Team:Cornell/testing/project/wetlab/5

Where We Stand

S.A.F.E.B.E.T. is more than a proof of concept project. We designed a unique modular biosensing platform and built a functional field-deployable device, but the platform is not perfect and the device can be improved. The biosensing platform is modular in that inducible promoters can be inserted into our genetic construct relatively easily – any promoter that is upregulated in response to a toxin can be inserted into our system just like a BioBrick. We implemented the biosensing platform by actually designing and building a field-deployable device. The device is designed to operate independently for 6 months in the field but can be controlled remotely via a mobile/internet application. Taken together, our biosensing platform and device is (nearly) a finished product. Soon we can deploy an operational biosensor that will provide useful data on arsenic and naphthalene levels, but our team aspires for more than “good enough.” S.A.F.E.B.E.T. currently relies on antibiotic resistance as a selective pressure to maintain plasmids in Shewanella oneidensis. We also require a second ~11kb plasmid in addition to the plasmid with our inducible reporter system in order to detect naphthalane. Our device is designed to float at the surface of a river in order to detect toxins and be easier to access if maintenance is required. We are cognizant of how to develop S.A.F.E.B.E.T. into a one-of-a-kind tool to monitor toxins in remote waterways and large-scale watershed networks.