"
Team:LMU-Munich/Team
From 2014.igem.org
Master Biology, 3rd Semester
Everybody's Darling - No one could ever be mad at her
Master Biology, 3rd Semester
Godfather of BaKillus - Has rampant project and design ideas.
Master Biology, 3rd Semester
The Labaholic - Virtually lives in the lab.
Master Biology, 3rd Semester
The Communicator - Sees tasks, deadlines and problems before they even appear.
Aspiring Biology/Chemistry Teacher, 9th Semester
Mr. Nice Guy - Helpful to everyone and often calms down heated tempers.
Master Biochemistry, 3rd Semester
The Enthusiast - Drops everything for his idea.
Master Biology, 3rd Semester
The Perfectionist - For her, good is not good enough.
Bachelor Biology, 7th Semester
The Bachelorette - Evaluates fluorescent proteins in all colors of the rainbow for her B.Sc. thesis.
Master Biology, 1st Semester
The Pragmatist - Nothing sooner said than done.
Bachelor Biology, 7th Semester
The Entertainer - Never short of a catchy phrase.
Master Marine Microbiology, 1st Semester
The Main Scenario Guy - Takes care of the collaboration with the Rathenau Institute.
Bachelor Biology, 5th Semester
The Artist - Breathes life into our beloved BaKillus.
Bachelor Biology, 5th Semester
The Phan-Tom - Spooking through inscrutable levels of modeling.
Master Biology, 3rd Semester
The Individualist - Convinces people with his Austrian charm.
Team LMU-Munich
igem@bio.lmu.de
AG Thorsten MascherGroßhaderner Str. 2
82152 Planegg (Martinsried)
Hi there!
Welcome to our Wiki! I'm BaKillus, the pathogen-hunting microbe, and I'll guide you on this tour through our project. If you want to learn more about a specific step, you can simply close the tour and come back to it anytime you like. So let's start!
What's the problem?
First of all, what am I doing here? The problem is, pathogenic bacteria all around the world are becoming more and more resistant against antimicrobial drugs. One major reason for the trend is the inappropriate use of drugs. With my BaKillus super powers, I want to reduce this misuse and thus do my part to save global health.
Sensing of pathogens
To combat the pathogenic bacteria, I simply eavesdrop on their communication. Bacteria talk with each other via quorum sensing systems, which I use to detect them and trigger my responses.
Adhesion
The more specific and effective I can use my powers, the lower the danger is of provoking new resistance development. So I catch pathogens whenever I get hold of them and stick to them until my work is done.
Killing
Talking about my work - killing pathogens is finally what I am made for. In response to quorum sensing molecules of the pathogens, I export a range of antimicrobial substances leading to dissipation of biofilms and the killing of the targeted bacteria.
Suicide switch
When the job is done and all the bad guys are finished, you don't need a super hero anymore. So after fulfilling my work I say goodbye to the world by activating my suicide switch.
Application
Of course I'm not only a fictional hero, but a very real one. In two different prototypes, I could be used for diagnosis or treatment of pathogen-caused diseases. However, there is still a whole lot of regulational and economical questions that have to be answered before.
See you!
So now you know my short story - and it is time for me to return to my fight for a safer world. Feel free to take a closer look on my super powers, the process of my development or the plans for a medical application.
