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Team:Warwick/Project
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The Project
The Problem
The Sheffield iGEM 2014 team have chosen to address the challenge of reducing the amount of fats, oils and greases (FOGs) entering the sewage system. These contribute to major costs and blockages in the systems known as fatbergs . At present, there are over 200,000 major UK sewage blockages per year, of which 3/4 are caused by FOGs, meaning this is a major challenge to infrastructure and clearly a global challenge as cities expand, particularly in developing countries. These drain blockages in the UK are a growing problem costing Thames Water (London) alone, £1 million per month to tackle. In addition to FOGs, human hair is a well-known problem in wastewater treatment, being among a range of difficult to degrade materials.
The Concept
Objectively, the team aim to build a genetically engineered, non-pathogenic strain of E. coli to responsively secrete lipase and keratinase in the presence of fats and hair in order to degrade and solubilise the components; this will ultimately prevent the blockages in the network. This will then be developed further in the future, by incorporating a transport system into the bacteria to uptake the lipid components to harvest and reuse as a potential energy source.
The Parts
The system being created in E. coli is composed of several key BioBrick parts from the iGEM registry:
| iGEM Registry Part Code | BioBrick | Function |
|---|---|---|
| BBa_K258006 | Thermostable lipase (TliA) of P. fluorescens SIK W1 | The TliA lipase is secreted using an ABC transporter to degrade fats; it is thermostable and therefore efficient when functioning at high temperatures, such as within the water network. |
| BBa_K258008 | ABC transporter of E. chrysanthemi | A type I secretion system used to export proteins with C-terminal fragments, such as TliA |
| BBa_K861060 | PfadR promoter | An artificial promoter containing a tandem FadR binding site which is not affected by glucose concentration, oxidative stress and several other factors. |
| BBa_K861061 | RFP generator of PfadR | When placed downstream of K861060, efficacy of the promoter can be tested by allowing visualisation of red fluorescence protein. |
| BBa_K1149021 | Composite used with BBa_K258008 | This construct allows production of a promoter, RBS and lipase ABC transporter recognition domain to allow lipid secretion outside of the cell. |
| BBa_K215107 | Lipase ABC transporter recognition domain | This domain will bind the lipase to allow secretion. |
| BBa_K215002 | pLac + RBS + Secretion Signal and Streptavidin Binding Tags | This generator has a promoter which is IPTG-inducible and a strong RBS to allow expression of our transporter. |
The Approach
Alongside the laboratory work to construct this system, the team are collaborating with the water industry and potential users of the system in order to develop an implementation device for its application in society. The broader impact of this device will then be considered from many different aspects to evaluate the product. As well as this, outreach activities within and outside of the University to promote synthetic biology will be carrier out. These aim to deepen understanding of the new technology and gauge interest and support to allow successful incorporation of it into society.
×Meet the Team
Ben MaddenHi I'm Ben, a third year Chemical Engineer 
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Lara GrewHi I'm Lara, a second year Geneticist
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Ben LomaxHi I'm Ben, a first year MBB student
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Erika OtavianoHi I'm Erika, a third year BioEngineer
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Alex SimpsonHi I'm Alex, a second year Aerospace Engineer
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Jianxing QinHi I'm Jay, a second year ACSE student
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Mustafa HussainHi I'm Mustafa, a second year ACSE student
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Sharan NanuanHi I'm Sharan, a second year MBB student
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Our Sponsors
ERASynBio promotes the robust development of Synthetic Biology by structuring and coordinating national efforts and investment. They have developed a strategic vision to support emergence of Synthetic Biology programmes to lay the ground for transnational funding activities via joint calls in the project. They stimulate and tackle the interdisciplinary nature and immaturity by offering training and educational possibilities, establishing an interdisciplinary advisory board and inviting observers of other funding organisations.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is a UK research council and non-departmental public body. It is the largest UK public funder of non-medical bioscience. It predominantly funds scientific research institures and university research departments in the UK.
The Biochemical Society is a learned society in the UK in the field of biochemistry, including all the cellular and molecular biosciences. It currently has approximately 7000 members, of which two-thirds are in the UK. The society’s headquarters are in London.
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The Society for General Microbiology is a learned society based in the UK with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools. Its headquarters are in Charles Darwin House, London. The society is a member of the Science Council.
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health, as well as supporting the public understanding of science. It is the UK’s largest provider of non-government funding for science research and one of the largest providers in the world.
The Alumni Foundation at the University of Sheffield exists to channel donations from former students, staff and friends into projects involving current students and staff.
The University of Sheffield Enterprise brings people together to help make ideas happen by creating opportunities to develop potential projects.
