Collaboration
Collaboration
We team XHD-WS-Wuhan-B has been active in the in-depth collaboration with other teams in the 2019 iGEM competition. As a result, we have close contact with Worldshaper-Wuhan, XHD-WS-Wuhan-A, and HZAU-China and have received a lot of their help in return. In addition, we have attended the Hangzhou Meet up jointly organized by iGEM teams in Hangzhou. These collaborations have played indispensable role in our path of better completing our other teams’ projects.
Collaboration with HZAU-China
Since our team advisor Xuting Wang is a teacher from HZAU, we established close relationship with HZAU Igem team, which is named as our meta-advising team.The collaboration with HZAU iGEM Team has been pivotal in both designing and conducting our experiment. Their supports provided us was crucial to the redesign of our biosensor model and the conduction of such process. We appreciate this opportunity of collaboration very much. Without it, we would have wasted much time and would have met many technical difficulties.
Photo1: We were watching how HZAU iGEM Team members operate and then listening to their instructions.
Collaboration on project design
HZAU has suggested us on these following details.
1. Screening of the sensitivity of biosensors: HZAU team suggested us on the optimization of the three constitutive promoters that we need to select the optimal one to lead and send it to determination of function.
2. The constructed composite parts: HZAU team recommended us to eliminate one promoter in Psid+PpbrA+mCherry.
3. The process of experiment: in order to help us on the experiment efficiency, HZAU team taught us how to arrange the experiment to obtain results with higher efficiency.
Collaboration on experimental techniques
1. design of promoter element
At the beginning of August after taking a long hard examination on the previous results of our experiment, we came to the conclusion that PbrA was not the promoter we had expected to function properly. Neither previous data nor the multiple tests we have conducted using high as well as low-copy plasmid expressed their glow factor to be observed by naked eyes. Also, the fluorescence value did not display apparent variation between that in different concentrations of lead. After coming to that conclusion, we decided to change the promoter to the more conventionally used lead-promoter. However, since we were running out of time, we decided to do overlap PCR combined with homologous recombination to speed up the process. This is when we started contacting HZAU for help on the design of these procedures, due to the fact that we were unfamiliar with them.
2. instructions on experimental techniques
We went to HZAU’s laboratory to learn about how to design the needed primers using Snapgene. meanwhile, they instructed us on some experimental techniques. For example, Overlaps PCR, Reverse PCR, DNA Gel Extraction, Homologous Recombination, Plasmid Transformation, and finally the Bacterial PCR. These steps were crucial to the second half of our experiment. Without these instructions, we would not have any subject to test out for our project.
3. shared experimental instrument platform
1）HZAU team was also kind enough to offer us assistance in the testing of our new bacteria prototype. Because we lack the proper Microplate Spectrophotometer for testing out the fluorescence value of our samples, we constantly went to borrow their Spectrophotometer for the testing of our samples. There was always at least a member of the HZAU team with us when we were using the spectrophotometer so that that we were ensured operating properly.
2）BioTek multifunctional microplate reader
HZAU provided us with a microplate reader to help us detect OD600 and its fluorescence intensityOn top of this, we are also fortunate enough to be taught of some of their lab procedures with slight difference in the reagents used within the experiments. They gave us very useful tips on experimental techniques that would reduce our workload while still ensuring the accuracy of the experiment.
Collaboration with XHD-WS-Wuhan A and Worldshaper-Wuhan
We interacted closely with XHD-WS-Wuhan-A and Worldshaper-Wuhan throughout iGEM 2019. We peer viewed each other’s safety form and gave feedback.
They also helps us a lot in experiments
Hangzhou Meetup
On August 2 our team XHD-WS-Wuhan-B was invited to the Hangzhou high school iGEM meetup.
Two team members, including the team leader, attended this meet up.
The meet up was consisted of two major sessions which imitated the on-site reply and poster section in the Giant Jamboree. The meetup aimed at fostering the capability of teammates to deal with the questions raised by the judges in the actual presentation. In addition, the meetup provided us considerable opportunities to improve our design of experiment and presentation. The judges have given us inspiring and constructive suggestions.
1. One judge said that the team members in dry team should engage in the discussion of the work that those in the wet team did. That advice is definitely meaningful. That not involving in the general work is detrimental to the communication between the two teams. After this meetup, our teammates have better idea about what the whole team should do.
2. Furthermore, we did not realize the significance of including the contents about safety and security. One of the guests, in her presentation to all the teams, urged us to pay more attention to safety, security and means of controlling discharge which are the key points in the actual presentation in the Giant Jamboree.
3. In the poster section, one judge advised to create certain information and to plan to put some attractions on the poster in order to avoid repetition of the contents in the power point. Admittedly, a crucial task is to appeal to the emotion of judges. If we just copy what we have made, the guests would be bothered.
Photo2: The two members were starting to explain our entire project.
Photo3:Participants, including the guests, were taking a group photo.