Deep space exploration is not an easy endeavour. The challenge to keep astronauts alive and healthy long enough to reach other planets or solar systems has kept scientists busy for decades. Earth is where we have enough sunlight, water, soil, and raw materials on which we rely to build the tools that we need. Far from Earth, all resources are limited, and everything must be recycled as much as possible. Waste disposal and food production methods continue to be researched [1], but food production by algae and plants is limited by light and soil availability. Moreover, astronauts should have readily available treatments and materials in case of injury and sickness. The need for reliable methods of material and food production on board are crucial for the success of a mission.
These challenges made us think that synthetic biodegradable material produced from waste could be versatile enough to solve many of these problems. Based on previously published literature, bacterial cellulose (BC) produced by K.xylinus can be functionalized with chitin by using genes from C.albicans [2]. Thus, we decided to expand on the idea by using bioinformatic analysis to identify and clone homologous genes from S.cerevisiae that should produce a similar end product with broader applications. K.xylinus is a gram-negative bacterium [3] that can synthesize BC [4]. We propose to use components from degraded organic waste so bacteria can use it to synthesize this co-polymer. The process is light independent, and its BC could have a wide range of novel applications in space[5, 6].
Social media provides iGEM teams an easy way to stay updated on the progress and activities of other iGEM teams. So, it was on Instagram where team UiO first noticed the post from UniCamp team which showed that they were also working with bacterial cellulose, with bacteria from the same genus i.e. Komagataeibacter. Hence, it was only natural to set up an online meeting to discuss our projects, challenges and how we could contribute to each other’s project. We then proceeded to call our partnership “Cellu-minati”.
Get to know the team behind CELLULALT!
We are a diverse team of master's students. Our backgrounds range from mathematics to molecular biology, encompassing material science.
This year we are seeking to provide a novel solution to produce a sustainable biomaterial based on bacterial cellulose.
We welcome you to look further into our project!
Read moreTo reach out to experts and collect information from the public is an important part of our project.
Read moreWith CellulALT being a result of the work of students from a diverse background in terms of age, culture, ethnicity and education, it was important to us from the very beginning that our education and communication strategies and efforts reflected this.
Read moreWe want to give a big thank you to our sponsors; without you our project would not have been possible.
