an open source toolkit for plant engineering

The Harvard iGarden is a venture into plant engineering. Our aim is to create a toolkit for the cultivation of a personalized garden containing features introduced through synthetic biology. In addition to a "genetic fence" designed to prevent the spread of introduced genetic material, we have developed three independent features to be included in this toolkit - inclusion of novel flavors, knockdown of plant allergens, and modification of petal color.

All parts are BioBrick compatible and introduced into plants through agrobacterium-mediated transformation, using existing plant vectors modified with the BioBrick multiple cloning site.

The Harvard iGarden, beyond being an application of the BioBrick system to plant engineering, is an effort to raise public awareness of synthetic biology, production of food, and how the two can intertwine. We envision the iGarden as a medium through which the non-scientist can see the power and potential of synthetic biology and apply it to everyday life.