Team:Purdue/Safety/Safety

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<p>Although it is very important that public fear of GMOs as a category, based in many cases on misinformation, is allayed and not encouraged, it is also important that the possible unforeseen consequences of genetic modification be taken seriously. Novel organisms should be tested to be sure that their phenotypes are as expected and that they perform as intended in real-world circumstances without serious side effects. Further, such organisms should have a built-in mechanism wherever possible that prevents them from thriving in unintended circumstances and allows them to be efficiently killed in the, albeit extremely unlikely, case of emergency or if it spreads to an area where it is not desired.</p>
 
<p>Bacillus subtilis is an endospore forming bacteria, which means that the bacteria goes into a hibernating state, becoming an ‘endospore’ , when environmental conditions are unfavorable. In this state, the bacteria can survive conditions including extreme heat, UV radiation exposure, and lack of nutrition.They’re nearly indestructible and practically immortal, able to survive for decades in this state. Endospores return to their normal bacterial state when conditions become favorable again.
<p>Bacillus subtilis is an endospore forming bacteria, which means that the bacteria goes into a hibernating state, becoming an ‘endospore’ , when environmental conditions are unfavorable. In this state, the bacteria can survive conditions including extreme heat, UV radiation exposure, and lack of nutrition.They’re nearly indestructible and practically immortal, able to survive for decades in this state. Endospores return to their normal bacterial state when conditions become favorable again.
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Endospores are resistant to most chemicals which would kill other cells, including detergents and alcohols, and can survive high temperatures for long periods of time, including boiling water for hours. However, they can be killed by certain mixtures of bleach and alkylating agents and can be destroyed autoclaving and burning. Since our bacillus is genetically modified according to our specifications, a simpler solution can be developed: a killswitch.</p>
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Endospores are resistant to most chemicals which would kill other cells, including detergents and alcohols, and can survive high temperatures for long periods of time, including boiling water for hours. However, they can be killed by certain mixtures of bleach and alkylating agents and can be destroyed by autoclaving. Since our bacillus is genetically modified according to our specifications, a simpler solution can be developed: a killswitch.</p>
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<p>Purdue iGEM’s iron chelating bacteria already has a lactose-dependent killswitch built into its design, which kills the cells without prompting them to “hide” in the endospore state, harming the plants and soil around them like bleach would, .  However, due to the desire for a highly controlled genetically modified organism,  a more effective kill switch would need to be implemented for a final commercial product. The current lysing agent used will likely not lyse 100% of the bacteria exposed to lactose, and adding additional lysing agents also activated by the presence of lactose would make a more thorough eradication of the bacteria more likely.</p>  
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<p>MineCrobe has a lactose-dependent killswitch, which kills the cells without prompting them to “hide” in the endospore state, harming the plants and soil around them like bleach would, .  However, due to the desire for a more highly controlled genetically modified organism,  a more effective kill switch would need to be implemented for a final commercial product. One concern is that bacteria burrowed deep in the soil could elude lactose when sprayed onto fields.</p>  
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Latest revision as of 02:44, 18 October 2014

MineCrobe Safety Concerns

Bacillus subtilis is an endospore forming bacteria, which means that the bacteria goes into a hibernating state, becoming an ‘endospore’ , when environmental conditions are unfavorable. In this state, the bacteria can survive conditions including extreme heat, UV radiation exposure, and lack of nutrition.They’re nearly indestructible and practically immortal, able to survive for decades in this state. Endospores return to their normal bacterial state when conditions become favorable again. Endospores are resistant to most chemicals which would kill other cells, including detergents and alcohols, and can survive high temperatures for long periods of time, including boiling water for hours. However, they can be killed by certain mixtures of bleach and alkylating agents and can be destroyed by autoclaving. Since our bacillus is genetically modified according to our specifications, a simpler solution can be developed: a killswitch.

MineCrobe has a lactose-dependent killswitch, which kills the cells without prompting them to “hide” in the endospore state, harming the plants and soil around them like bleach would, . However, due to the desire for a more highly controlled genetically modified organism, a more effective kill switch would need to be implemented for a final commercial product. One concern is that bacteria burrowed deep in the soil could elude lactose when sprayed onto fields.

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