Team:BCCS-Bristol

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BCCS-Bristol
iGEM 2009

BCCS-Bristol Banner.png

== VESECURE - discrete targeted communication with Outer Membrane Vesicles

==

Directed delivery of specific proteins into cells would have dramatic

consequences for drug delivery and expand the horizons of synthetic biology

into the multicellular domain via discrete, targeted communication.

Gram-negative bacteria naturally produce outer member vesicles (OMVs):

spherical, bilayered proteolipids from 20-200nm in diameter. OMVs carry

outer membrane, periplasmic and cytoplasmic proteins, DNA, RNA and other

biological molecules. They protect their cargo from the extracellular

environment and deliver it to a multitude of target cells via membrane

fusion.

We investigate the possibility of allowing the secretion of any protein in

OMVs via fusion with novel, non-toxic partners enhanced in OMVs, using a

novel Bioscaffold compatible with the current assembly standard. A new

version of the award winning BSim software has been developed to study

applications at the population level such as communication. The ultimate

goal is to create a safe and standardised system for directed delivery of

proteins into cells.

Team background

The [http://bccs.bris.ac.uk/ Bristol Centre for Complexity Sciences (BCCS)]

is a new highly interdisciplinary centre for training and research funded

by the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC). It is

a major collaboration across 4 faculties within the [http://www.bris.ac.uk/

University of Bristol].

Both the BCCS and iGEM share an interdisciplinary approach to problem

solving and a culture of communication between previously disparate

scientific fields. Furthermore, the BCCS aims to nurture the next

generation of scientists in complexity, fitting with iGEM's ethos of

introducing undergraduates to cutting edge science. This year the team is

made up of advisors and students from the BCCS, Engineering Mathematics,

Biology, Biochemistry and Chemistry.

By taking part in iGEM the BCCS and Bristol University hopes to:

  • Build links between departments and people within and outside the

university,

  • Demonstrate the effectiveness of such collaborations,
  • Attempt to apply, where appropriate, techniques from the field of

Complexity Science.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following people, companies and organisations

for providing help and resources to the BCCS Bristol iGEM 2009 team:

BCCS GeneART logo.gif

BCCS MrGENE logo.gif
|| [http://www.geneart.com/

GeneART] and [http://www.mrgene.com Mr.Gene] synthesized DNA

sequences to order at a discounted cost and were of great help regarding

DNA synthesis procedures.