For the design of the project, the necessary safety and security guidelines must be in place to limit the risks of working in the laboratory. Therefore, the organism used in our project is non-pathogenic, using the DH5α strain of E.coli as a chassis as a safe host for starch-like production.

If you want to know more about the transformation process or gene construction, click on the following sections:

• Genetic modified organisms (GMO):

  The development of genetic engineering began in the mid-1970s with the implementation of recombinant DNA technology (Serrano et al., 2006). This has made it possible to genetically modify various types of organisms to synthesize different products with diverse biotechnological applications.

  In our project, genes native to the host bacterium are manipulated and others from Cellulomonas fimi are introduced. Specifically, the gene coding for ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is being overexpressed, increasing the expression of glgC, which allows for increased starch-like production.

  
  
  

• Antibiotic resistance:

  Since the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, and ignoring his call to make a correct use of antibiotics (Kortright et al., 2019), these drugs have been used without regulation for many years. In Spain, it was not until 2006 when their sale began to be regulated, requiring from that year onwards a medical prescription to purchase them. The consequence of this late regulation, and their indiscriminate use for decades worldwide, was the emergence of the so-called superbugs (Wright, 2000).

  In our project, chloramphenicol and ampicillin resistance genes are used to select bacteria incorporating our genetic constructs. The concentration used for our selection process is approximately 5 μg/mL, whereas the dose for medical use is usually more concentrated. This greatly limits the danger of antibiotic resistance in our model organism.