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Team:Alberta
From 2011.igem.org
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| - | <p>Team Alberta's aim is to | + | <p>Team Alberta's aim is to aid in the solution of a global |
problem, the fuel crisis, by thinking locally. In Alberta, our main | problem, the fuel crisis, by thinking locally. In Alberta, our main | ||
industrial practices lay within the oil and gas sector; however, we | industrial practices lay within the oil and gas sector; however, we | ||
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<li>Development of a rapid, systematic method to construct genes for <i>N. crassa</i> | <li>Development of a rapid, systematic method to construct genes for <i>N. crassa</i> | ||
<li>Development and utilization of <i> N. crassa </i>as a suitable synthetic biology chassis</li> | <li>Development and utilization of <i> N. crassa </i>as a suitable synthetic biology chassis</li> | ||
| - | <li> Creation of | + | <li>Creation of 7 parts for use in future synthetic biology projects </li> |
| - | <li> Design of a self-contained bioreactor apparatus | + | <li>Design of a self-contained bioreactor apparatus </li> |
| + | <li>Determination of our fuel as an economically viable biodiesel</li> | ||
</ol> | </ol> | ||
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Latest revision as of 02:51, 29 September 2011
WELCOME
Team Alberta's aim is to aid in the solution of a global problem, the fuel crisis, by thinking locally. In Alberta, our main industrial practices lay within the oil and gas sector; however, we also have a thriving agricultural and forestry-based industry. The industrial processes associated with these industries produce biomass by-products of little economic value. The aim of our project is to convert these by-products into a useful and economically viable fuel, biodiesel.
Previous research has been largely focused on engineering organisms to metabolize cellulose, a highly inefficient approach with very little yield. Here is where our approach differs. Why engineer a new organism to perform a function nature has perfected in another species? Why not just make this organism even better?
We have selected the filamentous, ascomycete fungus Neurospora crassa, which is a natural cellulose metabolizer, with the aim of creating an organism to efficiently make biodiesel. Our fuel will be made by up-regulating fatty acid synthesis and inhibiting beta-oxidation, effectively causing the over-production of fatty acids within N. crassa. From here we will efficiently esterify the fatty acids into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), producing a viable fuel.
Ingenuity Sustainability Cost Efficiency
LEARN
ACHIEVE
- Development of a rapid, systematic method to construct genes for N. crassa
- Development and utilization of N. crassa as a suitable synthetic biology chassis
- Creation of 7 parts for use in future synthetic biology projects
- Design of a self-contained bioreactor apparatus
- Determination of our fuel as an economically viable biodiesel
INTERACT
SPONSORS
