Introduction

The Dundee iGem team began this project with a series of meetings during which ideas were explored, and areas of interest were discussed to find a project focus that appealed to the team. After much debating, the area of healthcare was chosen, and the project goals were refined to concentrate on a method to counteract corruption of the natural gut flora balance by clostridium difficile (C.Diff). Individuals undergoing long term antibiotic treatment can suffer from pseudomembranous colitis caused by C.Diff, and the team's aim was to modify escherichia coli (E.Coli) to attack C.Diff in a manner that restored the natural balance of the gut flora.