Team:Technion HS Israel/Description

Technion 2015 HS Team's Wiki

Project Description

Genetically modified organisms, once released into nature, influence the natural diversity of the environment and raise concerns among the public. To reduce this risk, we strive to develop a time-controlled kill switch. By introducing a genetic circuit into E.coli we aim to tightly regulate the bacteria's lifetime according to initial conditions set by the user. We base the parameters for the biological characterization on a mathematical model that covers various aspects of our system, including plasmid loss. Furthermore, we develop a tool for simulation of biological circuits hence helping synthetic biologists worldwide setting up experiments. Given the large number of iGEM projects, we additionally develop a search engine for previous iGEM projects. By providing not only a time-controlled kill switch that deals with fears of the public, but also contributing helpful tools to the iGEM community, we are convinced that future scientists, such as ourselves, will benefit from our project.