Team:Newcastle

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In 2009 the Newcastle team are tackling environmental issues using Bacillus subtilis. We are a team of eight with wide ranging backgrounds in the fields of Bioinformatics, Computing Science, Chemical Engineering, Genetics and Medical Sciences. This is Newcastle's second year in the iGEM competition; last year our team had BugBuster, which attained a Gold Medal.

Our aim is to use Bacillus subtilis to soak up heavy metals from contaminated soils and lock them away in spores for thousands of years. We call our approach “sponge-lock-sacrifice-and-tell” because the vast majority of bacterial spores never germinate locking up the sponged metals, but they store information about their exposure regime. We will use heavy metal sensors, transporters, switches and a type of bio-memory to achieve our goal. The bio-memory will allow future generations to interrogate the spore about the parent’s short but useful life.

We see our bacteria as tiny eco-warriors, brave and selfless in their actions.

Eco-warriors

The Bacillus Battle Cry.

2009, this is our year! So now, let us survey the land. We learn of injustice, imbalance and destruction, with forces from our past, which hold us hostage to our future.

Poison is the ancient currency – not ours. Let us expunge these vile deeds and make a better world.

Rise up Sir Bac-Man and devour this toxic injustice.

Let us follow your banner, and let our voices raise your motto, your challenge, your sacrifice....it is yours and mine...

"Thy Quest to Sequester" !

Unwind your flag, and rouse you in your ancient inheritance.

For now, by our design, you will condemn this villainy to jail a thousand years.

So to battle my microscopic friends...and you so small...so few...you tiny band of genetically engineered siblings, in our debt may you always be re-mem-ber-ed.

Sir Bac-Man, to victory!

External links

• [http://www.ncl.ac.uk Newcastle University]