Team:Exeter/Applications

Revision as of 09:27, 3 August 2012 by Jamesml213 (Talk | contribs)


Safety \| Ethics \| Impact

The question:'Why?' is often asked when conducting a scientific experiment. On this page we aim to explain how we envisage our polysaccharides could be used in the future, and thus why it was the winning idea for the Exeter iGEM team.

Medical


	The potential for new applications across the medical sector is vast. They range from external uses in treatment to effective cures. Several polysaccharides currently show antiseptic properties making them very useful in the medical world. Chitosan has also shown an anti-clotting ability making it a potential candidate for wound dressings or gels. We would suggest the next step would be to create a bio-friendly gel that could be used during operations to prevent/stop bleeds more effectively than the current gauze approach. It is believed we are well overdue a flu outbreak of pandemic levels we believe our research could lead to rapid vaccine production which would save millions in the event of an outbreak. - - This would be achieved by simple inspection of the virus to determine the type of polysaccharide required for a vaccine. Blood types are distinguished solely by surface polysaccharides which produce a different surface signal. In the future we envisage a system where donor blood could be ‘masked’ to display the properties of acceptors blood. This would be achieved by creating a polysaccharide that could bind to the surface of the donor blood and display the same properties as the acceptor blood on the extreme surface thus passing as the host blood type. This method of masking could then be progressed to donor tissue and organs with possibility of entire body parts being transplanted.

Industrial


	Industrial applications for novel materials are endless, so having the ability to create new polysaccharides is particularly useful. Various properties are required to make a valuable material for industrial purposes. High impact materials are required for drill tips and other equipment - so a strong force produces an equally strong repulsion. Could this be possible with our polysaccharides? A bullet proof suit? Electrical properties are also important, could a polysaccharide be the next Graphene?..studied by Physicists and Bio-Scientists alike? A polysaccharide semiconductor could be used as a solar cell, producing green energy in the future.

Food


	Food preservation is a key part of the industry. With novel polysaccharides we could potentially create a 'food spray', naturally preserving food from degradation. Having longer lasting food could allow us to go on longer journeys. Could future astronauts be using polysaccharide food spray for the next mission to Mars? Watch this space....

Miscellaneous


	Creating unique uses for new materials is always exciting. These are a few that the Exeter iGEM team have come up with: A self-healing metal coating would be scatch proof and therefore ideal for cars; bio-degradable plastic polysaccharides would be environmentally friendly and great for storage. Self-assembling brigdes with separate hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains could be a neccessity for the avid traveller of the future. These are just some possibilites of creating new polysaccharides!