Team:Cornell/project/background

From 2013.igem.org

(Difference between revisions)
 
(29 intermediate revisions not shown)
Line 7: Line 7:
</script>
</script>
<div class="row">
<div class="row">
-
<div class="two columns">
+
<div class="two columns"></html>{{:Team:Cornell/templates/backnav}}<html></div>
-
<ul class="side-nav">
+
-
<li>
+
-
<h6>Background</h6>
+
-
</li>
+
-
<li class="divider"></li>
+
-
<li class="active">
+
-
<a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Cornell/project/background">Overview</a>
+
-
</li>
+
-
<li>
+
-
<a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Cornell/project/background/fungal_toolkit">Fungal Toolkit</a>
+
-
</li>
+
-
</ul>
+
-
</div>
+
<div class="ten columns team-bios-container">
<div class="ten columns team-bios-container">
 +
<div class="row"">
 +
<div class="twelve columns">
 +
<h2 class="centered">Background Information</h2>
 +
</div>
 +
</div>
 +
<div class="eight columns">
 +
<br>
<br>
-
Our current project involves fungal genetic engineering, an underexplored area of research, with specific applications in biomaterials development. Fungal biomaterials offer the potential to create a wide range of environmentally sustainable, useful products, as evidenced by Ecovative Design, a company in upstate New York that uses this technology to create packaging materials that serve as a Styrofoam substitute. Reducing or eliminating Styrofoam waste could have a huge positive impact on the environment – efforts are already being made to recycle Styrofoam, design alternatives, and reduce its use in large cities. Our interactions with Ecovative have revealed a need for genetic tools to improve the efficiency of the production process and further enhance the material properties of the product. To this end, we are working to develop a toolkit of modular genetic constructs for modifying basidiomycetes, using the medically-relevant, filamentous fungus Ganoderma lucidum as a model organism. In addition to creating a library of tools for fungal genetic modification, we are developing constructs for the production of antifungal agents targeting specific mold pathogens, as well as pigments from the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in E. coli. This work is groundbreaking in our efforts to engineer a complex, basidiomycotic fungus and to work in direct partnership with a corporate partner.
+
Cornell iGEM is developing a toolkit of genetic parts for engineering complex fungi, particularly plant-pathogenic basidiomycetes. This toolkit will provide future iGEM generations and scientists worldwide with a greater ability to work with these seldom studied organisms. We were inspired to do so by a local company, <a href="http://www.ecovativedesign.com/" target="_blank">Ecovative Design</a>, that is driven to “rid the world of toxic, unsustainable materials,” and thus uses lignin-degrading fungi and plant matter to produce a biodegradable Styrofoam substitute. Upon consulting the company on their production process, we
 +
</div>
 +
                        <div class="four columns center">
 +
                        <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2013/8/89/Ecovative.jpg" style="max-height:none">
 +
</div>
 +
                      <div class="twelve columns" style="margin-top: -14px;">
 +
found that their production efficiency can sometimes suffer due to contamination from pathogenic molds, which inhibits the growth of the desired fungus and can compromise batches of material. We recognized that this problem could be solved with a genetic circuit that confers resistance to specific mold species, and we hoped to use such a genetic circuit to improve their existing eco-friendly biomaterial. Because both industry and academia largely lack standardized fundamental tools for engineering fungi, we first had to develop a standardized toolkit. We seek to empower Ecovative and other organizations to improve the use of fungi to develop sustainable technologies.  
 +
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</body>
</html>
</html>

Latest revision as of 23:43, 5 November 2013

Cornell University Genetically Engineered Machines

Background Information


Cornell iGEM is developing a toolkit of genetic parts for engineering complex fungi, particularly plant-pathogenic basidiomycetes. This toolkit will provide future iGEM generations and scientists worldwide with a greater ability to work with these seldom studied organisms. We were inspired to do so by a local company, Ecovative Design, that is driven to “rid the world of toxic, unsustainable materials,” and thus uses lignin-degrading fungi and plant matter to produce a biodegradable Styrofoam substitute. Upon consulting the company on their production process, we
found that their production efficiency can sometimes suffer due to contamination from pathogenic molds, which inhibits the growth of the desired fungus and can compromise batches of material. We recognized that this problem could be solved with a genetic circuit that confers resistance to specific mold species, and we hoped to use such a genetic circuit to improve their existing eco-friendly biomaterial. Because both industry and academia largely lack standardized fundamental tools for engineering fungi, we first had to develop a standardized toolkit. We seek to empower Ecovative and other organizations to improve the use of fungi to develop sustainable technologies.

Retrieved from "http://2013.igem.org/Team:Cornell/project/background"