Difference between revisions of "Team:UMaryland/Practices"
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| − | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/a/a4/Chickens.png" style=" | + | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/a/a4/Chickens.png" style="width:488px; height:358px;float:center;"> |
<p style = "font-size:16px"><b>Free range chickens roam Grand View Farms</b></p> | <p style = "font-size:16px"><b>Free range chickens roam Grand View Farms</b></p> | ||
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<p style = "font-size:18px;text-align:justify";>The farmers' willingness to accept GMO crops demonstrated their interest in maintaining an antibiotic free operation. This helped us gain a greater understanding of the applications for our Hok-Sok plasmid maintenance system. If this could be used to maintain plasmids in lieu of antibiotics, then synthetic biology could benefit and partner with organizations like Grand View Farms without compromising the integrity of their rejection of antibiotics. Genetically modified bacteria which increase soil quality or the nutrient uptake of animals when ingested are just two examples of how synthetic biology could benefit farms, but the prior necessity of antibiotics prohibited their acceptance. However, we knew that without antibiotics, plasmids could not be maintained within the cell for very long, leading to a highly variable level of expression. We thus made sure to ensure that our Hok-Sok system could not only maintain plasmids, but also ensure a consistent expression level.</p> | <p style = "font-size:18px;text-align:justify";>The farmers' willingness to accept GMO crops demonstrated their interest in maintaining an antibiotic free operation. This helped us gain a greater understanding of the applications for our Hok-Sok plasmid maintenance system. If this could be used to maintain plasmids in lieu of antibiotics, then synthetic biology could benefit and partner with organizations like Grand View Farms without compromising the integrity of their rejection of antibiotics. Genetically modified bacteria which increase soil quality or the nutrient uptake of animals when ingested are just two examples of how synthetic biology could benefit farms, but the prior necessity of antibiotics prohibited their acceptance. However, we knew that without antibiotics, plasmids could not be maintained within the cell for very long, leading to a highly variable level of expression. We thus made sure to ensure that our Hok-Sok system could not only maintain plasmids, but also ensure a consistent expression level.</p> | ||
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<h1 style="text-align:justify;"><b>Montgomery County Fair</b></h1></a> | <h1 style="text-align:justify;"><b>Montgomery County Fair</b></h1></a> | ||
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<h1 style="text-align:justify;"><b>2015 East Coast Regional Meetup</b></h1></a> | <h1 style="text-align:justify;"><b>2015 East Coast Regional Meetup</b></h1></a> | ||
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<h1 style="text-align:justify;font-size:32px;"><b>Human Practices Related to Side Projects</b></h1> | <h1 style="text-align:justify;font-size:32px;"><b>Human Practices Related to Side Projects</b></h1> | ||
| − | < | + | <p style=";text-align:justify;font-size:24px;"><b>Eye Opening Interviews</b> |
<p style="font-size:18px;text-align:justify;">We visited the Wilmer Eye Institute, a part of Johns Hopkins University, in order to learn about the current conditions of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), its symptoms, and its treatments. | <p style="font-size:18px;text-align:justify;">We visited the Wilmer Eye Institute, a part of Johns Hopkins University, in order to learn about the current conditions of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), its symptoms, and its treatments. | ||
| − | < | + | <p style="font-size:24px;text-align:justify;"> <b>Baltimore, Maryland</b> |
<br> | <br> | ||
<p style="font-size:18px;text-align:justify;">We met with a researcher who studies the causes of AMD, Dr. Noriko Esumi. She currently studies retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and how it relates to AMD. After giving her an explanation of what iGEM is and why we were choosing to study lutein production, she told us that, while her experience with lutein itself was limited, she was well informed about retinal health and some of the causes of macular degeneration. | <p style="font-size:18px;text-align:justify;">We met with a researcher who studies the causes of AMD, Dr. Noriko Esumi. She currently studies retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and how it relates to AMD. After giving her an explanation of what iGEM is and why we were choosing to study lutein production, she told us that, while her experience with lutein itself was limited, she was well informed about retinal health and some of the causes of macular degeneration. | ||
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<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/6/64/Eyeplace2.png" style="height:45%; width:45%;float:center;margin:5px;"> | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/6/64/Eyeplace2.png" style="height:45%; width:45%;float:center;margin:5px;"> | ||
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| − | < | + | <p style="font-size:24px;text-align:justify;"> <b>Columbia, Maryland</b> |
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<p style="font-size:18px;text-align:justify;"> | <p style="font-size:18px;text-align:justify;"> | ||
Our next interview was with Dr. Nosheen Ahmed. While Dr. Esumi had more experience with the tissue cells that cause AMD when dysfunctional, Dr. Ahmed had more experience with the disease itself, its symptoms, its common treatments, how it affects the lives of patients, etc. | Our next interview was with Dr. Nosheen Ahmed. While Dr. Esumi had more experience with the tissue cells that cause AMD when dysfunctional, Dr. Ahmed had more experience with the disease itself, its symptoms, its common treatments, how it affects the lives of patients, etc. | ||
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She also discussed that many patients will not recognize AMD as it develops. As the vision decreases or spotting occurs, they think they may only need glasses. More research is needed for the disease and potential treatments as well as vitamins like lutein which can help. | She also discussed that many patients will not recognize AMD as it develops. As the vision decreases or spotting occurs, they think they may only need glasses. More research is needed for the disease and potential treatments as well as vitamins like lutein which can help. | ||
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<h1 style="text-align:justify;"><b>Bioprocess Scale-up Facility</b></h1> | <h1 style="text-align:justify;"><b>Bioprocess Scale-up Facility</b></h1> | ||
<p style="font-size:18px;text-align:justify;">As part of our side project on the biosynthesis of lutein and to acquire a better understanding of the challenges facing synthetic biology entrepreneurs in moving their project from a proof of concept to an industrial level we visited the University of Maryland Bioprocess Scale-up Facility. BSF is a facility at the University of Maryland provides training and is contracted by biotechnology companies in the region to optimize and proof scale up of their biosynthesis and fermentation processes to the industrial level. They kindly allowed us to tour the facility and learn about some of the unique challenges involved in reaching the industrial level in a bioprocess. Gaining a greater appreciation for this both informed and invigorated our goal of making synthetic biology cheaper, safer, and more affordable for community DIY labs and entrepreneurs.</p> | <p style="font-size:18px;text-align:justify;">As part of our side project on the biosynthesis of lutein and to acquire a better understanding of the challenges facing synthetic biology entrepreneurs in moving their project from a proof of concept to an industrial level we visited the University of Maryland Bioprocess Scale-up Facility. BSF is a facility at the University of Maryland provides training and is contracted by biotechnology companies in the region to optimize and proof scale up of their biosynthesis and fermentation processes to the industrial level. They kindly allowed us to tour the facility and learn about some of the unique challenges involved in reaching the industrial level in a bioprocess. Gaining a greater appreciation for this both informed and invigorated our goal of making synthetic biology cheaper, safer, and more affordable for community DIY labs and entrepreneurs.</p> | ||
Revision as of 02:36, 18 September 2015
