Difference between revisions of "Team:Lethbridge HS/Introduction"

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                    function makeBiofilms(){
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              function makeBiofilms(){
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                         jQuery("#mainTitleText").text('Lethbridge High School iGEM');
 
                         jQuery("#mainTitleText").text('Lethbridge High School iGEM');
 
                     jQuery("#coloredTitle").text('Biofilms');
 
                     jQuery("#coloredTitle").text('Biofilms');
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                     jQuery("#slide1Title").text('Overview');
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                     jQuery("#slide1Title").text('Introduction');
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jQuery("#slide2Paragraph").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 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.');
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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.');
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                 function makeBees(){
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                         jQuery("#mainTitleText").text('Lethbridge High School iGEM');
 
                         jQuery("#mainTitleText").text('Lethbridge High School iGEM');
 
                     jQuery("#coloredTitle").text('Varroa');
 
                     jQuery("#coloredTitle").text('Varroa');
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                     jQuery("#slide1Title").text('Overview');
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                     jQuery("#slide1Title").text('Introduction');
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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.');
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jQuery("#slide2Paragraph").text('Current 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. Current methods involve the use of formic acid which is disadvantageous due to its harmful effect on capped and uncapped honey bee brood1. 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 bee2. The acid is already being used in syrup and spray solutions. Our method is 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 blood, the oxalic acid will be there as a defense and treatment mechanism.');                 
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                    document.getElementById("projectIcon").src ="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2015/8/88/LethHS2015_Varroa_icon.png";
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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.');
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                     jQuery("#mainTitleText").style.color("#FFE545");
 
                     jQuery("#mainTitleText").style.color("#FFE545");
 
                 }
 
                 }
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Revision as of 06:16, 17 September 2015

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

Current 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. Current methods involve the use of formic acid which is disadvantageous due to its harmful effect on capped and uncapped honey bee brood1. 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 bee2. The acid is already being used in syrup and spray solutions. Our method is 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 blood, the oxalic acid will be there as a defense and treatment 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

Software

Achievements

Team

Collaborations

Thanks to our amazing sponsors

Who are we?

We are a High School team composed of three local high school within the Lethbridge city area in Southern Alberta, Canada. Team members hail from Winston Churchill High School, Chinook High School, and Lethbridge Collegiate School. Team meetings along with wet lab activities are hosted by the University of Lethbridge Chemistry and Biochemistry department.

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