Team:CU-Boulder

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Our 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.

One of our main goals with our project here at CU-Boulder is to make it so the synthetic biology is more accessible. This would promote "tinkering" and allow more minds to think about synthetic biology. Who knows, maybe the next Steve Jobs of synthetic biology is out there!

Restriction enzymes are an expensive, yet necessary tool in synthetic biology. We are trying to create an affordable, efficient and easy to use kit that would allow for scientist and students to make their own restriction enzymes to do biobrick assemblies!

ApoI is a restriction enzyme that is used to test strains of malaria for chloroquine resistance. In the field, doctors can test can test strains with ApoI and see what type of treatment should be given for a patient. We are trying to create an affordable, efficient, and easy to use kit for scientist in the field to create their own ApoI restriction enzyme.