Team:CU-Boulder/Project

From 2013.igem.org

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<dt>The 2013 CU-Boulder iGEM Project</dt>
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<dd>Restriction enzymes are invaluable tools in the field synthetic biology, and are essential for carrying out BioBrick assembly. However, these enzymes also represent a significant portion of the cost associated with gene cloning and DNA analysisHere at the University of Colorado-Boulder, our vision is to develop the parts and methods necessary to produce and purify these enzymes cheaply and reliablyIn order to make our project successful, we will be creating the BioBrick constructs that contain the restriction enzymes we are trying to produceIn addition, we will be developing procedures that allow us to purify these enzymes cheaply and effectivelyThe end result of our project will be the completion of several RE prep kits which will contain all of the components necessary to create working stocks of several commonly used restriction enzymes, including EcoRI, XbaI, and PstI which are all part of the BioBrick standard.</dd>
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<dd>The main focus of the iGEM project here at CU-Boulder is to help make synthetic biology more accessible and affordable. We spent the summer developing parts, procedures, and documentation to help make this vision a realityThe original goal was to create the constructs and purification methods necessary to produce and isolate restriction enzymes.  Along the way we developed some novel approaches to DNA and protein purification and developed experimentally tested protocols for these and other procedures essential to Biobrick assemblyOur purification methods exemplify the ideal of using common lab materials to make performing everyday lab techniques as accessible and inexpensive as possibleA related aspect of our project was exploring methods of recycling consumables associated with lab work in order to reduce waste and material expenses.  We hope that our findings using this "do-it-yourself" approach of synthetic biology help make this type of research more accessible to those where funding is a limiting factor.
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Revision as of 18:13, 22 August 2013

The 2013 CU-Boulder iGEM Project

The main focus of the iGEM project here at CU-Boulder is to help make synthetic biology more accessible and affordable. We spent the summer developing parts, procedures, and documentation to help make this vision a reality. The original goal was to create the constructs and purification methods necessary to produce and isolate restriction enzymes. Along the way we developed some novel approaches to DNA and protein purification and developed experimentally tested protocols for these and other procedures essential to Biobrick assembly. Our purification methods exemplify the ideal of using common lab materials to make performing everyday lab techniques as accessible and inexpensive as possible. A related aspect of our project was exploring methods of recycling consumables associated with lab work in order to reduce waste and material expenses. We hope that our findings using this "do-it-yourself" approach of synthetic biology help make this type of research more accessible to those where funding is a limiting factor.