The iGEM Marburg proudly presents: PHAECTORY

The use of proteins in medical treatment and diagnosis is steadily increasing. Many of these proteins (e.g. antibodies) have a complex biological structure, which complicates their production. Also, these proteins need to be highly pure. Therefore, a major challenge is the development of systems that produce complex proteins with high purity - best at low costs!

The sunlight-driven microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum has been used for the production of complex proteins. A major advantage of the algae is its ability to secrete proteins directly into the medium. This feature would greatly simplify purification of recombinant proteins, and lower production costs! Here we take advantage of the excellent secretion abilities of P. tricornutum, and make this organism accessible to synthetic biology and the iGEM competition (PHAECTORY).

Furthermore, we used a light-inducible promoter which we have characterized quantitatively in order to control protein expression in PHAECTORY (Light control). Also, we introduced a transferable element to the registry, which allows autonomous targeting of proteins to the inner surface of cell membranes (Improve a Brick). We hope you enjoy reading about our project!

Our Sponsors