Lab Selfie!

Week 1 - May 4 to 8

On week one, we focused on finding literature about the specific chemistry of silver staining. In general, we did not find any literature about the specific, molecular interactions of the silver stain dye with proteins. Many of the articles even stated that the exact mechanism of silver staining remains unknown.

Week 2 - May 11 to 15

This week, we researched on the scientific basis of color. More specifically, we looked into how the interaction between silver, protein and the polyacrylamide gel produces a certain color. We found that the size of silver nano-particles and the refraction of light is how we perceive different colors. We also tried to look into the electron cloud and how electron excitation produces certain wavelengths of light

Lab with SGHS

This week, we also helped out Spruce Grove High School with a fun biology lab! We experimented with electrophoresis in agarose gel and visualized DNA strands from a mock crime scene. Additionally, we streaked plates with Serratia marcescens. Overall, the high school trip was a success and we got along really well with the students!

geekStarter Workshop

We attended the geekStarter workshop hosted by Alberta Innovates at the University of Calgary on Sunday, May 24. We presented questions about iGEM to a panel of experts. We also got one on one "speed-mentoring" with the experts as well as an exclusive group meeting with each of the four experts. Meeting the University of Lethbridge team was also quite cool!

After meeting with the experts, we decided to put the literature review on the back burner so that we could proceed with actual, physical experiments.

Week 4 - May 25 to 29

This week, we focused on perfecting our silver staining techniques. We are currently troubleshooting our gels because the stain comes out quite dark and with a lot of background staining.

We also started reaching out to local start-ups and companies looking for sponsorship and further funding.

Our team also started drafting versions of our wiki on this week. As we are not familiar with the mediaWiki interface, this task proved to be quite difficult. Our wiki did, however, go live later in the week. A lot of work is still necessary for the wiki because at this time, there was no content - just a template.

Week 1 - June 1 to 5

This week, we worked on and finalized the DNA sequences to be sent to IDT.

We also continued perfecting the silver staining techniques outlined by our principal investigator. Unfortunately, we are still experiencing difficulties in background clarity. We tried to switch out the vessels used during staining because we thought that residual silver was affecting our gels. However, even new pyrex containers did not make a difference in our final stained products. We are thinking now that the BioRAD Silver Stain Plus kit that was provided for us contains defective reagents.

Week 2 - June 8 to 12

This week, we really decided to focus our efforts into perfecting our silver stain techniques. Additionally, we divided all the tasks we have to do from now until Boston and divided them according to each of our team members strengths.

We also changed the look of our wiki this week. We opted for a more centralized design. Our new logo went live this week as well (we had to change it due to branding issues with our institution). We took inspiration from the separated protein bands in SDS-PAGE and we are quite happy with how it turned out.

On June 11th, we were joined by Ms. Linda Hoang and Blaze from our institution in a professional photo shoot for NAIT's techlife magazine. The majority of us had never been in a photoshoot before so it was quite the experience. Our mentors, Marcelo and Mattéa laughed at us at every step of the way. They also joined the shoot at the end.

Joy and Marcelo started diligently working on or PyMOL and Maya animations this week.

Genetic Engineering NOW: An introspective look at synthetic biology in Canada

by Team NAIT 2015

Synthetic Biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary branch of science that combines biotechnology; evolutionary, molecular and systems biology; biophysics; and electrical engineering. In many ways, it is related to transgenesis; however, unlike transgenesis, which exchanges existing genes from one organism to another, synthetic biology allows scientists to write and synthesize novel genetic codes and insert them into a living organism (The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, n.d.). Organisms that express the new genetic codes can then be used to create a molecule of human interest. From cleansing our environment to producing novel medications to treat currently incurable diseases, these genetically engineered organisms can potentially help us solve a multitude of pertaining problems in the future.

However, since synthetic biology is a novel field in research, it needs to gain the trust of the public in order to be successful (Bubela, Hagen, & Einsiedel, 2012). Public awareness and involvement in synthetic biology will help facilitate its acceptance into society as well as aid in focusing it in the development of specific products that are necessary for the community (Bubela, Hagen, & Einsiedel, 2012). Synbiota, a young canadian company that began as an iGEM Team, developed DNA design software that helps in the designing, assembling, testing and re­iterating of genetic circuits created by its users (Synbiota, 2015). Their vision is to create an open ecosystem in which synthetic biology parts and protocols can be generated, exchanged, and be made accessible to the public (Synbiota, 2015). The transparency and public involvement in Synthetic Biology will help to alleviate some of the misconceptions and distrust of the new, emerging science.

In addition to public acceptance, SynBio also needs to be supported in industry. Since the year 2000, Genome Canada, a non­profit organization that applies genomics and genomic­based technologies to create social and economic benefits for Canadians, has invested $2.3 billion CAD to decipher and understand the mechanism of economically important plant, microbial, and animal genomes (Genome Canada, 2015) (Quirion, Martin, Meulien, LePage, & Bell, 2014). Moreover, a fraction of that money has been used in developing technological toolkits that can improve the study of synthetic biology (Quirion, Martin, Meulien, LePage, & Bell, 2014). With regards to research centres, the Concordia Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology (CASB), in Montréal, is the first dedicated SynBio centre in Canada. Its main goals are to discover and understand the mechanisms of this novel science, and to research and develop tools, protocols, and technologies that allow the scientific community come up with solutions for current environmental and health matters (Concordia University, n.d.). It additionally deals with societal, legal, and ethical concerns with regards to SynBio in order to allow the conscientious development of this scientific field (Concordia University, n.d.). For synthetic biology to become a successful discipline, multiple areas of expertise must synergize (Quirion, Martin, Meulien, LePage, & Bell, 2014). Along with biotechnology, research in law, business, social sciences, and humanities is necessary to resolve the ethical, supply chain management, societal, and cultural adaptation issues that will arise with the current and future development of synthetic biology (Quirion, Martin, Meulien, LePage, & Bell, 2014).

Nonetheless, the development of this science challenges the present regulatory framework, laws, and public opinion (Bubela, Hagen, & Einsiedel, 2012). In order to constitute relevant regulations pertaining synthetic biology, policy makers must oversee every advancement made in this field and weigh out its risks and benefits (Bubela, Hagen, & Einsiedel, 2012). An analysis on the current regulations must be done to address the gaps in law, and to create new legislations that ensure that the public and scientists will both be protected (Bubela, Hagen, & Einsiedel, 2012). Currently in Canada, any product synthesized by biotechnological means is treated as any other product: regulation is initiated based on the innovative trait of the product (European Commision, 2014). Risk evaluations are done in a scientific and product­based form by Health Canada, the government agency that assesses and manages the risks of health, food, and environmental/industrial products (European Commision, 2014).

With regards to the future of SynBio in Canada, Montréal’s Concordia University held a workshop to discuss how synthetic biology can be integrated into Canada's future, creating a rough outline of its plan of action in October 2014. This outline involved cross­sectoral alliances, and the direction of money towards research and development in this particular area. Furthermore, in November 2014, Genome Canada gathered Parliamentary representatives, senior public servants, and representatives of industry, academia, and research agencies to discuss how genomics and synthetic biology could influence the country’s resource sectors and, at the same time, protect and preserve the environment (Quirion, Martin, Meulien, LePage, & Bell, 2014).

Canada is definitely making a conscious effort to advance the new field of SynBio. The First Research Excellence Fund, which was recently introduced into the Canadian Budget, aims to empower postsecondary research institutions. By helping researchers develop into a highly qualified workforce with world­leading capabilities, Canada can stay internationally competitive in the research scene while remaining up­to­date with cutting­edge technology ­ a benefit to all Canadians (Merson, 2014). The proposed budget will deliver $200 million CAD annually by 2018, meaning that within the next decade, the fund will provide approximately $1.5 billion CAD to help establish Canadian universities and post­secondary institutions as global leaders in research and innovation. (Merson, 2014).

Like the United Kingdom and America before it, Canada has begun to see the importance of Synthetic Biology and how this new science can revolutionize the future of our societies. From eliminating world hunger to adapting to rapid climate change, Synthetic Biology has the potential to solve many of the present challenges that we face. However, many factors contribute to the success of a science in Canada; such as public opinion and lawful regulation. Although difficult to establish a new, groundbreaking science in Canada, investing in Synthetic Biology has been regarded as a necessary risk and a research priority.

If you would like a PDF of our article or access to our sources, click here.

Weekly Recap

Much of our time this week was dedicated to perfecting and polishing the preliminary presentation we plan to give on Friday, June 26 to NAIT's Office of Research and Innovation (formerly novaNAIT). Eduardo stepped up to the plate to deliver this presentation solo.

On June 24, Joy, Kevin and Jo met up with Armen, a bioinformatician from the University of Alberta. They discussed how programs such as PyMOL and PDBePISA may be of help for simulating our project. Armen will most likely be working most closely with Joy and Kevin for the project. The meeting was quite fruitful and we consider ourselves lucky to have such an experienced individual on board with our project.

June 25, we had our second meeting with NAIT's VP External and CDO, Mr. George Andrews. The CEO of Guardian Chemicals, Mr. Stewart Roth, was also present and gave us very valuable advice about the future steps necessary for our project. In addition to Mr. Roth and Mr. Andrews, we were also lucky to be joined by NAIT's Head of Marketing and Communications, Brand Manager and techLife Editor - all of whom gave sound advice for us as we go forward. Stay tuned for the cool collaborations we may do with our institution.

This week, our team also heard back from a University in Columbia about an exciting opportunity to collaborate. More on this in later weeks.

Thank You, Office of Research and Innovation

We are so lucky to have the support of such amazing people at NAIT. Eduardo did a phenomenal job presenting our ideas to the Office of Research of Innovation which made them very excited for the future of our project. They gave excellent critique about our presentation and we definitely plan to consider their comments for our iGEM presentation in September. After today, we decided to schedule two more meetings before we leave for Boston! We are successfully spreading our excitement about this project!

Special thanks to those who attended: Sandra Spencer, Stacey Ohlmann, Ryan Leskiw, Wade Muri, Chris Dambrowitz, Robin Mazumder, Iain Mackie, Albana Zeko, Kelly Maher, Andrew Pryor, Laurie Allen and our wonderful mentors, Marcelo Marcet and Mattéa Bujold.