Team Notebook: Format will be changed!!!

Week 1

The team started the project June 17, 2013, the immediate week following finals week. The team spent the first two weeks deciding on an iGEM project. The first week consists of a high level discussion about different areas of interest.

Day 1, June 17

Each team member prepared 5 ideas, and the team selected the top five ideas. These ideas include a biosensor for common parasites in water, a biosensor for UV damage, a bacteria that fights cavity, bacteria to produce diesel from food oil, and a composite biosensor that incorporates several biosensors.

Day 2, June 18

Each member focused on one idea. The goal for the day was to determine a possible mechanism. The goal for the day was to determine the feasibility of the idea. The team also considered several new ideas such as MSG detection, urine detection, and biofertilizer.

Day 3, June 19

This day was a continuation of the previous day. Emphasis today was to research previous iGEM teams for inspiration and possible mechanisms and biobricks.

Day 4, June 20

We tried to find one more idea that will be feasible. After meeting with advisors, we tried to focus more on the mechanistic details rather than a high level discussion of the project idea. We also took an inventory of the lab space and began sending out sponsorship emails.

Day 5, June 21

After deciding most of the ideas we have come up with are far from feasible, we focused again on previous iGEM teams, hoping to build on a previous team's work. Each team member was tasked with coming up with a new idea for the next week.

Week 2

The team began working on some lab work such as making different solutions that will be necessary for the rest of the summer. The team also made competent cells and tried to test competency by transforming them. The week ended with much frustration due to a lack of progress in brainstorming and lab work.

Day 6, June 24

The team decided on roles to improve efficiency and team organization. The team made SOB solution and obtained Top 10 cells from Dr. Leonard (one of our advisors). The team also talked quorum sensing of bacteria as a possible mechanism to detect parasites in water.

Day 7, June 25

The team discovered that UV sensing is already done several times by different iGEM teams. The idea may lack novelty. To improve on the biofuel idea, different starting materials are considered, hoping to increase the financial sensibility by decreasing the value of the starting materials.

Day 8, June 26

Today, the team focused primarily on oral health and tried to come up with several ways to attack biofilm formation in the mouth. The ideas that were discussed include engineering V. Parvula to upregulate lactic acid metabolism, introducing the CovR pathway to disrupt biofilm formation, and using the L-Arginine pathway to produce ammonia.

Day 9, June 27

Day 10, June 28