Team:Groningen/Brainstorm

From 2009.igem.org

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],[http://parts.mit.edu/igem07/index.php/Melbourne]}

Modelling

Also see our brainstorm of ideas on modelling!