The implementation of our project involves placing our live modified S. cerevisiae and E. coli in the ecosystem. To avoid unchecked release into the environment of our genetically modified microorganisms, we designed eco-plates that can hold SchistoGONE microorganisms and easily refuel. It is impossible for these modified microorganisms to survive permanently in target areas. As such, it is imperative that a fresh and reliable source of live SchistoGONE microorganisms be integrated into the project. Thus, we decided on also designing an E. coli and S. cerevisiae co-culture bioreactor for this purpose.

The design accomplishes four tasks; it implants itself stationary along the shore, allows for B. glabrata snails to approach and eat from it, holds the live E. coli and yeast, and is refuelable.

The spike on the bottom ensures that the plate is planted firm in the ground. The fully surrounding gap on the wall of the plate leaves open room for B. glabrata snails to be attracted to and consume our modified yeast. The eco-plate is designed to be easily refueled via connecting the top to the effluent pump of our co-culture bioreactor. Incoming yeast and E. coli culture is then absorbed into the spongy inside of the plate.



Seen in figure 1.8 is a prototype version of the eco-plate. This rendition displays the ribbed surface of the surface spikes to better situate it in river shores, as well as the refueling hole that perfectly connects to the bioreactor effluent pump.

Over the course of the season, we built a single-chamber, continuous-flow chemostat bioreactor that controlled the feed rate, effluent rate, pH, aeration, temperature, and stirring of a yeast and E. coli co-culture. All of the systems of the bioreactor are controlled by an arduino UNO. The code we used was heavily inspired and sourced from Cornell iGEM 2021's bioreactor. The feed and effluent algorithms were specialized to accommodate our model for microbial competition. Final results of our season verified the bioreactor's full functionality through testing all components individually and the full assembled product using water.



A common issue in implementing programs and solutions in poorer, underdeveloped nations is the price of implementation. As schistosomiasis hotspots are primarily in third-world countries, we need to consider this issue as well. All of the parts used are the cheapest and most mass produced in the market. No component in the bioreactor requires 3D printing.



Due to material limitations, testing was unable to proceed using growth media and yeast and E. coli cells. We plan on re-visiting construction and improvement to the bioreactor, which will open the door for us to improve the design and verify the co-culture viability. In the future, we may improve the design using a water bath instead of internal heating, or further develop the robustness of the bioreactor by adding containers and solidifying the power supply.