Rice University Collaboration

The UT-Austin team reached out to the Rice team early in the Summer of 2018 to determine if our teams could help each other. We decided to meet to at the Rice campus and share our project ideas.

At the meet-up we presented our project ideas to each other, and discussed ways in which we could integrate the projects. Rice’s project revolved around modifying the T7 Expression system to be more broad host range which fit with our goal of creating a broad host range plasmid kit to easily and efficiently transform non-model organisms. They suggested they could benefit from using some of the promoter part plasmids we created to test transcription independent of translation.

We also gave them a one tube reaction with a protocol to test to act as a prototype of the complete kit. Once they transformed the one tube containing our assemblies into their organisms of interest, they could determine which origin of replication functioned and utilize that information.

Albert Truong, of the Rice 2018 iGEM Team, provided their results and feedback when transforming our assemblies into E. coli in their lab.

(See Integrated Human Practices)

Texas Tech Collaboration

In order to strengthen our partnership with Texas Tech we arranged to have two of their members, as well as two students from Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy, attend the Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by UT’s Molecular Biosciences Student Association. Here, we discussed our projects and helped each try to achieve various medal requirements. We also particularly helped Texas Tech by teaching them about Phytobricks and Golden Gate Assembly, in order for them to switch their lab more towards using this new assembly method.

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