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Accomplishments:
Our goal was to enable epigenetic engineering. We believe synthetic biological systems should be as subtle and robust as natural occurring counterparts. Moreover, we wanted to begin development on much-needed second-generation epigenetic therapeutics.
- Designed a functional fusion protein to facilitate epigenetic engineering, with numerous advantages over existing technologies
- Validated a novel methylation assay, MaGellin, to accelerate development of epigenetic engineering tools
- Built a complementary MaGellin software package to automate experimental analysis
- BioBrick'ed our MaGellin plasmid so other iGEM teams can build off our work
- Wrote an article on the ethical implications of epigenetic interventions, accepted for publication in the "nation's premier peer-reviewed undergraduate bioethics journal"
- Developed an open-source Laboratory Information Management System to help teams keep their labs organized
- Promoted iGEM, synthetic biology, and our research at numerous outreach events to inspire future scientists
- Featured in an interview and blog post
