Team:Oxford

University of Oxford’s first iGEM team presents: DCMation, a demonstration of a novel bioremediation system whose potential applications are limited only by the versatility of bacterial metabolism. OxiGEM are tackling environmental pollution by developing a user-friendly and scalable device for the detection & degradation of the hazardous solvent dichloromethane (DCM), indispensible to industry, research and household applications.

Building on the DCM-degradation pathway of M. extorquens DM4, our project is driven and refined by the dialogue between modelling simulations and experimental data. We are expressing intracellular microcompartments to accelerate and contain the reaction, preventing accumulation of toxic intermediates, while maximising the sensitivity and catalytic efficiency of the system through directed evolution. We are additionally constructing a synthetic fluorescent biosensor and incorporating our engineered bacteria into diffusion-limiting biopolymeric beads to ensure safety, efficiency and ease of use.

The all-round modular design is ideal for extension to the disposal of many harmful substrates.