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Team:EPF-Lausanne/Future directions
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<br>If we focus on the applications in industry: | <br>If we focus on the applications in industry: | ||
* '''Bioreactors''', used in biochemical engineering. Currently, one main issue is that molecules added in bioreactors to activate synthesis of a particular protein cannot be removed once in the medium, or only very tediously, involving long and expensive filtration procedures. A major advantage of our system is that it is easily reversible: just switch the light on or off! And something as simple as a light bulbe in the reactor could control that! No need to inocculate a chemical with the risk to contaminate your bioreactor. | * '''Bioreactors''', used in biochemical engineering. Currently, one main issue is that molecules added in bioreactors to activate synthesis of a particular protein cannot be removed once in the medium, or only very tediously, involving long and expensive filtration procedures. A major advantage of our system is that it is easily reversible: just switch the light on or off! And something as simple as a light bulbe in the reactor could control that! No need to inocculate a chemical with the risk to contaminate your bioreactor. | ||
| - | + | * '''in academic research''' : If we look further into the future, the light switch could be applied to larger model organisms (not only single cells) for example to switch genes on or off in a particular area of a tissue (the "off" state would be analogous to the case where you knock-out the gene). It would be more efficient than the techniques currently used (example: the Cre-Lox system) because of the advantages listed above, namely it would allow a fine control over the target gene, a reversible action, and above all an immediate response. | |
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| - | * '''in academic research''' : If we look further into the future, the light switch could be applied to larger model organisms (not only single cells) for example to switch genes on or off in a particular area of a tissue (the "off" state would be analogous to the case where you knock-out the gene). It would be more efficient than the techniques currently used (example: the Cre-Lox system) because of the advantages listed above, namely it would allow a fine control over the target gene, a reversible action, and above all an immediate response. | + | |
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==Future Experiments== | ==Future Experiments== | ||
Revision as of 14:43, 21 October 2009
Future directions
Possible Applications
Our system could be very useful for industry as well as for academic research, as a new tool for regulating gene expression.
If we focus on the applications in industry:
- Bioreactors, used in biochemical engineering. Currently, one main issue is that molecules added in bioreactors to activate synthesis of a particular protein cannot be removed once in the medium, or only very tediously, involving long and expensive filtration procedures. A major advantage of our system is that it is easily reversible: just switch the light on or off! And something as simple as a light bulbe in the reactor could control that! No need to inocculate a chemical with the risk to contaminate your bioreactor.
- in academic research : If we look further into the future, the light switch could be applied to larger model organisms (not only single cells) for example to switch genes on or off in a particular area of a tissue (the "off" state would be analogous to the case where you knock-out the gene). It would be more efficient than the techniques currently used (example: the Cre-Lox system) because of the advantages listed above, namely it would allow a fine control over the target gene, a reversible action, and above all an immediate response.
Future Experiments
