Our Parts
Our project has characterised novel inducible promoters which expand the Bacillus subtilis genetic toolbox. These include, a malate inducible, phosphate inducible and an improved xylose inducible promoter. See Parts and Part Collection.
Adapting a NASA Method for iGEM Plant Biology
We developed a novel hydroponics method based on a NASA experiment measuring Arabidopsis thaliana seedling growth in lunar dust, replaced with inert rockwool as a way of simulating the practical application of PhoBac in real-life agricultural and horticultural settings. Unlike other popular in vivo whole-plant experimental setups, our design is fast and simple to set up, as plant growth can be measured from germination. This allows synthetic biologists with minimal plant handling experience to run many repeats in the tight timeframe of a typical iGEM project. We also found that comparison against controls grown with Hoagland’s solution, a well-characterised chemical nutrient solution, made it possible to observe phenotypic changes of nutrient deprived plants. See Plant.
A Manual for First Time iGEM Teams
Together with team Biobrussels, we authored a manual with lessons for first time iGEM teams, guiding them through each season of the competition cycle. See Partnership.