Difference between revisions of "Team:WPI Worcester/Description"

(Prototype team page)
 
(Word choice and minor text corrections.)
 
(3 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 4: Line 4:
  
  
−
<div class="column full_size">
+
<div id="main_content">
 +
<div>
 
<h1>Description</h1>
 
<h1>Description</h1>
  
−
<p>Tell us about your project, describe what moves you and why this is something important for your team.</p>
+
<p> For our project, we tested the effect of various antifreeze proteins on biofilm formation. Our aim is to apply effective antifreeze proteins to leafy crops to reduce the rate of foodborne illnesses caused by biofilm formation on leaves. We were inspired by the recent E. coli outbreak on romaine lettuce that infected 210 people, causing 5 deaths according to the CDC (CDC, 2018). A past WPI iGEM team had researched the expression of antifreeze proteins in E. coli strains. We continued their work, using their E. coli strains that expressed antifreeze protein to look into their antibiofilm action. We also tested curcumin’s properties against biofilm formation. The next step would include the application of purified antifreeze proteins to a leafy surface to model real world applications and creating a transgenic plant to produce the protein in order to protect itself. A low cost gene gun was created to induce antifreeze protein production within the plant leaves.  The aim of this project was to help farmers avoid contamination due to E. coli growth on crops and reduce the amount of infections caused by bacterial foodborne illness among the general public.</p>
−
 
+
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 +
<div>
 +
<h3> References </h3>
 +
<p> E.coli (Escherichia coli). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2018 Jun 28 [accessed 2018 Aug 2]. https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-04-18/index.html</p>
  
−
 
−
<div class="column two_thirds_size">
 
−
<h3>What should this page contain?</h3>
 
−
<ul>
 
−
<li> A clear and concise description of your project.</li>
 
−
<li>A detailed explanation of why your team chose to work on this particular project.</li>
 
−
<li>References and sources to document your research.</li>
 
−
<li>Use illustrations and other visual resources to explain your project.</li>
 
−
</ul>
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
−
 
−
<div class="column third_size" >
 
−
<div class="highlight decoration_A_full">
 
−
<h3>Inspiration</h3>
 
−
<p>See how other teams have described and presented their projects: </p>
 
−
 
−
<ul>
 
−
<li><a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:Imperial_College/Description">2016 Imperial College</a></li>
 
−
<li><a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:Wageningen_UR/Description">2016 Wageningen UR</a></li>
 
−
<li><a href="https://2014.igem.org/Team:UC_Davis/Project_Overview"> 2014 UC Davis</a></li>
 
−
<li><a href="https://2014.igem.org/Team:SYSU-Software/Overview">2014 SYSU Software</a></li>
 
−
</ul>
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
−
</div>
 
−
 
−
 
−
 
−
 
−
<div class="column two_thirds_size" >
 
−
<h3>Advice on writing your Project Description</h3>
 
−
 
−
<p>
 
−
We encourage you to put up a lot of information and content on your wiki, but we also encourage you to include summaries as much as possible. If you think of the sections in your project description as the sections in a publication, you should try to be concise, accurate, and unambiguous in your achievements.
 
−
</p>
 
−
 
−
</div>
 
−
 
−
<div class="column third_size">
 
−
<h3>References</h3>
 
−
<p>iGEM teams are encouraged to record references you use during the course of your research. They should be posted somewhere on your wiki so that judges and other visitors can see how you thought about your project and what works inspired you.</p>
 
−
 
−
</div>
 
−
 
−
 
−
 
−
 
  
  
 
</html>
 
</html>

Latest revision as of 10:34, 17 October 2018

Description

For our project, we tested the effect of various antifreeze proteins on biofilm formation. Our aim is to apply effective antifreeze proteins to leafy crops to reduce the rate of foodborne illnesses caused by biofilm formation on leaves. We were inspired by the recent E. coli outbreak on romaine lettuce that infected 210 people, causing 5 deaths according to the CDC (CDC, 2018). A past WPI iGEM team had researched the expression of antifreeze proteins in E. coli strains. We continued their work, using their E. coli strains that expressed antifreeze protein to look into their antibiofilm action. We also tested curcumin’s properties against biofilm formation. The next step would include the application of purified antifreeze proteins to a leafy surface to model real world applications and creating a transgenic plant to produce the protein in order to protect itself. A low cost gene gun was created to induce antifreeze protein production within the plant leaves. The aim of this project was to help farmers avoid contamination due to E. coli growth on crops and reduce the amount of infections caused by bacterial foodborne illness among the general public.

References

E.coli (Escherichia coli). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2018 Jun 28 [accessed 2018 Aug 2]. https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-04-18/index.html