Team:BostonU/Mammalian synbio/Current Challenges

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Significance

Current Challenges

Proposed Solutions

Current Challenges

Through our time working with mammalian cells we certainly came across different problems that hinder this research. Our iGEM team was fortunate enough to work in a lab that frequently utilizes mammalian cells. While we were extremely new to any procedures related to mammalian cells, we had many other researchers in lab who were there to help and guide us through the most optimal way to do things. We wish that everyone in the iGEM community had the same opportunities that we had, especially because so many teams do research for amazing health and medical applications. If we as a community were able to further that research into mammalian chassis, synthetic biology would be one step closer to feasible applications.

The biggest obstacle is definitely the cost associated with mammalian research. There is an initial cost to equipment and facilities and then an ongoing cost of upkeep of that equipment and the proliferation of cells. It is unfortunate that such a high cost is necessary for this cutting edge research, but we believe that as time goes on these costs will decrease because not only will new methodologies come out but even different techniques could arise. So, the most important thing we can do now is to begin the movement towards increased mammalian research by beginning a thorough discussion.

A concern more specific to iGEM is about the submission of mammalian constructs, which are generally larger and more internally complex than bacterial parts. If possible, we would want to lead further investigation into how to make BioBricks more welcoming for these parts or promoting use of MammoBlocks first suggested by MIT 2010 and 2011.

Finally, there is generally less familiarity and awareness within the community about using mammalian chassis for translational health applications. It is important to at least make teams aware about the pros and cons of this research so that they can actively decide whether or not their project would benefit from it.