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Team:Carnegie Mellon/Experts
From 2014.igem.org
Dr. Terry Collins was the green chemist that gave us the idea for this iGEM project. His research group is at the forefront of remediating endocrine disruptors in water using a enzymatic catalyst that they have synthesized. This process has taken about 35 years to reach at a level where the catalyst is ready to be introduced to bodies of water. Of course, the amount of catalyst that can be applied to the water system cannot truly be determined just yet because there is no real-time measuring sensor for the amount of estrogenic compounds in the water. Collins explained to us how the origin of endocrine disruptor research began when a woman questioned how all of the pharmaceutical chemicals that are not absorbed into our body, but disposed into the waste system would affect fetal development in pregnant women. What started as an internet blog expanded to included an international team of scientists dedicated to research different type of endocrine disruptors since estrogen is just the tip of the iceberg. This team compiled a report dedicated to figuring out the different tiers of endocrine disruption. Below is a video by Dr. Terrence Collins describing this tiered approach.
Dr. Jeanne VanBriesen is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University who holds a position with the ALCOSAN wastewater treatment plant in Pittsburgh, PA. In talking with her, we learned about the water cycle between ground, fresh, rivers, wastewater, and drinking sources. She explained to us about the Pittsburgh water records that Carnegie Mellon has been keeping track of for over 5 years, which explains the water levels and a multitude of variables at different locations around the streams and rivers. VanBriesen also explained about how estrogen is considered a “sticky” molecule, in the sense that it would be absorbed rater quickly into the container that the water sample is in. If we were to measure estrogen concentration from the river compared to 20 minutes from its collection, then there would be a significant decrease due to the absorption into the container. There is ongoing research still happening on finding a container in which micropollutants do not stick to instead of going through a lengthy chemical process to ensure decontamination (future iGEM project?) This posed a lot of questions of how/where we were going to collect water samples.
The Center of PostNatural History, with the slogan “That was Then. This is Now.” is dedicated to advancing knowledge related to the “complex interplay between culture, nature, and biotechnology.” The subjects and exhibits of this museum are all based on genetically altered living organisms! When talking to Richard Pell, he told us that his interest began ten years ago when he started flipping through books on synthetic biology and genetic engineering. An engineer and artist, he found it fascinating when scientists were able to almost-robotically manipulate bacterium to do what they wanted. “These weren’t scientists. These were engineers and the applications of this was mind-blowing.” Reading up some more, Pell could not find a central location where all of this information was available for him to peruse. He decided to “create a place where people can go in and expand their knowledge, without the politics.” He also wanted to reduce the political controversy surrounding synthetic biology and have his visitors come up with their own conclusions about the unnatural nature behind synthetic biology. Pell was also one of the co-founders with iGEM back when it started in 2004 and has enthusiastically brought his art expertise and passion for synthetic biology to the table. This year he was enlisted to help judge the art and design projects, but will be unable to so that he can support his wife and upcoming baby. We wish him the best of luck!
