Team:Imperial College London

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Revision as of 14:38, 26 October 2010 by Bm108 (Talk | contribs)

Parasight Extra Links
Welcome to the Imperial College London iGEM 2010 project! It's been a busy four months, and there have been highs and lows, but we're happy with how things have turned out. Here's a brief introduction…

“More than two billion people around the world live with unrelenting illness due to parasites” - WHO Director General Lee Jong-wook.

Synthetic biology offers great opportunity for biosensors, however current designs require hours of waiting before a detecatble output is produced. To tackle this issue in the field, it is crucial that a new generation of biosensors be designed that can respond in minutes. With this in mind, we have engineered a fast, modular sensor framework which allows for quick detection of a range of different parasites, and may also be used as an environmental tool for mapping their spread.

We have developed two new technologies as part of our modular sensor framework: a novel cell surface biosensor customisable for specific parasitic proteases and a 'fast-response' module capable of producing a detectable output in minutes. These two technologies are linked to each other by a quorum sensing signalling system. To demonstrate the utility of biosensors contatining these technologies, we have designed and modified B. subtilis to give a clearly visible colour readout upon detecting the waterborne Schistosoma parasite which affects 200 million people worldwide.

Follow the link below to take a quick tour of the wiki. The links on the right lead to elements we feel are interesting additions to the core project. Or just head for the main menu above if you know what you're looking for.

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About iGEM Sponsored By
The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) is the premiere undergraduate Synthetic Biology competition. Student teams are given a kit of biological parts at the beginning of the summer from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Working at their own schools over the summer, they use these parts and new parts of their own design to build biological systems and operate them in living cells. This project design and competition format is an exceptionally motivating and effective teaching method.