Team:UT-Tokyo/Project/Background

From 2011.igem.org

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== Bioremediation -- impractical solution==
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微生物は地球上における物質の分解者である。もし微生物がいなければ、地球上は落ち葉や動物の死骸で溢れてしまうかもしれない。
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このような微生物の性質を利用して、環境汚染を取り除こうという考えを、Bioremediationと呼ぶ。
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従来Bioremediationは、物理的・化学的なRemediationに比べ、処理に時間がかかるのが欠点であった。
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合成生物学的なアプローチにより、Bioremediationを行うのに特化した微生物を作ることができるようになった。
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過去のiGEMでも、多くのチームがBioremediation用のBioBrickを開発してきた。
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過去のプロジェクトでは、Substrateに対してどんな操作ー回収・分解などーをするかに重点が置かれ、
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いかに効率を高めるかには無関心なものが多かった。
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しかしこれでは、予め高濃度のSubstrateまたは大量の菌が必要になってしまうと予想される。
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この問題を解決するために開発されたのが"Self-Mustering with Aspartate-Responsive Taxis (SMART) System"である。
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SMARTシステムの戦略はシンプルだ。
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「Substrateの周りの菌密度を上げることで、Bioremediationの効率は飛躍的に上がる。」
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以下の2つのモデリングのムービー（Asp誘導あり/なしの場合でのSubstrateの分解の様子の違い）を見て欲しい。
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従来の戦略に比べ、SMARTシステムを使うと大腸菌の密度が高くなり、Substrateの分解が速く進むのが分かる。
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シミュレーションの結果から、（先の予想通り）SMARTシステムを使うと使わない場合に比べSubstrateの分解が◯◯倍速くなる。
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さらに、SMARTシステムは、様々なSubstrateに対して適用できるようにデザインされている。
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Systemでは、どのようにしてSMARTシステムを実現したかを説明する。
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=Background=
=Background=
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==TBD==
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Microorganisms are critical in ecosystems as they act as decomposers.
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Without them, the surface of the earth might be covered with fallen leaves and dead bodies.
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Bioremediation is the use of this natural property of microorganisms to remove pollutants.
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Conventional bioremediation has a demerit; it takes much more time to get rid of pollutants,
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compared to physical/chemical remediation.
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Synthetic biology made it possible to create microorganisms that are specialized for bioremediation,
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thereby paved the way for bioremediation with high efficiency.
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In the past iGEM competitions, a lot of teams has developed devices for bioremediation.
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Most of the projects focused on how to deal with substrates; collection, reduction, etc.
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and did not pay much attention to the efficiency of the system.
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However, we predict that these devices requires high concentration of substrates and/or microorganisms
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to work efficiently.
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To solve this problem, we designed "Self-Mustering with Aspartate-Responsive Taxis (SMART) System."
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The basic strategy of the SMART system is quite simple.
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"The higher the concentration of microorganisms around substrate, the better the efficiency of bioremediation."
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Take a look at two movies below, and you will see microorganisms decompose the substrate much faster with SMART system.
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From this simulation, we could say that ... (graphs and some other data needed, under construction.)
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In short, SMART system is designed in such a way so it is applicable to allow
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bioremediation of various substrates with good efficiency.
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In the System page, we will introduce details of the SMART system.
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{{:Team:UT-Tokyo/Templates/EndContent}}

Revision as of 01:17, 5 October 2011

Background

Microorganisms are critical in ecosystems as they act as decomposers. Without them, the surface of the earth might be covered with fallen leaves and dead bodies. Bioremediation is the use of this natural property of microorganisms to remove pollutants. Conventional bioremediation has a demerit; it takes much more time to get rid of pollutants, compared to physical/chemical remediation. Synthetic biology made it possible to create microorganisms that are specialized for bioremediation, thereby paved the way for bioremediation with high efficiency. In the past iGEM competitions, a lot of teams has developed devices for bioremediation. Most of the projects focused on how to deal with substrates; collection, reduction, etc. and did not pay much attention to the efficiency of the system.

However, we predict that these devices requires high concentration of substrates and/or microorganisms to work efficiently.

To solve this problem, we designed "Self-Mustering with Aspartate-Responsive Taxis (SMART) System." The basic strategy of the SMART system is quite simple. "The higher the concentration of microorganisms around substrate, the better the efficiency of bioremediation." Take a look at two movies below, and you will see microorganisms decompose the substrate much faster with SMART system. From this simulation, we could say that ... (graphs and some other data needed, under construction.)

In short, SMART system is designed in such a way so it is applicable to allow bioremediation of various substrates with good efficiency.

In the System page, we will introduce details of the SMART system.


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