Team:Calgary

Our Project

Outbreaks of foodborne illnesses are a growing problem in our lives. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, identified 767 such outbreaks affecting nearly 14,000 people. The action of pathogenic E. coli was a recurring theme in many of these outbreaks. In Alberta, we experienced our own foodborne disease outbreak in late 2012. The result of pathogenic E. coli serotype O157, this led to significant food recalls alongside hospitalizations, deaths, massive economic losses, and an overall loss of consumer confidence in food safety.

One of the contributing factors connected with the outbreak in Alberta was the lack of rapid on-site detection systems available. Current methods require a long incubation to allow E. coli to multiply in the sample, followed by amplification to detect the presence of known genes associated with pathogenic E. coli, all of which add up to precious time lost between contamination and discovery.

To address the problem, the University of Calgary 2013 iGEM Collegiate team is using synthetic biology to develop a system to rapidly detect the presence of pathogenic E. coli in the beef industry. By using engineered biological nanoparticles and DNA binding proteins, we can specifically detect pathogenic DNA sequences. Our biosensor functions at the genomic level to detect the presence or absence of pathogenic E. coli in a given sample. This system allows us to pinpoint contamination during meat processing and also provides the ability to prescreen cattle in a preventative way to remove potential sources of contamination from the processing chain. Our system is a powerful new tool for food safety, and shows promise as a platform for the rapid detection of target organisms identified as key targets in a myriad of sectors, from health to environment to biosecurity.