Team:BU Wellesley Software/Project Overview
From 2011.igem.org
Project Overview
We present tools which facilitate the research, design, and fabrication of biological constructs. Our workflow comprises Gnome Surfer for research, Trumpet and Optimus Primer for design, and
Puppeteer and E-Notebook for the construction of those designs. Gnome surfer promotes collaborative
research by allowing users to browse genes, Parts, and other DNA along with their associated
literature on a table-top surface. Using Optimus Primer, primers can be designed for the selected
Parts. Trumpet generates permutable constructs from these Parts by interleaving invertase sites
among them. To assemble these permutable constructs, we present a Protocol Automation Stack
comprising a high-level programming language called Puppeteer, executable on a robot. For improving
manual protocol execution, we are developing an Electronic Lab Notebook that helps capture data, and
schedule resources and lab activities. Our unique tools offer an end-to-end workflow that is
collaborative, includes wetlab automation and organization, and provides algorithms for designing
configurable constructs.