We have continued our long standing collaboration with NYMU-Taipei. Several of our members have attended weekly meetings with the team and discussed our projects together. They have been very generous in lending us chemicals and reagents (PEG 8000 and MR17 broth). This year three members from TAS (Anna, Yasmin and Jake) are members on both NYMU and TAS teams. They learned the cloning cycle from TAS and helped run experiments and human practices for NYMU throughout the year. Additionally, they have provided access and instruction for several instruments. Specifically they provided protocols, cuvettes, and access to an electroporation machine so that we could attempt electroporation into Lactobacillus casei and Lactococcus lactis. They also provided access and instruction to a 96-well plate reader so that we could test the efficiency our alcohol induced promoter (K2539550). In return we have helped NYMU with the cloning of biobrick parts. Lastly, TAS and NYMU teams worked together to help troubleshoot the interlab study and measurements using their plate reader.
Near the DNA submission deadline, we assisted NYMU by cloning their ALB-mCherry (BBa_K2751012) and mEGFP (BBa_K2751011) parts into the standard BioBrick backbone pSB1C3. We did this for them while they were also trying to clone the same part, just in case their ligation and transformation was unsuccessful. Both teams were successful and this helped them verify that ligation and transformation of their part was successful.
PCR check results for AMC and MEGFP constructs using VF2 and VR primers. The expected size of both PCR products are 1 kb (yellow box). (Cloning & Figure: Jake Y, Catherine C)
Lambert_GA
We also have a long standing collaboration with Lambert iGEM team. This year we were excited to test their prototype of an ElectroPen. They shipped their pen to us along with videos and a protocol. After going over specific details of the protocol through Skype, we then used their ElectroPen to electroporate a GFP expression construct into both E. coli K-12 DH5a and E. coli Nissle 1917. We validated that the ElectroPen works! It successfully helped transform both E. coli strains!
Using Lambert_GA’s ElectroPen and protocol, we successfully transformed GFP into E. coli Nissle 1917 and E. coli K-12 DH5a, verifying that their ElectroPen works!
6th Annual Asia-Pacific iGEM Conference
We attended the 6th Annual Asia-Pacific iGEM Conference at the end of July/beginning of August at NCHU (National Chung Hsing University). At the Asia-Pacific iGEM conference, we met over 20 teams from China, Taiwan, and Japan, presented projects, and discussed project issues with other teams during poster sessions and social events. There, we received helpful feedback about our project, and more importantly, we were able to get into contact with an expert in the field of probiotics, Dr. Ying Chieh Tsai.
INTERACTIONS WITH MORE IGEM TEAMS!
TecCem
Majo U. Orozco, a team member of TecCem iGEM 2018, contacted us about our SEM imaging protocol for chitosan nanoparticles. We were able to contact members from the TAS Taipei 2016 iGEM team that worked with chitosan nanoparticles. They ended up using the protocol for TEM imaging but they said that the imaging looks great!
RDFZ-China
Harry Jiang, a member of the RDFZ-China team, visited TAS. We had a great conversation about our project and team. It will be wonderful to see Harry and his team at the Jamboree.
Dusseldorf
We participated in iGEM team Dusseldorf postcard swap this year. It was great fun to see all of the different postcards from teams around the world.
Sorbonne U Paris
Saniya Ka sent us a message asking for specific advice for wiki design and layout. We were happy to offer advice and had a great conversation.
