Difference between revisions of "Team:Lethbridge HS/Introduction"
| (10 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 76: | Line 76: | ||
function makeBiofilms(){ | function makeBiofilms(){ | ||
| + | jQuery("#slide15Paragraph").text('Biofilms are notoriously resilient and have the ability to develop resistance to antimicrobial treatments thus making current methods such as applying antiseptics, antimicrobials, biocides, and physical removal, expensive and ineffective. Instead of focussing on killing the bacteria inside of the bacterial biofilm, we are trying to degrade the extracellular polymeric (EPS) matrix that encloses the bacteria. This would make the treatment more universal for biofilms because although not all EPS matrices are comprised of the same substances, they all contain extracellular DNA and sugars. This is why we chose to use Nuclease and Dextranase to degrade the EPS matrix. Nuclease works to break down nucleic acids, a component of DNA, and Dextranase breaks down dextran, a polysaccharide. After the matrix has been successfully degraded, standard cleaning productions can be used to kill the bacteria. We plan to use our construct in a hospital setting, primarily on surgical tools because this is where biofilms can cause the most damage. Our construct will not degrade the medical equipment because it only targets nucleic acid and dextran.'); | ||
document.getElementById("arrowhp").style.borderTopColor = "#EBF7F8"; | document.getElementById("arrowhp").style.borderTopColor = "#EBF7F8"; | ||
document.getElementById("arrow_down_aspects").style.borderTopColor = "#0e83cd"; | document.getElementById("arrow_down_aspects").style.borderTopColor = "#0e83cd"; | ||
| Line 107: | Line 108: | ||
jQuery("#slide1Title").text('Introduction'); | jQuery("#slide1Title").text('Introduction'); | ||
jQuery("#slide1Paragraph").text('The top 100 food crops produced provide 90% of the world’s nutrition. 70% of these crops are pollinated by bees. A phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has decimated honeybee colonies across the world, halving the number of productive colonies worldwide. One of the main factors hypothesized to contribute to CCD is the mite and viral vector Varroa destructor. While feeding on the bee’s hemolymph, Varroa destructor expels RNA viruses into the bee crippling colony’s strength. Current commercial methods to eradicate Varroa have seen a gradual development of resistance in treated populations. Using synthetic biology, we plan to target Varroa more effectively by directly delivering the miticide, oxalic acid into Varroa and utilizing RNA interference to eliminate Varroa populations within commercial hives.'); | jQuery("#slide1Paragraph").text('The top 100 food crops produced provide 90% of the world’s nutrition. 70% of these crops are pollinated by bees. A phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has decimated honeybee colonies across the world, halving the number of productive colonies worldwide. One of the main factors hypothesized to contribute to CCD is the mite and viral vector Varroa destructor. While feeding on the bee’s hemolymph, Varroa destructor expels RNA viruses into the bee crippling colony’s strength. Current commercial methods to eradicate Varroa have seen a gradual development of resistance in treated populations. Using synthetic biology, we plan to target Varroa more effectively by directly delivering the miticide, oxalic acid into Varroa and utilizing RNA interference to eliminate Varroa populations within commercial hives.'); | ||
| + | jQuery("#slide15Paragraph").text('A few methods to deal with V. destructor are ineffective as they do not target the mite at a crucial phase when the bee is most susceptible. Others rely on chemicals that increase bee mortality rate. For example, formic acid has a harmful effect on capped and uncapped honey bee brood. We are working on killing the mites more effectively by directing delivery of the miticide, oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is an optimal weapon against the mites because the concentration needed to kill a mite is 70 times less lethal to the bee. The acid is already being used in syrup and spray solutions. Our method differs from other oxalic acid methods as it directly transfers the oxalic acid to the mite through the blood-like substance of the bee. Specifically, we are aiming to put E. coli in the midgut of the bee via ingestion, the E. coli would then produce oxalic acid which would be absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, when the mite attacks the bee and drinks its hemolymph, the oxalic acid will be there as a defense mechanism.'); | ||
| + | |||
jQuery("#hp_paragraph").text('Although the science is an integral part of our project, we put some emphasis on human practices as well. Every team member contributed so that we could have a diverse and engaging set of human practices. We reached out many individuals, including one of our MLAs, who is also the Minister of Environment to get her support of our project; rural beekeepers in Southern Alberta to ask about the viability of our project; we also talked to our city council, and an urban planner to see how we could make our city more “bee-friendly”. We interacted with the public by handing out seed packets in parks, and informing them about the decline of bees and the city by-law that makes urban bee-keeping illegal; many signed a petition that we created to remove this by-law. To promote iGEM, we went to two middle schools to tell the students a little bit about our project and what iGEM is.'); | jQuery("#hp_paragraph").text('Although the science is an integral part of our project, we put some emphasis on human practices as well. Every team member contributed so that we could have a diverse and engaging set of human practices. We reached out many individuals, including one of our MLAs, who is also the Minister of Environment to get her support of our project; rural beekeepers in Southern Alberta to ask about the viability of our project; we also talked to our city council, and an urban planner to see how we could make our city more “bee-friendly”. We interacted with the public by handing out seed packets in parks, and informing them about the decline of bees and the city by-law that makes urban bee-keeping illegal; many signed a petition that we created to remove this by-law. To promote iGEM, we went to two middle schools to tell the students a little bit about our project and what iGEM is.'); | ||
document.getElementById("projectIcon").src ="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/8/88/LethHS2015_Varroa_icon.png"; | document.getElementById("projectIcon").src ="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/8/88/LethHS2015_Varroa_icon.png"; | ||
| Line 185: | Line 188: | ||
<li> | <li> | ||
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Description">Background</a> | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Description">Background</a> | ||
| − | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/ | + | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Experiments">Experiments</a> |
| − | <a href=" | + | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Results">Results</a> |
| − | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/ | + | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Parts">Parts</a> |
| − | <a href=" | + | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Achievements">Achievements</a> |
</li> | </li> | ||
| Line 201: | Line 204: | ||
<li> | <li> | ||
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Team">Students</a> | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Team">Students</a> | ||
| − | <a href="#">Advisors</a> | + | <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Team#section2">Advisors</a> |
| − | <a class="texItem" href="#">Sponsors</a> | + | <a class="texItem" href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Team#section3">Sponsors</a> |
<a class="texItem" href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Attributions">Attributions</a> | <a class="texItem" href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Attributions">Attributions</a> | ||
| − | <a class="texItem" href=" | + | <a class="texItem" href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Collaborations">Collaborations</a> |
</li> | </li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
</li> | </li> | ||
| − | <li class=""><a class="picItem" href=" | + | <li class=""><a class="picItem" href="https://2015.igem.org/Main_Page"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/2/21/LethHS2015_igemlogo.png" width="50px" height="45px" style="margin-top:-9%; margin-bottom:-10%;"></a></li> |
<li class=""><div onclick="myFunction()" id="nswitchIcon" class="navBarSwitchButton picItem"><img id="projectSwitchIcon" src="images/plainicon.com-48232-512px-7b5.png" class="img-responsive"></div> </li> | <li class=""><div onclick="myFunction()" id="nswitchIcon" class="navBarSwitchButton picItem"><img id="projectSwitchIcon" src="images/plainicon.com-48232-512px-7b5.png" class="img-responsive"></div> </li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
| Line 305: | Line 308: | ||
<div class="col-md-12"> | <div class="col-md-12"> | ||
<div class="animatedParent animateOnce"> | <div class="animatedParent animateOnce"> | ||
| − | + | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| Line 312: | Line 315: | ||
<div class="animatedParent animateOnce"> | <div class="animatedParent animateOnce"> | ||
| − | <p style="text-align:left; font-size:1.3em;" id=" | + | <p style="text-align:left; font-size:1.3em;" id="slide15Paragraph" class="animated fadeInRightShort">A few methods to deal with V. destructor are ineffective as they do not target the mite at a crucial phase when the bee is most susceptible. Others rely on chemicals that increase bee mortality rate. For example, formic acid has a harmful effect on capped and uncapped honey bee brood. We are working on killing the mites more effectively by directing delivery of the miticide, oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is an optimal weapon against the mites because the concentration needed to kill a mite is 70 times less lethal to the bee. The acid is already being used in syrup and spray solutions. Our method differs from other oxalic acid methods as it directly transfers the oxalic acid to the mite through the blood-like substance of the bee. Specifically, we are aiming to put E. coli in the midgut of the bee via ingestion, the E. coli would then produce oxalic acid which would be absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, when the mite attacks the bee and drinks its hemolymph, the oxalic acid will be there as a defense mechanism. |
| + | </p> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
</section> | </section> | ||
| Line 392: | Line 396: | ||
<div class="col-md-3 col-sm-4 col-xs-6"> | <div class="col-md-3 col-sm-4 col-xs-6"> | ||
<div class="tileBorder"> | <div class="tileBorder"> | ||
| − | <div onclick="location.href='https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/ | + | <div onclick="location.href='https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Parts';" style="cursor:pointer;" class="tile flaticon-bricks3"></div> |
| − | <p class="tileDescription"> | + | <p class="tileDescription"> Parts</p> |
</div> | </div> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| Line 404: | Line 408: | ||
<div class="col-md-3 col-sm-4 col-xs-6"> | <div class="col-md-3 col-sm-4 col-xs-6"> | ||
<div class="tileBorder"> | <div class="tileBorder"> | ||
| − | <div onclick="location.href='https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Team';" style="cursor:pointer;" class="tile flaticon- | + | <div onclick="location.href='https://2015.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_HS/Team';" style="cursor:pointer;" class="tile flaticon-business53"></div> |
<p class="tileDescription"> Team</p> | <p class="tileDescription"> Team</p> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| Line 482: | Line 486: | ||
<div class="col-md-12"> | <div class="col-md-12"> | ||
<h1 id="slide1Title" class="slideTitle" style="color:white; margin-top:1%;"> Who are we? <br><small></small></h1> | <h1 id="slide1Title" class="slideTitle" style="color:white; margin-top:1%;"> Who are we? <br><small></small></h1> | ||
| + | <iframe style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;"width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FsN6121Ss5c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> | ||
<div class="animatedParent animateOnce "> | <div class="animatedParent animateOnce "> | ||
<div class="animated fadeInUpShort" style="width:70%; text-align:center;margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; "> | <div class="animated fadeInUpShort" style="width:70%; text-align:center;margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; "> | ||
Latest revision as of 03:27, 19 September 2015
Lethbridge High School iGEM
Eliminating Varoa Destructor
Overview
The top 100 food crops produced provide 90% of the world’s nutrition. 70% of these crops are pollinated by bees. A phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has decimated honeybee colonies across the world, halving the number of productive colonies worldwide. One of the main factors hypothesized to contribute to CCD is the mite and viral vector Varroa destructor. While feeding on the bee’s hemolymph, Varroa destructor expels RNA viruses into the bee crippling colony’s strength. Current commercial methods to eradicate Varroa have seen a gradual development of resistance in treated populations. Using synthetic biology, we plan to target Varroa more effectively by directly delivering the miticide, oxalic acid into Varroa and utilizing RNA interference to eliminate Varroa populations within commercial hives.
Our Solution
A few methods to deal with V. destructor are ineffective as they do not target the mite at a crucial phase when the bee is most susceptible. Others rely on chemicals that increase bee mortality rate. For example, formic acid has a harmful effect on capped and uncapped honey bee brood. We are working on killing the mites more effectively by directing delivery of the miticide, oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is an optimal weapon against the mites because the concentration needed to kill a mite is 70 times less lethal to the bee. The acid is already being used in syrup and spray solutions. Our method differs from other oxalic acid methods as it directly transfers the oxalic acid to the mite through the blood-like substance of the bee. Specifically, we are aiming to put E. coli in the midgut of the bee via ingestion, the E. coli would then produce oxalic acid which would be absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, when the mite attacks the bee and drinks its hemolymph, the oxalic acid will be there as a defense mechanism.
Human Practices
Although the science is an integral part of our project, we put some emphasis on human practices as well. Every team member contributed so that we could have a diverse and engaging set of human practices. We reached out many individuals, including one of our MLAs, who is also the Minister of Environment to get her support of our project; rural beekeepers in Southern Alberta to ask about the viability of our project; we also talked to our city council, and an urban planner to see how we could make our city more “bee-friendly”. We interacted with the public by handing out seed packets in parks, and informing them about the decline of bees and the city by-law that makes urban bee-keeping illegal; many signed a petition that we created to remove this by-law. To promote iGEM, we went to two middle schools to tell the students a little bit about our project and what iGEM is.
Aspects of Our Project
Project
Human Practices
Notebook
Safety
Parts
Achievements
Team
Collaborations
Thanks to our amazing sponsors
