Team:Caltech

Hi! We are the Caltech 2011 iGEM Team. We are interested in bioremediation of endocrine disruptors or organic pollutants :)

EDC's (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals) are substances which detrimentally effect the development and reproduction of wild organisms. To remedy that, the Caltech iGEM team hopes to engineer bacteria which can sense and degrade DDT, estrogen, bisphenol A, and nonylphenol to less toxic forms. Compared to more traditional forms of pollution removal, bioremediation would be relatively cheaper and less disruptive to the environment.However, a successful project must make sure that the "remediator bacteria" do not act as pollutants, nor introduce toxic byproducts into the environment.

To start, we hope to create genetic elements that initiate the production of signaling proteins upon exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and to identify enzymes that can degrade endocrine disruptors. Eventually, these components should be combined in a signal transduction system that can be used to detect and remove endocrine disruptors from bodies of water.