides (OPPs) are currently widely used pesticides, and poisoning incidents related to OPPs occur from time to time, especially in underdeveloped countries and regions. At present, there are many detection methods for OPPs, which can be roughly divided into physical-chemical methods and biological methods.
Physical-chemical method requires more preparations for testing materials, so it is difficult to perform rapidly and conveniently. Biosensor detection technology overcomes the shortcomings and is currently being widely used. Even so, they still have some problems of continuity, stability, diversity, enzyme activity and so on.
In our project, we decided to use immobilized acetylcholinesterase outside cells to realize biosensor detection of pesticide residues, and made specific implementation methods, possible problems, HP and other aspects. Analysis, hope to provide an effective and convenient OPPs detection method.
BS10: Clock oscillator based RSM
The purpose of this project is to make a sequential logic control system and use this control system to connect the biological signal generated by a rhythm oscillator.
The system consists of a “clock” and a RSM-based logic pathway in bacteria. The clock is an oscillator with a repeated signal cycle that act as a "metronome" to trigger actions of sequential logic circuits. RSM is a sequential logic control system based on recombinase which can indicate and control states. Paired with a clock signal, it can realize state transition. The control unit is a functional part which can convert a signal from the clock into complex functions.
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