Team:UESTC-China/Achievement
This year we meet all the requirements of medals standards, and we also expect to get five iGEM awards: Best Environment Project, Best Integrated Human Practices, Best Education & Public Engagement, and Best Model, Best Hardware. In this section, we clearly show each entries up to the standards. Please judge.
Bronze
1.Registration and Giant Jamboree Attendance
We have registered for iGEM as UESTC-China on March 3rd, 2019 and been accepted on March 18th, 2019. We had a great summer and half of semester for our project. We have registered Giant Jamboree and planned for the travel.
2.Competition Deliverables
We have made Team Wiki, poster and prepared a wonderful presentation. We have accomplished and submitted the Judging Form and Safety Form on time.
3.Attributions
We have created a page on the team wiki with clear Attribution of each aspect of the project.
Click here for more details about our Attributions.
4.Project Inspiration and Description
We recorded how we change the idea at the beginning after a series of activities, recorded why we chose this project,and also how we achieve our goals.
Click here for more details about our Project Inspiration and Description.
5.Characterization
We have added quantitative experimental characterization data to two existing Parts (BBa_K2556051 and BBa_K1930004) from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts and documented the characterization of these parts on the Main Page of that Part's Registry entry.
Click here for more details about our part.
Silver
1.Validated Part
We have successfully validated three new BioBrick Parts(BBa_K3034000 and BBa_K3034004 and BBa_K3034005)worked as expected through experiment. And we have documented the characterization of these parts on the Main Page of that Part's Registry entry. Click here for more details about our part.
2.Collaboration
This summer, we collaborated with five 2019 iGEM teams for a better progress in project of each other and hosted 2019 Southwestern iGEM Exchange Conference with UESTC-Software.
We provided CAU_China with a plasmid and their simultaneous validation experiments. We discussed with SZU-China how to improve the expression of toxic protein and the feasibility of the project. We designed a questionnaire analysis method together with CSU_CHINA. ZJUT-China provided us with lysin. XMU-China was provided with a trial of our part of the last year. A total of five teams from Southwest China participated in the meetup we held. Click here for more details about our Collaborations.
We provided CAU_China with a plasmid and their simultaneous validation experiments. We discussed with SZU-China how to improve the expression of toxic protein and the feasibility of the project. We designed a questionnaire analysis method together with CSU_CHINA. ZJUT-China provided us with lysin. XMU-China was provided with a trial of our part of the last year. A total of five teams from Southwest China participated in the meetup we held. Click here for more details about our Collaborations.
3.Human Practices
We have thought carefully and creatively about whether our work is responsible and good for the world. We have documented on our team wiki how we have investigated these issues and engaged with our relevant communities, why we chose this approach, and what we have learned. Besides, our surveys followed scientifically valid methods which fulfilled this criteria.
Click here for more details about our Human Practices.
Gold
1.Integrated Human Practices
In the process of our entire project, we draw on the waterfall model used in software engineering as our development model, and complete our project according to feasibility analysis, requirements analysis steps, project design，and project realization. Human practice in the process is an indispensable tool for us throughout our entire process. In order to determine whether the project is feasible, we organized the 5th Southwest China iGEM Exchange Conference to determine the technical feasibility and visited the 7th Water Supply Plant in Chengdu to determine the economic feasibility, understood whether the policy is feasible in the 4th Water Purification Plant. Through these activities, we decided to change from antibiotics in degraded water to recycling bins designed for expired drugs. To determine the users’ needs, we distributed more than 200 questionnaires for analysis and visited some chain pharmacies to determine the function and performance of the recycling bin.
Click here for more details about our Integrated Human Practices.
2.Improve a Previous Part
We have constructed a BBa_K3034007 parts as the improvement of BBa_J364000.
Click here for more details about our Improved Part.
3.Model Your Project
1）We designed the experiment reasonably and used Plackett-Burman design to screen the external factors affecting the degradation of CIP of our engineered bacteria. We can find several most important influencing factors and obtain the degradation rate equation. Then we will obtain the best degradation CIP conditions and corresponding degradation rates. And the effectiveness of the optimal conditions can be verified by experiments.
2）We also established several differential equations for the quorum sensing process. Using this model, we predicted the yield of CrpP and got the curve of CrpP concentration varied with time. Then we found the relationship between the initial concentration of external AHL and the maximal yield of CrpP. So we found the best external concentration, which can help us find the best ratio of detection cells and processing cells, saving the total cost of the device.
3）In order to give the treatment device a reasonable placement, we established a multi-objective programming model, which greatly improved the delivery probability of discarded antibiotics. We also obtained a specific device layout plan in a certain community by the model. Finally, we used the Analytic Hierarchy Process to establish an evaluation system for the layout scheme, so as to find the optimal layout scheme among many optimization schemes. This model provides a solution for device placement for human practice, saving project costs.
Click here for more details about our models.
2）We also established several differential equations for the quorum sensing process. Using this model, we predicted the yield of CrpP and got the curve of CrpP concentration varied with time. Then we found the relationship between the initial concentration of external AHL and the maximal yield of CrpP. So we found the best external concentration, which can help us find the best ratio of detection cells and processing cells, saving the total cost of the device.
3）In order to give the treatment device a reasonable placement, we established a multi-objective programming model, which greatly improved the delivery probability of discarded antibiotics. We also obtained a specific device layout plan in a certain community by the model. Finally, we used the Analytic Hierarchy Process to establish an evaluation system for the layout scheme, so as to find the optimal layout scheme among many optimization schemes. This model provides a solution for device placement for human practice, saving project costs.
Click here for more details about our models.
4.Demonstration of Your Work
We have proved that CIP can be detected and degraded by our main system. Moreover, Lysin killswitch will inhibit the growth of E.coli and our hardware characterization indicates that it fits our project well. Click here for more details about our Demonstrate
Special Prizes
1.Best Environment Projects
According to the survey, 79% of households have expired drugs. In areas where waste sorting is carried out, expired drugs are classified as hazardous waste, and the treatment methods are still landfill and incineration, which still pollute the environment. In areas where waste separation is not implemented, expired drugs are treated together with household waste, and the damage to soil and water can not be ignored. The presence of expired drugs in sewage can lead to increased antibiotic resistance of many microbial strains in sewage. How to effectively treat expired drugs has become a problem that needs to be solved.
This year, UESTC-China designed an expired drug recycling bin, taking the most commonly used antibiotic ciprofloxacin as an example, using engineering E.coli to degrade expired drugs into environmentally friendly substances, and then using mathematical modeling to design points in the city to form an expired drug solution. Click here for more details about our Demonstrates.
This year, UESTC-China designed an expired drug recycling bin, taking the most commonly used antibiotic ciprofloxacin as an example, using engineering E.coli to degrade expired drugs into environmentally friendly substances, and then using mathematical modeling to design points in the city to form an expired drug solution. Click here for more details about our Demonstrates.
2.Best Integrated Human Practices
In the process of our entire project, we draw on the waterfall model used in software engineering as our development model. Human practice in the process is an indispensable tool for us throughout our entire process. In order to determine whether the project is feasible, we organized in the 5th Southwest iGEM Exchange Conference to determine the technical feasibility and understood whether the application is feasible in the 4th Water Purification Plant in Chengdu. Through these activities, we decided to choose to degrade expired drugs from a variety of antibiotic contamination. To determine the users' needs, we distributed more than 200 questionnaires for analysis and visited some chain pharmacies to determine the function and performance of the recycling bin.
Click here for more details about our Integrated Human Practices.
3.Best Education & Public Engagement
Education has never been for youngth only!
Our educational activities take place in both the elderly and children. In the process of investigating expired drugs, we found that the elderly are the people who take the most expired drugs, so we have made scientific popularization through square dance in China's most popular entertainment activities. We adapted the lyrics of the square dance songs, hoping that the elderly can learn about expired drugs during the dance process. Together with UESTC software, we brought a synthetic biology adventure to children during Children's Day. We performed our project in the form of a stage play, vividly explained the synthetic biology to the children, and also inspired children to imagine the application of synthetic biology through lectures. Planting synthetic biology seeds in the hearts of children Click here for more details about our Education & Public Engagement.
Our educational activities take place in both the elderly and children. In the process of investigating expired drugs, we found that the elderly are the people who take the most expired drugs, so we have made scientific popularization through square dance in China's most popular entertainment activities. We adapted the lyrics of the square dance songs, hoping that the elderly can learn about expired drugs during the dance process. Together with UESTC software, we brought a synthetic biology adventure to children during Children's Day. We performed our project in the form of a stage play, vividly explained the synthetic biology to the children, and also inspired children to imagine the application of synthetic biology through lectures. Planting synthetic biology seeds in the hearts of children Click here for more details about our Education & Public Engagement.
4.Best Hardware
Our purpose is designing and building a universally detection-and-degradation hardware. It has been designed and manufactured after three generations.
In our project we use it to monitor ciprofloxacin concentration and degrade ciprofloxacin in expired drugs. We have successfully combined the hardware with the monitor plasmid and degradation plasmid in our project. And the result shows that it could achieve our goal. So we believe if others change plasmids in it, it could also works.
Besides, in order for more teams to improve and use the hardware, model files and code files are all open sources. With the help of 3D-printing technology, most hardware modules can be made. We also listed all necessary parameters required in our device so that other teams could understand it easily.
Click here for more details about our Hardware.
5.Best Model
Our team should be in consideration for this award because modeling is combined with experimentation, hardware and human practices, which makes the project more uniform and integrated.
We designed the experiment plan to screen the factors and predict the optimal degradation conditions by the experimental data. Then we will verify our prediction by experiments. We also modeled the quorum sensing mechanism, which can predict experimental results and obtain the optimal ratio of the detection bacteria to the degrading bacteria theoretically.
We considered the interests of tripartite benefit main bodies and built the layout model of the devices, providing human practice with a scientific solution for the layout of the devices. Everyone can use our model to adjust the parameters to get the required layout scheme. Finally, we reduced the cost of the project and improved the efficiency of drugs recovery.
Click here for more details about our Model.
Results
In the end, we got gold medal and were nominated for the Best Hardware.
