Difference between revisions of "Team:Lethbridge HS/Description"
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function makeBiofilms(){ | function makeBiofilms(){ | ||
| + | jQuery(".active").addClass("biofilmsActive"); | ||
| + | document.getElementById("titleSlide_hp").style.backgroundImage = "url(https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/2/26/LethHS2015_bacteria_lab.jpg)"; | ||
| + | document.getElementById("projectSwitchIcon").src = "https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/8/88/LethHS2015_Varroa_icon.png"; | ||
document.getElementById("nswitchIcon").style.backgroundColor = "#31B2DE"; | document.getElementById("nswitchIcon").style.backgroundColor = "#31B2DE"; | ||
document.getElementById("coloredTitle").style.color = "#31B2DE"; | document.getElementById("coloredTitle").style.color = "#31B2DE"; | ||
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jQuery("#slide1Paragraph").text('For years, bacterial biofilms have been a cause for concern in medicine. Biofilms are comprised of colonial microorganisms that can adhere to almost any surface with adequate moisture and nutrients. Biofilms often harbour pathogens, and can be extremely problematic in clinical settings. 65% of all hospital acquired infections can be attributed to pathogenic biofilms. Current methods to destroy biofilms include antimicrobial agents and hydraulic flushing. These are ineffective because biofilms are surrounded by a matrix of sugars and DNA. We intend to create an all-purpose biological counterattack capable of dispersing and eliminating a wide variety of biofilms by utilizing enzymes to destroy the structures within. This will be achieved through the secretion of dextranase, which degrades the exopolymeric matrix, and DNase, that targets the extracellular DNA responsible for maintaining biofilm structure. This double phased attack will be highly efficient compared to current removal methods.'); | jQuery("#slide1Paragraph").text('For years, bacterial biofilms have been a cause for concern in medicine. Biofilms are comprised of colonial microorganisms that can adhere to almost any surface with adequate moisture and nutrients. Biofilms often harbour pathogens, and can be extremely problematic in clinical settings. 65% of all hospital acquired infections can be attributed to pathogenic biofilms. Current methods to destroy biofilms include antimicrobial agents and hydraulic flushing. These are ineffective because biofilms are surrounded by a matrix of sugars and DNA. We intend to create an all-purpose biological counterattack capable of dispersing and eliminating a wide variety of biofilms by utilizing enzymes to destroy the structures within. This will be achieved through the secretion of dextranase, which degrades the exopolymeric matrix, and DNase, that targets the extracellular DNA responsible for maintaining biofilm structure. This double phased attack will be highly efficient compared to current removal methods.'); | ||
document.getElementById("projectIcon").src ="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/4/4b/LethHS2015_Plasmid.png"; | document.getElementById("projectIcon").src ="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/4/4b/LethHS2015_Plasmid.png"; | ||
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document.getElementById("slide1Image").src = "images/408.jpg"; | document.getElementById("slide1Image").src = "images/408.jpg"; | ||
jQuery("#mainTitleText").style.color("#31B2DE"); | jQuery("#mainTitleText").style.color("#31B2DE"); | ||
} | } | ||
function makeBees(){ | function makeBees(){ | ||
| + | jQuery(".active").removeClass("biofilmsActive"); | ||
| + | document.getElementById("titleSlide_hp").style.backgroundImage = "url(https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/3/37/LethHS2015_honeycomb.jpg)"; | ||
| + | document.getElementById("projectSwitchIcon").src = "https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/4/4b/LethHS2015_Plasmid.png"; | ||
document.getElementById("nswitchIcon").style.backgroundColor = "#FFE545"; | document.getElementById("nswitchIcon").style.backgroundColor = "#FFE545"; | ||
document.getElementById("coloredTitle").style.color = "#FFE545"; | document.getElementById("coloredTitle").style.color = "#FFE545"; | ||
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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.'); | ||
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"; | ||
| − | + | ||
document.getElementById("slide1Image").src = "https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/4/4d/LethHS2015_bees_intro_slide1_pic.jpg"; | document.getElementById("slide1Image").src = "https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/4/4d/LethHS2015_bees_intro_slide1_pic.jpg"; | ||
jQuery("#mainTitleText").style.color("#FFE545"); | jQuery("#mainTitleText").style.color("#FFE545"); | ||
} | } | ||
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Revision as of 01:48, 15 September 2015
Project
How does our project work?
Description
Without the bees planning dinner would be significantly more difficult. Bees pollinate 70 out of the top 100 food crops, which supply 90% of the world nutrition. It is apparent that bees are an integral part of the ecosystem and human life. However, bees have been in decline for about 30 years, but the rate of deaths have gone up in the past decade. In the United States, a startling 30% of bees are dying each year and this is due to a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) which is destroying productive bee colonies worldwide. One factor contributing to CCD is the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. The parasite sucks the bees’ haemolymph (blood), and transmits RNA viruses, such as Deformed Winged Virus, which are detrimental to colony productivity. Current methods used to control V. destructor are inefficient and resistance is developing in treated populations. Using synthetic biology, we designed E.coli that produce the miticide oxalic acid in the bee gut. This method targets V. destructor by directly delivering oxalic acid into the mites, creating mite-proof bee populations.
Government
Meeting with MLA—Shannon Phillips
City Council By-Law
Prior to 1983, residents of the City of Lethbridge were able to beekeep within city limits. However, an amendment to Bylaw 3383 that pertains to bees now prevents residents from being able to do so. In Southern Alberta, bee populations are currently decreasing with reports saying that North American beekeepers are losing approximately one third of their bees each year. As a way to help the bee population, our team made it a goal to try and have this bylaw amended to allow urban beekeeping within city limits.
Community
Seed bombs
We made seed bombs to help spread awareness about the decline of bees, while simultaneously promoting bee population growth. A seed bomb is basically a ball of soil, clay, water, and seeds. The idea is that people plant them in empty lots, undeveloped fields, or even their backyards so that flowers can grow, giving the bees more access to food. We used Smooth Blue Aster, Purple Prairie Clover, and Prairie Coneflower to make our seed bombs because they are native to Southern Alberta, and they would not be considered an invasive species.
We distributed seed bombs to members of the public and informed them about our project and the plight of the bees. Many people accepted our project and showed their support by signing a petition that supported urban beekeeping in Lethbridge, which is currently illegal.