“A BETTER FUTURE WITH SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY”

Study of synthetic biology emerged as a multidisciplinary science that help people in solving various problems. Among the general public, synthetic biology is famous as bioengineering and extreme genetic engineering which have an advantage in redesigning a life through genetical circuit, thus allows people to manipulate a new organism for use in treatment and diagnosis of disease, provision of quality seeds, remediation of environmental pollution caused by industrial and mining as well as the mitigation of global warming.

Indonesia as one of the currently high development countries in science is allowing for synthetic biology to grow rapidly. Prospects for the synthetic biology's development in Indonesia, among others, is the independence of technology in the health sector include the development of a specific diagnosis, the provision of pharmaceutical raw materials, and technology screening for Indonesia natural resources which have potency to treat various types of diseases.

Brawijaya University iGEM team will develop synthetic biology in order to solve health sector problems, focus in Cervical Cancer. We have three sub-projects, they are: plant engineering for cervical cancer prevention, developing Cervical Cancer Care Program application for smartphone as helpdesk, and scanning technology for natural materials treatment (SCT Kit).

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“Prevent is Better than Cure”

Indonesia is an agricultural country that most of their society works as farmer. One of commodity in Indonesia is tea plantation which is located in Malang (Brawijaya University takes place). Malang is resited at 440-667 (mdpl) altitude, one of the tourist destinations in East Java because of the potential of natural and climatic owned. Malang climate conditions during 2008 temperatures recorded ranging from 22.7 ° C to 25.1 ° C. While the maximum temperature reached 32.7 ° C and minimum temperature of 18.4 ° C. The average air humidity range 79% - 86%. With a maximum moisture content of 99% and a minimum at 40%. These conditions favor the development of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).

Tea extract contain EGCG used as the most effective antioxidant to against cervical cancer. But, levels of EGCG (Epigallocathecin gallate) in tea is very slightly. So, we will increase the level of this EGCG compound using siRNA to knockdown gene non-EGCG with expectation it will produce high yield of antioxidant. The applications are for supplement or feminine hygiene.

Tea plant (Camelia sinensis) has catechin compounds that contains antioxidants. Catechin family that most effective used as antioxidant is Epigallocathecin gallate (EGCG). Based on research in vitro or in silico, EGCG is able to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells because stop over-expression between L1 HPV 16- EGFR (Epithel Growth Factor Receptor) bond but there are few of EGCG content in tea plant. Based on these problems, we would to over- expression EGCG by knockdown non-compound EGCG gene, so hopefully the content of EGCG on tea are more prominent. We design siRNA sequence from LAR gene (to inhibit non-EGCG compound) using bioinformatics tool and use P97 promoter to initiate expression in mammalian cell (using HeLa cell). That part will be insert into the psB1C3 linear backbone. To checking performance of this part, we insert sequence target of siRNA into the plasmid Bba_E0240 and get the promoter CMV from Bba_K747096 part. We also prepare for positive control and negative control for this experiment. Positive control part containing siRNA for GFP, insert into Bba_K747096 part that contain CMV promoter, and negative control containing CMV promoter and insert to the Bba_E0240 part containing GFP. Each part will be growth in HeLa cell culture and observed the succeding by fluorescent microscope.

“Cercival Cancer Screening Kit”

1. Background
Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in womenworldwide,with an estimated global incidence of 470,000 newcases and approximately 233,000 deaths per year. Then, we try to make an idea to build a new prototype for early detection to cervical cancer, especially caused by HPV 18 and HPV 16. From the previous results of the two teams, Calgary Team 2013 and Freiburg Team 2012, we build a new prototype with some combination from those teams. We learn about the prototype sensor from Calgary Team 2012 that consist of detector, linker, and reporter that combined into one small test pack. Then, to make the detector, we learn from Freiburg Team 2012 to constructing a new specific TALEs that can bind to our target sequences and we called it TALE 1 and TALE 2.
TALEs or Transcription Activator-Like Effectors comes from natural bacterial effector proteins used by Xanthomonas sp. to modulate gene transcription in host plants to facilitate bacterial colonization (Boch J and Bogdanove, 2010).The central region of theprotein contains tandem repeats of 34 amino acids sequences (termed monomers) that arerequired for DNA recognition and binding (Kay, 2009). Here is the natural structure of TALE from Xanthomonas sp. :

Figure 1. Structure of TALEs derived from Xanthomonas sp. (Sanjana et al, 2013)

2. What did We Do ?
As explained before in the Background, we try to make a prototype based on the concept of Calgary Team 2013(https://2013.igem.org/Team:Calgary). So we construct a new TALEs that can bind with our target sequences, especially in HPV 18 and HPV 16. For building the detector, we received help from Freiburg Team 2012 (https://2012.igem.org/Team:Freiburg/Project/Overview)to construct two new TALEs. First, we search the target sequences with the alignment of whole genome of HPV 18 and HPV 16 via NCBI and MEGA5. We search two target sequences in left side and right side. Here are some works that we’ve done:

“SCT - Screening Cancer Therapy”

SCT (screening Cancer Therapy) is a kit which contains of hela cells as cervical cancer cells and it was designed to screening the plants that have compund potentially for cervical cancer therapy. The kit designed with plasmid that contain with HPV 16 or HPV 18 promoter. Each promoter to be accompained by two types of fluorescence reporter such as green (GFP) and red (RFP). The reporter compound obtained from biobrick. GFP obtained from Bba_E0240 (Plate 4, well 11N), then RFP obtained from Bba_K516132 (Plate 1, well 11A). Plasmid also designed with another compund such as RBS and double terminator. GFP act as a marker for the detection viruses whether plasmids have been inserted in hela cells and RFP as a marker for checking the ability of herbal compound used in the treatment of cervical cancer.

Herbs that potentially as a therapy of cervical cancer in the kit are marked by the absence of green or red colors, while the negative results are marked by the emergence of green or red in the kit. The construct in the kit design is herbs can inhibit HPV promoter so that promoters cannot work anymore. The kit is expected to provide convenience to the researchers in the field of cervical cancer and cervical cancer effects can be mitigated with natural compound that not a lot of side effects.