Difference between revisions of "Team:OLS Canmore Canada/Human Practices"

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<h1>Human Practices</h1>
 
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At iGEM we believe societal considerations should be upfront and integrated throughout the design and execution of synthetic biology projects. “Human Practices” refers to iGEM teams’ efforts to actively consider how the world affects their work and the work affects the world. Through your Human Practices activities, your team should demonstrate how you have thought carefully and creatively about whether your project is responsible and good for the world. We invite you to explore issues relating (but not limited) to the ethics, safety, security, and sustainability of your project, and to show how this exploration feeds back into your project purpose, design and execution.
 
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  <h1 class="headertext">HUMAN PRACTICES</h1>
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<p>For more information, please see the <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices">Human Practices Hub</a>. There you will find:</p>
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<h1 class="title">The Design</h1>
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<li> an <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices/Introduction">introduction</a> to Human Practices at iGEM </li>
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The project will use synthetic biology to create a novel fusion protein that can specifically bio-tag polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, so that it can be sorted and recycled correctly. Synthetic biology is efficient, cost effective, and specific. The proteins, which are produced via a bacterial chassis called Bacillus subtilis, are created efficiently and at low cost. These proteins also provide high specificity due to a specific 3-dimensional shape that adheres selectively to PET polymers.  The 4 constructs that we have designed, with the help of our mentors and previous iGem teams, include:  
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<li>tips on <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices/How_to_Succeed">how to succeed</a> including explanations of judging criteria and advice about how to conduct and document your Human Practices work</li>
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<li>descriptions of <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices/Examples">exemplary work</a> to inspire you</li>
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<li>links to helpful <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices/Resources">resources</a></li>
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<li>And more! </li>
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<li>a polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase (PET-ase) fused to a red fluorescent protein, (or RFP) called mCherry, which give the protein its <b>colour</b> aspect. </li>
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<li>a hydrophobin called BslA,</li>
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<li>a PET-ase without the RFP, and </li>
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<li>a BslA without RFP.</li>
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A LipA secretion tag is added to each construct to signal the bacteria to secrete the proteins out of the cell for easier purification. We chose to use this Bacillus over E. coli because of its natural ability to produce hydrophobins, and because it is better at secreting proteins than other bacteria.  Bacillus is also naturally occurring in the environment, and has reduced risk for environmental contamination concerns.
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The PET-ase is an enzyme that naturally binds to PET plastic, and the mCherry RFP it is paired with will visually indicate when the protein has adhered. The hydrophobin is “water-fearing” and will therefore bind to several surfaces. However, for this project, it will be used to help adhere the PET-ase specifically to PET plastic. We are using the four proteins in combination with each other and test their effectiveness at tagging PET plastic.
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<tr><td class="imagecaptiontext">Implemented prototype, what could be seen in a sorting facility.</td></tr>
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<h1 class="subtitle">Machine Prototype</h1>
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<p>On this page, your team should document all of your Human Practices work and activities. You should write about the Human Practices topics you considered in your project, document any activities you conducted to explore these topics (such as engaging with experts and stakeholders), describe why you took a particular approach (including referencing any work you built upon), and explain if and how you integrated takeaways from your Human Practices work back into your project purpose, design and/or execution. </p>
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With our constructs design in place, we had to design a way of using them in a real life situation. Drawing on our experiences visiting real sorting facilities, and using the feedback and insights gained from the people working in this industry, we have designed a prototype using existing technology to adapt to our solution. A simplified description of our prototype includes the following steps:
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<p>If your team has gone above and beyond in work related to safety, then you should document this work on your Safety wiki page and provide a description and link on this page. If your team has developed education and public engagement efforts that go beyond a focus on your particular project, and for which would like to nominate your team for the Best Education and Public Engagement Special Prize, you should document this work on your Education and Education wiki page and provide a description and link here. </p>
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<p>The iGEM judges will review this page to assess whether you have met the Silver and/or Gold medal requirements based on the Integrated Human Practices criteria listed below. If you nominate your team for the <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Judging/Awards">Best Integrated Human Practices Special Prize</a> by filling out the corresponding field in the <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Judging/Judging_Form">judging form</a>, the judges will also review this page to consider your team for that prize.
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<li>Incoming, unsorted plastics move along a conveyor belt and pass through a bath of our purified protein bio-tag. </li>
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<li>Our bio-tag selectively adheres only to PET plastics. </li>
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<li>Next all plastics will pass through a wash or rinse.  The bio-tag is removed from any non-PET plastics.</li>
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<li>An optical scanner detects the fluorescent signature of mCherry on the PET plastics, and will separate it from the rest of the plastic. </li>
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<li>In future, similar bio-tags can be developed to selectively mark all other recyclable plastics using similar design principles.</li>
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<h3>Silver Medal Criterion #3</h3>
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<p>Convince the judges you have thought carefully and creatively about whether your work is responsible and good for the world. Document how you have investigated these issues and engaged with your relevant communities, why you chose this approach, and what you have learned. Please note that surveys will not fulfill this criteria unless you follow scientifically valid methods. </p>
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<h3>Gold Medal Criterion #1</h3>
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<p>Expand on your silver medal activity by demonstrating how you have integrated the investigated issues into the purpose, design and/or execution of your project. Document how your project has changed based upon your human practices work.
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<h3>Best Integrated Human Practices Special Prize</h3>
 
  
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<p>To compete for the Best Integrated Human Practices prize, please describe your work on this page and also fill out the description on the judging form. </p>
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<p>How does your project affect society and how does society influence the direction of your project? How might ethical considerations and stakeholder input guide your project purpose and design and the experiments you conduct in the lab? How does this feedback enter into the process of your work all through the iGEM competition? Document a thoughtful and creative approach to exploring these questions and how your project evolved in the process to compete for this award!</p>
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<p>You must also delete the message box on the top of this page to be eligible for this prize.</p>
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Revision as of 12:20, 17 October 2018

HUMAN PRACTICES

The Design

The project will use synthetic biology to create a novel fusion protein that can specifically bio-tag polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, so that it can be sorted and recycled correctly. Synthetic biology is efficient, cost effective, and specific. The proteins, which are produced via a bacterial chassis called Bacillus subtilis, are created efficiently and at low cost. These proteins also provide high specificity due to a specific 3-dimensional shape that adheres selectively to PET polymers. The 4 constructs that we have designed, with the help of our mentors and previous iGem teams, include:


  • a polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase (PET-ase) fused to a red fluorescent protein, (or RFP) called mCherry, which give the protein its colour aspect.
  • a hydrophobin called BslA,
  • a PET-ase without the RFP, and
  • a BslA without RFP.

A LipA secretion tag is added to each construct to signal the bacteria to secrete the proteins out of the cell for easier purification. We chose to use this Bacillus over E. coli because of its natural ability to produce hydrophobins, and because it is better at secreting proteins than other bacteria. Bacillus is also naturally occurring in the environment, and has reduced risk for environmental contamination concerns.


The PET-ase is an enzyme that naturally binds to PET plastic, and the mCherry RFP it is paired with will visually indicate when the protein has adhered. The hydrophobin is “water-fearing” and will therefore bind to several surfaces. However, for this project, it will be used to help adhere the PET-ase specifically to PET plastic. We are using the four proteins in combination with each other and test their effectiveness at tagging PET plastic.

Implemented prototype, what could be seen in a sorting facility.

Machine Prototype

With our constructs design in place, we had to design a way of using them in a real life situation. Drawing on our experiences visiting real sorting facilities, and using the feedback and insights gained from the people working in this industry, we have designed a prototype using existing technology to adapt to our solution. A simplified description of our prototype includes the following steps:


  1. Incoming, unsorted plastics move along a conveyor belt and pass through a bath of our purified protein bio-tag.
  2. Our bio-tag selectively adheres only to PET plastics.
  3. Next all plastics will pass through a wash or rinse. The bio-tag is removed from any non-PET plastics.
  4. An optical scanner detects the fluorescent signature of mCherry on the PET plastics, and will separate it from the rest of the plastic.
  5. In future, similar bio-tags can be developed to selectively mark all other recyclable plastics using similar design principles.