From 2009.igem.org

Latest revision as of 20:26, 21 October 2009

Random fields of interest produced during the brainstorm sessions

Environment

1. Uptake, conversion or binding of CO2
2. Cleanup of contamination (water-repellent)
3. Biofuels
   • (Ligno) cellulose^[2],[3]
   • Hydrogen
   • Rocket fuel
   • Carbon chain production
4. Cigarette smoke dissolving bacteria
5. Biological filter
   • Toxins and detoxification
   • Dust/Fine particles

Appliances

1. Clock^[4],[5],[6]
   • Seasons
   • Time
   • Growth cycle
2. Sound
   • Detection of, or reaction to radiosignal/antenna
   • Production (need for very sensitive recorders)^[7]
3. Roll the dice – seven is the lucky number!
4. Ambilight (look at Philips for inspiration)
5. Bacteria in motion
   • Ion motor
   • Spinning bacteria
   • Buoyancy
6. Sensors
   • Pressure^[8]
   • Blood sugar level
   • Temperature^[9]
   • Smell (detection of spoilage in foods)
   • TNT, “Improvised explosive device”
   • Anthrax
7. Biological Lubricant
8. Hydraulics
   • Uptake of water to increase leverage

Electricity

1. Electrical discharge^[10]
2. Solar power cells^[11]
3. Magnetic bacteria
   • NMR/MRI Magnetosome
   • Compass
   • Magnetic detection
4. Electronic circuits (on/off)

Medical

1. Recognition and elimination of cancer cells
2. Medicine production
   • Vaccin^[12]
3. Tissue regeneration
   • Secretion of growthfactors
4. Anthrax system
5. Fat eating bacteria
   • Fat uptake like fat cells
   • Eating plaques

Food

1. Milk bacteria (GRAS)
   • Probiotics^[13],[14]
   • Prebiotics
2. Enhancing the speed of beer brewing^[15].
3. Improvement of bacterial smell
4. Improvement of taste
5. To let bacteria make additives (taste, smell and colour) for use in food industry
6. To let bacteria make additives (e.g. vitamins)^[16],[17]

Material synthesis

1. Making fibers/polymers
2. Multistep synthesis with bacteria
3. Biosynthesis in general
   • Making ureum out of simple components
   • Ureum survival
   • Nitrogen binding bacteria^[18]
4. Nitrogen binding plants with tumor inducing factor

Structure

1. Orbs (spheres)
2. Cells that make a lot of vesicles
3. Stable structure made out of bacteria^[19]
4. Crowd control
5. Biofilm, colaboration between different kinds of bacteria (in a controlled way)

Signals/communication

1. Signal transduction
2. Communication between cells
3. Switch to secundair products

New Biobricks

1. Tumor inducing plasmid
2. PNA
3. NICE
4. Clostridium spp; butanol production system^[20]
5. Magnetosome

Misc.

1. Evolution
   • Bacteria that can absorb all DNA and try to use it
   • New life/"Intelligent design"
2. Ordening of DNA in the cell (index)
3. Clonebots
4. Forensic applications
5. Enlarging biodiversity

Downsizing to five main interest area's

1. Sensors
2. Evolution^{[21],[22],[23][24],[25],[26],[27]}.
3. Growth Timer
4. Magnetic bacteria
5. Movement^[28]

Down to three

1. Rainbow bacteria
2. Growth Timer
3. Buoyant bacteria (purification, etc.)^[29]

Down to two

1. Glucose Sensing
2. Buoyant bacteria (purification, etc.)^[30]

The Final Project

1. EnvironMetal/Buoyant bacteria (purification, etc.)^{[31],[32],[33],[34]}

Modelling

Also see our brainstorm of ideas on modelling!

List of Demands and wishes

In order to be able to make a choice from the, in the beginning, almost endless list of possible project we made a list of demands and wishes. This list allows to choose a project which is not only fun but also realistic and doable in the time we had untill the jamboree. It works as a guide and is used often in design processes.

Demands

• Labwork is feasible in 3 month with 8 students.
• Modelling feasible in 3 months with 3 students.
• Everyone has to agree with the idea
• Financially feasible with a budget of 31.170,00 euro of which 8000 euros used for labwork.
• A new concept, not yet done before in this way, either the iGEM or in the synthetic biology
• Meets the criteria of iGEM
• Materials have to be attainable, either via the RuG or able to order in.
• Parameters for modelling have to be known, or available or attainable.
• Knowledge about the genes that we are using has to be available.

Wishes

• Not too complicated, not too many genes or gene clusters
• Has to have an application
• Using BioBricks that are easy to obtain, preferable available at the RuG.
• Preferably knowledge on the host, genes and/or end products has to be available at the RuG
• Some students in the team have experience working with the host.
• It is possible to find sponsoring for this project.