Project Inspiration and Description
Privacy and encryption in this era of connectivity are becoming increasingly important. The internet is not a secure platform to share sensitive information. QR codes – those blocky, black and white squares of digital information that take the user to an app or webpage on their smartphone – have a mixed reputation around the world. In reality, it all comes down to implementation. QR codes are a great means to encrypt information but not secure given that the information is encrypted but can also be decrypted easily.
We intend to develop an alternative protocol to securely exchange sensitive data encrypted in a QR code using genetically engineered bacteria Vibrio natriegens but making decryption impossible unless the right stimuli are provided to. We combine encryption and encryption with growth conditions. Additionally, we aspire to make synthetic biology readily comprehensible to the layman. Therefore, the idea of an bacterial QR code has been brought to life.
These bacteria inside the code are engineered to grow solely when the right stimulus is given which can be in the form of light, nutrients or chemicals. This external signal will be conveyed into e.g. growth/no growth or different colours employing optogenetic switches, antibiotic resistance, and inducible promoters to name a few. Furthermore, false positives will add an extra layer of security rendering the message indecipherable if misused. Under the right conditions, the bacteria will produce the pattern of a QR code that encrypts the coveted message.
Or protocol for delivering an encrypted message will be as follows:
1. The message to be sent is primarily encrypted in a QR code, which is then printed on a paper or an agar plate using bacterial culture as ‘ink’ using a modified 3D printer.
The bio-ink includes a mixture of bacterial culture with Sodium alginate which is needed for printing. A modified 3D printer is used to print the bio-ink in
a specified QR code patter. A plate containing calcium chloride agar is used as a base for the bio-ink print. When calcium chloride comes in contact with
sodium alginate, a calcium alginate hydrogel is formed. In the process, modified bacteria become entrapped in the gel. This entrapment of the microorganisms helps to safely
transport them to the receiver and preserve the resolution. Another possible method is stamping, in which the information of interest is encoded in a digital QR code and a physical stamp of this
pattern is made. The bacterial culture of a specific strain consisting of a particular phenotype is used as ink for the stamping purpose. It is then stamped on an agar
plate consisting of suitable stimulants to help the strain grown. Once induced and incubated, an outgrowth of the bacteria produces the desired QR pattern which is scannable.
Figure 1. Hydrogel formation using calcium ions and sodium alginate polysacharide
2. The plate containing entrapped bacteria is sent to the recipient. The conditions for successful colony growth are transferred in a separate message.
3. Once the recipient has both, the right growth conditions and plate, they can grow the visible QR code. Ultimately, the message can be read using only your smartphone camera and the algorithm rendered by our team.
Figure 2. Workflow process of data encryption and delivery
The fusion of state-of-the-art technology with genetic engineering for quick transfer of data in a physical cybersecurity format was an inspiration. Agar art was a great influence for our project too. The ability to create art in the form of a QR pattern on an agar plate as a canvas was fascinating. Hence, our combinatorial strategy offers opportunities to explain complex material in an easy and coherent manner. By coupling two extensive and emerging technologies, QR codes and 3D printing, we intend to familiarize the public with genetic engineering. Currently, genetically engineered organisms, whether they be infertile mosquitoes to fight malaria or tomatoes with extended shelf life, are still a taboo. This needs to be changed before we can make full use of the benefits that genetic engineering offers. So, through the unification of engineering, genetic engineering and (en)coding we will confer the message.
Figure 3. Left: We drew inspiration from Agar art (source: ASM).
Right: Scannable Bacterial QR code (generated via stamping) expressing correct phenotype based on right growth conditions provided.
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[2] Multiplex Genome Editing by Natural Transformation (MuGENT) for Synthetic Biology in Vibrio natriegens. Triana N. Dalia, Chelsea A. Hayes, Sergey Stolyar, Christopher J. Marx, James B. McKinlay, and Ankur B. Dalia
[3] Towards an Integrated QR Code Biosensor: Light-Driven Sample Acquisition and Bacterial Cellulose Paper Substrate. Mingquan Yuan, Student Member, IEEE, Qisheng Jiang, Keng-Ku Liu, Srikanth Singamaneni, and Shantanu Chakrabartty, Senior Member, IEEE
[4] Escherichia coli “Marionette” strains with 12 highly optimized small-molecule sensors. Adam J. Meyer, Thomas H. Segall-Shapiro, Emerson Glassey, Jing Zhang and Christopher A. Voigt
[5] Synthetic Biology Tools for the Fast-Growing Marine Bacterium Vibrio natriegens. Tanya Tschirhart, Vrinda Shukla, Erin E. Kelly, Zachary Schultzhaus, Erin NewRingeisen, Jeffrey S. Erickson, Zheng Wang, Whitney garcia, Emaleigh Curl, Robert G. Egbert, Enoch Yeung, and Gary J. Vora ACS Synth. Biol., Just Accepted Manuscript DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00176 • Publication Date (Web): 16 Aug 2019
[6] Spiesz, E.M., Yu, K., Lehner, B.A., Schmieden, D.T., Aubin-Tam, M.E., Meyer, A.S. Three-dimensional Patterning of Engineered Biofilms with a Do-it-yourself Bioprinter. J. Vis. Exp. (147), e59477, DOI:10.3791/59477 (2019).
