A team of scientists from Northeastern University (Joseph Ayers and Yong-Bin Kim), UCSF (Chris Voigt), University of Alabama at Birmingham (Vladimir Parpura) and Newcastle University (Daniel Frankel) have teamed up at the NSF/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Sandpit to propose the construction of a biohybrid robot that moves like a lamprey eel.

To achieve  our objective we have divided the project into 6 tracks that will be pursued in parallel:

1. Biofilm- observe Staphylococcus aureus biofilm growth under lab conditions so we can characterize effectiveness of our engineered phage

2. DspB- extract the Dispersin B gene from A. pleuropneumoniae  so we can integrate into the phage genome

3. Phage- develop standard protocol to manipulate the phage genome in a simple and well-defined manner

4. Quorum- characterize the existing P2 biobrick part

5. Modelling- model the interaction between s. aureus biofilm, phage, and relevant molecules in the system, to supplement our wet lab experiment

6. Human Practices- gather feedback from public opinion of synthetic biology

Here are some photos from the field trip – please enjoy them!

Where: Advanced Molecular Biology Lab, Michael Smith Laboratories, UBC (Map)
When: Friday May 14th, 2010
How to Sign Up: RSVP Here. Spaces are limited and FREE Admission for iGEM Club Members and only $5 for non-members. Password: check in by e-mailing the execs.

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