Team:Valencia/Experts

Engineering Without Borders (EWB) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to cooperation for development, which seeks to put technology at service of development, in order to construct a fairer world society.

We consider our project would be of great application in many EWB projects in underdeveloped countries, so we had a meeting with two of its members and asked them some questions about our water-disinfecting system:

What’s the global situation in the world regarding drinking water?

As you know, millions of people die every year because they don’t have access to drinking water. We differentiate between “black waters”, which are contaminated by bacteria causing numerous diseases such as cholera, diarrea or typhoid fever and “grey water”, which are contaminated mostly by chemicals.
We believe water is not a necessity but a human right, so everyone should be able to have access to safe drinking water. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and there are lots of places, especially underdeveloped countries, lacking the most basic water-treatment infrastructures.

The aim of our team is to develop a biological alternative for disinfecting contaminated black water using synthetic biology. What do you think about it?

We believe such a project would be of great benefit, especially in rural areas where chemical contamination is negligible and all water-contamination problems relate to bacterial diseases.

We know you are radically against GMOs. What’s your opinion on using genetically modified bacteria in our project?

Well, if we understand correctly, your project doesn’t involve releasing any modified organism into the environment. It has nothing to do with GMOs used in agriculture or food industry, where the modified organism enters the trophic chain and interacts in different ways with the ecosystem. Anyways, we have some concerns regarding your modified bacterial strain. What would happen if it was released by accident into the environment? Is there a special design to avoid this possibility?

We would like our project to follow some ethic guidelines. Do you have any recommendations about what to do / not to do?

We believe such technology should be free for everyone. It should be simple, appropriated, accessible and easy to implement. Your system should not impose some sort of dependence for the people adopting it.

In your opinion, what are the main risks of our project?

As we said before, our main concerns are regarding the modified E. coli strain. What if it’s released into the environment? Also, what happens with the peptides released in the disinfected water? Could they cause any harm to other living organisms? Are they harmless to humans?

We have these questions in mind and we understand that it would require further investigation to clarify and quantify the different risks. Do you have any other suggestion to our project?

Yes, we think it would be a great idea to elaborate a sort of deontological code to set your ethic guidelines regarding your project. This code should contemplate the different phases of research and development, the validation process of your system, its future uses, etc.

Mercedes Álvaro Rodríguez

Graduated in Chemical Sciences for the University of Valladolid in 1978. She did the doctoral degree in Chemistry at the Polytechnical University of Valencia (UPV), in 1990. Nowadays she is University School Full Professor in the UPV Chemistry Department since 1995.

She dedicates part of her investigations to the application of the photochemical solutions to solve environmental problems.

THE INTERVIEW

1. Please, tell 10 words associated to the sinthetic biology.

• Materials
• Bacterium
• Chromosome
• DNA
• RNA
• Genetic code
• Alterations
• Mutation
• Crops
• System

2. In the following definitions of synthetic biology, choose the one deemed most appropriate (all definitions are correct)

1. Creation of biological circuits based on genes that allow cells or microorganisms program.
2. Synthesis of complex systems based on biology, which show features that do not exist in nature
3. Design and fabrication of biological components that do not exist in nature
4. Redesign and manufacture of biological systems that exist in nature, which gives them new capabilities

3. What risks do you think synthetic biology presents in the field of water disinfection?

The creation of microorganisms resistant to existing disinfection systems.

4. If you were in our place, do you consider interesting the projects we are developing: disinfecting water by bacteria programmed to do it, genetically modified by the inclusion of antimicrobial peptides, bacteriocins in this case?

The project has an interesting part, but it is very risky because you can create microbesand, it’s difficult to know the real application of your idea.

5. How would you apply the knowledge field of synthetic biology?

In the field of medicine, in the field of new materials and the environmental, always having some precaution.

6. In your workspace, do you consider important and interesting application of synthetic biology?

There is some interest in the application of synthetic biology

7. Do you think that, to the possible implementation and operation of a disinfection system such as the Valencia iGEM 2011 Team poses advantages over existing disinfection systems?

If controllable, yes.

8. Any suggestions and / or objections about the project?

Be very respectful ethically, scientifically well prepared to handle. Good ideas can become a weapon