Introduction and Partnerships

Our project prioritizes the creation of a DDx biosensor. We wanted a clean and affordable method of addressing the pollution in the nearby Pine River - a river that runs next to our campus, and downstream to St. Louis, Michigan, a neighboring town. The floodplains of the Pine River in St. Louis have been contaminated for decades with DDT and its derivatives (such as DDE, and other molecules collectively referred to as DDx). These molecules can persist in the environment and the soil for long periods of time, accumulating in some species and posing problems to the ecosystem and human health, thanks to biomagnification. Our plan is to create a biosensor to enable the rapid and affordable detection of these molecules. By doing this, we can aid in clean-up efforts on all scales; from here in Alma to the entire nation and even across international borders. Making detection easier and cheaper can help direct funding, coordinate cleanup efforts in the most effective way possible, and can establish a bridge of trust between our laboratory and the local community.

Meeting an urgent and unmet community need in a tangible way

We are addressing Water, Safety, and a local Community need.

The community needs an affordable and reliable way to determine if their property contains the pesticide DDT, or any of its metabolites or derivatives, collectively referred to as DDx. Our biosensor targets those needs, and the comparing prices are not even close. Our biosensor has a price range of $20 where the next best option is in the range between $700 and $800. That does not include the costs of testing and additional service fees. Our product, however, is homegrown. Our price range is the entire expense. As we are a university, every test is an opportunity for a student to run a mechanism and refine their laboratory skills. We can save consumers money, offer reassurances on their property value, and provide students an easy way to learn lab methods.

Action steps, Outcomes, and Constraints

This product is a culmination of multiple years of research. The research is nearly complete. We must fully construct our circuit and run multiple tests on it, including its fluorescent response at varying concentrations of DDx. To complete this, multiple rounds of DNA assembly, sequencing, and other experiments must be conducted. Once this is complete, the product must be optimized so that the genetic expression is exact and consistent. We do not want an overreaction to levels that are marginally higher than anticipated or an underreaction to concentrations that are slightly lower than expected. Finding this middle ground requires a season of testing and real-world implementation, which is a top priority for the 2022 Alma iGEM season.

The outcome is measured in providing information and educational concepts to people who do not otherwise have access to those features. The project will provide hundreds of residents of Alma, St. Louis, and surrounding neighborhoods with information on DDx as well as some general conservation efforts. We are in the process of publishing a children’s book, so being able to donate that to the community is an excellent way to reach out to children and educate them from a young age about pollution. Additionally, we can see quantitative change in the values of local homes and real estate. With the guaranteed removal of an age-old toxin from the soil and surrounding ecosystem, residents can more confidently live their lives.

Currently, our community is skeptical of some modern scientific practices. Although these opinions are valid, we have other viewpoints that could be more advantageous. By proving to the community that we can eliminate decades-old pollution issues, we can hope to earn their trust. A quantitative method of earning their trust can be through the use of bioavailability testing with Sudan Black, an azo dye that can stain extremely hydrophobic molecules, such as DDx. This compound is one of many that can be used to “highlight” DDx in the soil. This is an effective method to prove to our community that we act with intentions aimed solely at supporting the people. Until we prove that our products will prove beneficial, some members of the community are reluctant to accept our ideals.

Competitors, Collaboration, and Leadership

Our main competitor (although it is better to think of them as a potential collaborator, partner, or early adopter) is the EPA, among other private research firms, who have a method of testing for DDT that is extremely expensive when compared to our product. Current tests outside of our sensor involve exposing worms to the soil. After about a month of monitoring the health of these worms, they are ground up to find the amounts of DDT consumed. This is an inefficient way to find DDT, as the region of where the worms travel is not exactly known, so clean-up would still be difficult. Another method is through taking random soil samples and determining DDT concentration through gas chromatography or other chemical instruments. Our method is much more efficient, as it takes minutes to develop a test result from a small soil or water sample. On top of that, it is very inexpensive.

There are several opportunities within our organization for students to take up roles of leadership. Our entire team is run by four main students, with several other intermediate leadership roles below them. We have a treasurer, a secretary, and heads of each of the two major divisions of iGEM. Our head of Wet Lab coordinates all of our behind-the-scenes research. They are responsible for the overall direction of the team. Our Head of Human Practices is responsible for everything related to community outreach and getting the team name known. There are several members of this division, and they all hold a unique position and are responsible for different aspects of our outreach. Last season, three members made a children’s book that should be published within a season.

Our community partner is TriTerra. They are a local environmental consulting group, and they have previously helped our team define our purpose and direction. Additionally, they have provided us with future opportunities once we produce our DDT biosensor. We have worked with them to establish our baseline, and this relationship will only continue to be nurtured as the team continues researching local issues that require attention.

There are a number of resources that our team has to communicate our efforts to the public. We have an Alma Press Office that can issue a press release. Additionally, our wiki is a great way to access information and the entire project description. We also have an international competition that we participate in annually. There are also local media outlets, such as the Morning Sun, who can publish us in their paper should we require media attention to further our work.

Our Implementation Plan

Once we have created a working biosensor, we need a way of introducing it into use. Our project has been using a multi-facted approach to implement the biosensor, consistent with the background information presented in the preceeding section. It can be summarized by the following diagram:

A key feature of our project this year was finding a way to safety implement the project. We explored two options - introducing a kill switch, and using a cell-free protein synthesis system. In both cases, our goal is to limit the hazards posed by genetically engineered organisms. This should make the kit easier to use and democratize - in addition to trained personnel at the EPA in a laboratory setting, private companies or property owners may be able to safely use a cell-free system.

Our previous year's team already examined some issues of implementation. These included solvents that can be used to properly dissolve any DDT present, and the need to maintain an affordable solution. This area of Michigan is resource-deprived, and so making a biosensor that is affordable is important in order to have the widest possible implementation. Issues regarding the use of different solvents continues to be an active area of research for us, but our math modeling suggests that we can detect even small amounts of DDx with our sensor (0.1 ppb or nM). Thus, we might be able to forgo the use of specialized solvents and directly test the amount of bioavailable DDx, which is the metric that is of most interest to human health and the health of the ecosystem.

A final aspect of our implementation plan is that we will proactively raise awareness of both the nature of the problem and the benefits of this solution with the general public. This type of educational outreach is important so that the public can properly weight the risks and benefits of any solution, and can make informed choices. It will hopefully help strenghten community ties between the public and the college, as well as with local environmental organizations such as Tri-Terra and the EPA.