Team:Penn/Achievements

We are the first to utilize the pDawn YF1/FixJ system to express the ClyA hemolysin protein as a drug delivery system. We have shown that the system is capable of responding to blue light stimulus in a relatively short time span, and that the expression is entirely light dependent and is tightly controlled. We have further shown that this module is capable of operation independent of the remainder of the system, and that the pDawn system is capable of operating in non-traditional E. coli. strains such as Nissle 1917. Furthermore, due to the interchangeability of various parts in the module, the behavior of the system can be easily altered and re-purposed for other tasks unrelated to drug delivery.

We are the first to successfully utilize the INPNC membrane-bound protein to display DARPin H10-2-G3 that retains its picomolar affinity for HER2. As a result of these experiments, we have developed a INPNC surface display vector, which allows for the simple and straightforward display of a wide variety of proteins such as fluorescent proteins (mCherry, antibody mimetic proteins such as DARPin H10-2-G3, and epitope tags such as the Human influenza hemagglutinin (HA) tag. This display vector has been show to work independently of the complete proposed system. Furthermore, due to the interchangeability of various parts in the module, the behavior of the system can be easily altered and re-purposed for other tasks unrelated to drug delivery.

Our team proposed a new framework for distributing the monumental task of Biobrick verification and quality control, a process currently undertaken solely by iGEM HQ. We developed a user interface and organizational schema that would enable teams to quickly and efficiently test each others' biobricks, provide feedback, and form an ad-hoc network of laboratories that can better handle the "rush" of biobricks produced during the iGEM competition.

We performed an in depth investigation of the complex interaction between scientists and the public to explain the lack of bacterial therapeutics in the current drug development pipeline. We provided guidelines for how iGEM teams can act to further the progress of bacterial therapeutics and synthetic biology in general. As a result of our research, we performed additional experiments, providing an example of how careful experimental design can help research teams better anticipate and navigate the drug development process.