Welcome to the Teamwiki of the iGEM Aachen in 2014!
We are the first ever iGEM team in Aachen taking part in iGEM!
Cellock Holmes - a case of identity
Nosocomial infections - solving a real-world problem
Existing sterilizing methods fail to completely eradicate harmful pathogens on solid surfaces, resulting in a high number of patients (~3.2 million in Europe1) to be treated annually due to such infections. The European Union estimated that at least 800,000 of these cases would be preventable by implementing an intensive hygiene program, raising the necessity for a real-time detection technique. Current techniques fail since they are not effective, economical and rapid2.
Our iGEM Aachen team, consisting of life science, engineering as well as computer science students, aims to tackle these difficulties by developing a real-time pathogen detection technique, called ‘Cellock Holmes’, using SynBio and open hardware.
Our project is not only applicable to the detection of pathogens but we are looking to develop it further into a platform for a general 2D detection of nearly any cell or substance.
Strategy and focus
While detection is the first step, characterization and quantification are equally important to reliably assess the danger of an infection.
Cellock Holmes is devised based upon a SynBio approach comprising of a two-dimensional biosensor and a measurement device . The two-dimensional biosensor is designed to recognize quorum sensing molecules secreted by the pathogen cells and generate a distinct fluorescence signal.
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