Team:Newcastle/Meetings/25 February 2009

Agenda of the Meeting

 * Previous action points discussed
 * Discuss about the timeline briefly
 * Look through Goksel's database for parts
 * Ask for seminars about Mediawiki, B.Subtilus(+quorum sensing), biobrick, lab fresher
 * Vote on idea possibilities


 * 4pm Meeting Notes.
 * Chair: Jess
 * Minutes: Craig
 * Jen, Neil, Dan, Matthew, Arun, Goksel, Hanny, Mat, Morgan

Actions from Previous Meeting

 * Action outstanding – update to iGem mailing list.

New Actions

 * All – join iGem team online ASAP.
 * Neil / Jen – fees by end of March for iGem
 * Students – send possible dates for WikiMedia tutorial to Morgan (done)
 * Neil / Dan - Overview of Sequentia, check licences and organise a tutorial.
 * Students – bring back Sequentia in timeline (Neil needs at least a week’s notice) provisional
 * Goksel – write up notes about database and advertise to iGem teams and distribute (see below)
 * Students – discuss input from group on top 12 ideas at the next student meeting (Mon 5pm).
 * Next meeting Wed 4pm same room. Book room - Goksel.

Database of B. subtilis Biobricks made by Goksel.

This is a list of biobricks for S. subtilis in XML format.

It could be used to help other iGem teams by making it available to everyone and go towards a better score for NCL. We could give it out at iGem meetings with other teams also.

Discussion: Could be useful to have an atomic version with more detail - bits that make up biobricks. May become part of a Master’s project (Neil).

Discussion of Student Team Ideas – TOP 12
 * Gastric inflammation – B. subtilis to compete with H. pylori in stomach and combat inflammation / prevent ulcers. Problem: will need to produce ammonia to neutralise acid causing irritation to mucosa.
 * Skin repairer – B. subtilis in dressing produces factors to heal and repair skin and outcompete / confuse pathogens (eg peptides).
 * Sequester metals then form spores and die. Clean up heavy metals in waste, contaminated land and acid mine drainage. B. subtilis will need to be tolerant of low pH. Also stochastic death (say 10% survival).
 * Hairy Bacteria – to improve biofilm stability and strength B. subtilis grows 10x longer flagellae and 10x more flagellae allied to idea 2. Mammal hair suggested but not feasible.
 * Bio Memory – spores store 0 and 1’s in series to later produce morse code message or image.Issues with keeping track of the locations of bits.
 * Cleaner Bacteria – B. subtilis to produce perfumed surfactants and enzymes to soak-wash at 15 deg C.Could be smelly hence perfume or destroy smelly substances.
 * Happy Bacty – general environmental stress monitor. Too similar to previous years.
 * Path Finding Bacteria – Stochastic decision on path by bacteria growing along a path. Could produce a tuneable stochastic biobrick for population controls (give us the edge at iGem?).
 * Bacteria Gum – two ideas here. a. everlasting flavour pressure sensitive gum b. teeth and gum health with strep inhibitors (peptides) and calcium deposition.
 * Rock Bacteria – Sound as communication bacteria to bacteria, human to bacteria, computer to bacteria and visa-versa. 1 to 50 KHz. Need to electronically reduce freq so we can hear it. Make bacteria play simple tune or squeak.
 * Cosmetic Bacteria – similar to skin repairer but also produce elastin and collagen to fill cracks (see 2).
 * Spot The Rot – low temeperature germination of spores when temperature gets above zero to indicate history of exposure of medical product / food in developing countries. Pseudomonas may be best for this not B. subtilis.

Jan-Willem Veening will be advisor for us until the end of June.

Nigel Robinson's paper is mentioned in the meeting about getting the metals by bacteria