Difference between revisions of "Team:Aix-Marseille/Perspectives"

 
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<h1>Description</h1>
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<p>Our focus this year is fighting <b>bed bugs</b>, worldwide invasive pests, that are invading homes and biting humans for their blood. These tiny bugs became harmful from the moment humans made caves their homes, as the original hosts of bed bugs were bats. Nowadays humans don’t live in caves, but this temporary troglodyte dwelling came with a cost: fighting against an insect addicted to human blood. While their bite usually doesn’t transmit any disease, it still induces serious dermatological and allergy issues.<br>
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[[File:T--Aix-Marseille--perspectives2.png|center]]
  
<p>We aim to find an efficient solution for removing bed bugs from infested living spaces. Our strategy consists of two integrated parts: using <b>pheromones</b> as a chemical lure that can attract bed bugs into a trap where they will be eliminated using <b><i>Beauveria bassiana</i></b>, a highly virulent fungus to bed bugs, but safe for humans.<br>
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The designing our project required a holistic approach. We had to consider not only the efficiency, the biosafety and security of our plan, but its societal impact as well. Thus, human practices was at the heart of our project. In only eight months of work, we have built a concrete idea of a trap to get rid of these worldwide vermins (bed bugs) that meets with the public desires and needs. However, we are still developing a prototype and the design requires optimization.
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We want to elaborate an attractive lethal trap. For that, we need:<br>
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To this end, we have already begun to carry out tests, thanks to one of our collaborators, [http://www.crous-aix-marseille.fr/ Crous Aix-Marseille Avignon]. They had several apartments that were infested with bed bugs, and that have not been treated yet. For the moment, we only have tested the first version of our trap for a week. It is a bit too short period of time to have significant results. ''Beauveria bassiana'' requires about ten days to be fully effective. In the immediate, we must go further with these experiments.  
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<li> Enhanced <b><i>Beauveria bassiana</i></b>: Overexpressing chitinase and lipase proteins to increase the fungus' virulence.</li>
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<li> Produce <b>pheromones</b> in <i>E. coli</i> for the attractive action.</li>
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Moreover, we chose to use biosynthesized pheromones (cost efficient) rather than the chemically produced ones. Living organisms represent a real potential and allow the massive production of pheromone cocktails and enzyme mix in one go. But for now, we have produced each component in different bacteria strains to test their activity.  In a more '''medium-term perspective''', we should optimize the pheromone production by combining all synthesis pathways of all the pheromones in one single bacteria.
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<h3>What is our plan ?</h3><br>
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Once these improvements are completed, the culmination of the project will be to commercialize our trap in the '''longer term'''.
<li>To elaborate our trap, we are going to use the biological properties of an entomopathogenic fungus <b><i>Beauveria bassiana</i></b>.
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In order to ensure this, we have partnered with two companies specialized in vermin treatment which are :
It was first used as a way of fight against insects in agriculture in Canada, and later on, all over the world.</li><br>
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#The specialist of pest control, [https://www.rentokil.com/ Rentokil]. They are already working on bed bugs and they contacted us after seeing one of our press article to collaborate on our mutual enemy.<br>
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#[http://www.cstb.fr/en/ CSTB] ('''T'''echnical '''B'''uilding '''S'''cience '''C'''enter) that we met at the [https://2018.igem.org/Team:Aix-Marseille/SHUC social housing union convention]. They are creating a detection technique for bed bugs. This would potentially have a 100 percent efficiency. Our project has drawn their attention because it only focuses on the next step of bed bugs elimination. Our trap is complementary to their work, that is why they have offered us a collaboration. Thus we will have the opportunity to develop and upgrade our trap with them.
  
<li>The use of pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos is authorized in the European Union in any knowledge of the very numerous risks of toxicity incurred for the consumers of products of vegetable origin, by adding more the risks for mammals, birds, aquatic animals, and bees. Moreover, researchers are trying to find an eco-friendly and natural method to fight bed bugs. Thus, using <b><i>Beauveria bassiana</i></b> side to side with pheromones is one highly biological fight method.<br>
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'''Such collaborations will be crucial for a student team like us to bring our idea to the market.'''
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<li>The fungus can easily penetrate bed bug's exoskeleton: the cuticle. Once inside the insect's hemolymph, the fungus feeds and multiplies, causing its death. Our objective is to enhance the fungus so that it is highly virulent for bed bugs. We want to reduce the lethal doses and break the bugs. Furthermore, the excessive use of insecticides thickened the bed bug's cuticle. As a result, pest control companies are obliged to increase the insecticides' doses.</li><br>
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<li>The pheromones that we plan to use, are chemical molecules produced by the bugs. They use them to navigate and find their shelters.</li><br>
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<h3>Inspiration</h3>
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<p>We used some papers to elaborate our plan </p>
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<li><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022201112001152">A preliminary evaluation of the potential of Beauveria bassiana for bed bug control</a></li>
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<li><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214030115300018">Engineering Escherichia coli for renewable benzyl alcohol production</a></li>
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Latest revision as of 21:55, 17 October 2018

Perspectives

T--Aix-Marseille--perspectives2.png

The designing our project required a holistic approach. We had to consider not only the efficiency, the biosafety and security of our plan, but its societal impact as well. Thus, human practices was at the heart of our project. In only eight months of work, we have built a concrete idea of a trap to get rid of these worldwide vermins (bed bugs) that meets with the public desires and needs. However, we are still developing a prototype and the design requires optimization.

To this end, we have already begun to carry out tests, thanks to one of our collaborators, Crous Aix-Marseille Avignon. They had several apartments that were infested with bed bugs, and that have not been treated yet. For the moment, we only have tested the first version of our trap for a week. It is a bit too short period of time to have significant results. Beauveria bassiana requires about ten days to be fully effective. In the immediate, we must go further with these experiments.

Moreover, we chose to use biosynthesized pheromones (cost efficient) rather than the chemically produced ones. Living organisms represent a real potential and allow the massive production of pheromone cocktails and enzyme mix in one go. But for now, we have produced each component in different bacteria strains to test their activity. In a more medium-term perspective, we should optimize the pheromone production by combining all synthesis pathways of all the pheromones in one single bacteria.

Once these improvements are completed, the culmination of the project will be to commercialize our trap in the longer term. In order to ensure this, we have partnered with two companies specialized in vermin treatment which are :

  1. The specialist of pest control, Rentokil. They are already working on bed bugs and they contacted us after seeing one of our press article to collaborate on our mutual enemy.
  2. CSTB (Technical Building Science Center) that we met at the social housing union convention. They are creating a detection technique for bed bugs. This would potentially have a 100 percent efficiency. Our project has drawn their attention because it only focuses on the next step of bed bugs elimination. Our trap is complementary to their work, that is why they have offered us a collaboration. Thus we will have the opportunity to develop and upgrade our trap with them.

Such collaborations will be crucial for a student team like us to bring our idea to the market.

T--Aix-Marseille--perspectives.png