Team:Osaka/Project

Desertification all over the world causes famine, drought and suffering. We aim to develop micro-machines that can stop and even reverse desertification by recovering vegetation in these areas. We envison a Continuous Greening Cycle in which engineered microorganisms decompose plant fibers into nutrients through the action of cellulolytic enzymes. They then produce water-holding polymers such as poly(gamma-glutamic) acid that retain water in the soil to help plants grow. When the plants die they will be decomposed to start the cycle anew. In addition to aiming for the continuous and self-expanding greening of desert areas, we hope to contribute to iGEM by developing useful BioBricks!