Collaboration

Collaboration with iGEM headquarters

In addition to the usual team collaborations, we communicated with the iGEM headquarters and pointed out that we had difficulties with the pSB1C3 plasmid vector sequence. A restriction digest of the backbone yielded more fragments than expected. Therefore we sequenced the whole backbone and found 7 mutations. Although the vector replicated fine and the antibiotic resistance was functional, we feared potential future problems and sent the correct sequence to the iGEM headquarters. Based on these findings iGEM headquarters introduced versioning of the plasmid backbones and our pSB1C3 was named pSB1C3_001.

Mutations in the pSB1C3 backbone:

Collaboration with the iGEM 2010 Team ESBS-Strasbourg

We established a collaboration with the iGEM 2010 Team ESBS-Strasbourg, who asked for our assembled Biobricks of YFP and CFP cloned into the standard pSB1C3 backbone. We sent out the plasmids so that they could use and test the plasmids for their cloning purposes. To expand our collaboration, the Strasbourg team visited us at our laboratory. Both teams made a presentation of their project and exchanged impressions and ideas about iGEM and the daily laboratory work. After that, we spent time together having a nice barbecue.

Collaboration with the iGEM 2010 Team Freiburg Software

The Software Team Freiburg programmed Add-on robots for many applications and could offer us some useful features for our cloning approaches. One of them is for example a primer designer. The primers are designed by choosing the melting temperature and the binding site of the template sequence. The robot finally creates the sequence of the forward primer (Primer 1) and the reverse Primer (Primer 2). Furthermore, the Software Team supported us in the design and coding of our homepage. In return, our team helped with information about biological interests and cloning procedures and organized the t-shirts and the trip to Boston.

Example for the functioning of the primer designer robot:

Collaboration with the iGEM 2010 Team Stockholm

The iGEM Team Stockholm 2010 was interested in using the Freiburg standard 25 and contacted us in order to get information about cloning vectors from our stocks concerning the three pSB1X3-derived BBa_J18901-3 plasmids, as well as the pMA (-BBRF) vector (BBa_K157000) available in the Registry. We made the advice that the Freiburg iGEM 2009 team last year used the pMA vector for almost all cloning steps. The plasmid is small and delivers high yields of plasmid DNA. In comparison to that the larger BBa_J18901-3 plasmids carry two antibiotic resistances making the part assembly more restricted.

Community outreach in collaboration with BIOSS and Europa Park

The sience days at Europa Park take place every year making sciences attractive for young people. Pupils of different ages take a look in sciences by doing practical experiments and playing games. In association with BIOSS we prepared a game for the younger kids, in which they could actively join in. The game gives the kids an imagination about a cells inner life by playing the role of kinases, phosphatases and signalling proteins. In addition, we made questionnaires and tested the knowledge of the pupils in biology.