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We are proud to participate in iGEM 2013 and are excited to present
Taxi.Coli: smart drug delivery

The basic idea is simple:
We will use E.coli as a "Taxi", add streptavidin to the surface as "Seats" and nanoparticles incorporating drugs as the "Passengers". The "Taxi" will recognize the right "Address" with a pH sensor and the "Passengers" get released by an enzyme.

The team’s vision is to build a biosynthetic drug delivery concept. The key word of this project is “adaptability”. Our goal is to explore a way of using E.coli as a highly modular carrier, opening the gate to several applications and alternatives in disease treatments. Using the principles of synthetic biology, we engineered a gelatinase secreting E.coli able to bind gelatin nanoparticles using a biotin-streptavidin interaction and release their cargo in a corresponding location. The drug delivery system is built in three parts: 1) the nanoparticles binding and 2) the environment sensing that 3) triggers the gelatinase release of the engineered E.coli, liberating the content of the nanoparticle.

Achievements:

- We can produce biotinylated nanoparticles
- We can engineer E.coli expressing streptavidin (maybe even on the surface) to bind these nanoparticles
- We can engineer E.coli to sense different levels of pH

Please also visit our Facebook page!

Medal requirements

Bronze medal

We registerd the team and had fun in the competition.
We filled in the Judging form.
We described our project using the iGEM wiki and our parts using the Registry of Standard Biological Parts.
We plan to present a poster and talk at the iGEM Jamboree in Lyon.
We designed and submitted the following Biobricks BBa_K1111001, BBa_K1111002, BBa_K111103, BBa_K1111004, BBa_K1111005, BBa_K1111006, BBa_K1111007, BBa_K1111008, BBa_K1111009, BBa_K1111010, BBa_K1111011, BBa_K1111012, BBa_K1111013, BBa_K1111014.

Silver medal

We experimentally validated that the Biobrick BBa_K1111005 works as expected.
We documented all our parts on the iGEM Registry of Standard Biological Parts.
We investigated the safety issues which could be raised by our project. Take a look at our safety page.

Gold medal

We improved the funtion of the already existing Biobrick BBa_K523013 by extensively characterizing and documenting it. Which will help future teams to use it.
We prepared an amazing synthetic biology kit which will be used at public events and highschool visits at EPFL. Take a look at our Outreach page.
We organized a women and engineering's day, at our university to promote women in science.