Team:WITS-CSIR SA

From 2011.igem.org

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Revision as of 08:26, 24 May 2011

Our Project Concept

To genetically reprogram the chemotactic behaviour of E. coli, through the use of synthetic riboswitches. This will enable bacteria to search a defined area for a particular ligand and return to a set location (the starting point), where they can report on their findings. As a proof of principle, we want to test the ability of the reprogrammed cells to locate atrazine/theophylline on a petri-dish, and return to the initial point of departure for reporting. To do this we have three constructs that will make the bacteria toggle between two states of chemotactic responsiveness to different substances.
Ezio writing down some of the team's first ideas click here to see the list.
This is the same thing as the last...
A board ... with writing.
Reading something.
The Bigger Picture
This project could have important implications in the fields of medicine, mining and water treatment. One would be able to send a "bacterial-messenger" out to detect certain substances which can act as chemoattractants - such as disease biomarkers or elemental metals. Via chemotaxis, the messenger ''E.coli'' will be able to search an area and locate the source of the chemoattractant. It will then travel back to the starting point to report back on its findings. Based on the information provided by these "messenger bacteria" a probability density map can be generated, from which the location of the chemoattractant source can be determined. A potential application in diagnostics could be the non-invasive detection and localisation of cancerous cells in the colon, for example.
Meet the team
The CSIR Wits South Africa team consists of six enthusiastic undergraduate students each having their own area of expertise. Four of the members are studying science and two are studying engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. The biologists are from the schools of Molecular and Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine and Hematology. The team has two engineering students, one studying information engineering and the other, chemical engineering. This team is a dynamic one where each team member has something unique to offer to the competition.
Software
We created the following software during the competition.



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