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Team:Alberta/project
From 2010.igem.org
Project Overview
GENOMIKON: an Educational Toolkit for Rapid Genetic Construction
Synthetic biology and gene manipulation have unlimited potential applications in many fields. Unfortunately, these biological sciences are only taught in university courses for students who have already chosen to specialize in science. Recognizing that many of the basic principles and methods are easily explained, the University of Alberta sought to make synthetic biology more accessible by creating GENOMIKON, a gene manipulation and synthetic biology kit designed to work in a high school environment. To construct the kit, we first created the BioBytes 2.0 assembly method so that the DNA in the kit could be ligated into plasmids quickly and efficiently. We then designed experiments for the kit with the aim of having them quick, reliable, and doable even with minimal lab equipment. To make GENOMIKON useful as a classroom resource, an interactive lab manual was created to guide students through their experiments. We also developed a distribution plan for getting the kit into high schools across Canada. GENOMIKON's aim is to be a fun way of giving the next generation of students an introduction to genetics and molecular biology, even before they enter post-secondary education. From our experiences in the past six months, we believe it will be a success.
BioBytes Theory
The DNA components of the GENOMIKON kit will be provided in linear pieces called BioBytes. These Bytes have 4 base 5' overhangs on both ends, which gives specificity to the Bytes that can neighbor them. BioBytes come in two formats: 'AB Bytes' and 'BA Bytes', which are defined by the composition of the overhangs it has. The result is that AB Bytes can only be ligated to BA Bytes and vice versa. This leads to a construct alternating in AB and BA Bytes. The specificity in absolute order of a construct is given by an anchor, which restricts ligation to only one side.
The GENOMIKON Kit
The GENOMIKON kit was designed for a high school environment. The major challenge facing the GENOMIKON kit was that high schools lack most lab equipment traditionally needed for molecular biology. Creating a sterile environment to avoid contamination was another challenge that had to be overcome. Fortunately, the BioBytes 2.0 assembly method does not require centrifuges, thermocyclers or extreme accuracy with regards to volume and temperature. The only equipment a high school must supply is a hot plate and a beaker. The issue of sterility is addressed by sending reagents in individual sterilized packages. The kit contains everything that a high school would need to perform the transformations using synthetic parts.
GENOMIKON ONLINE
For the GENOMIKON kit to be functional, students and teachers need access to a lab manual that can accommodate the many different experiments possible. The GENOMIKON lab manual was designed to act as a teaching resource, giving students background information for the experiments they design. GENOMIKON.ca was created as the lab manual complementary to the GENOMIKON kit. Features include: BioByte descriptions, an interactive plasmid construction tool where students can engineer their own plasmids by dragging and dropping different parts into sequence to automatically generate a protocol to follow. Students can also perform pre-made experiments and collect background information through the encyclopedia and glossary features. Lastly, the teacher can coordinate the class experiments by working through the groups feature.
