Welcome to the iGEM Pasteur Paris team 2018 page

Our team is pleased to participate in the competition this year !

Context: why prosthetics and biocompatibility?

In today’s society where equal access to means and opportunities is a priority, disabled citizens need to be given better tools for their daily lives. In this context, prosthetics and implants will become more and more sophisticated and we think it is necessary to develop a system to enhance the interface between the implanted-human and the mechanical component thanks to synthetic biology. One of the main actor obstructing the improvement in this domain is the connection between the nerves and the controllers. In addition, the development of bacterial biofilms on prosthetics or on other implantable devices is a major health risk. Biofilms are tolerated as they can evade the immune system. However, they may become colonized by other organisms such as S. aureus or microscopic fungi. They are responsible for chronic infections with more than 200 000 people in need of re- intervention on their devices just in the USA¹. Some of the possible remedies include improving of the interface at the nerve or prosthetics junction, and secondly preventing this interface from getting infected by other pathogenic bacteria.

Our project NeuronArch

With NeuronArch, instead of combating the biofilm, we will develop an innovative system by subverting it. To achieve this, we will deliberately coat the implant with a genetically modified lab-grown E. coli that would serve as an interface between the synthetic prosthesis and organic tissues. By doing so, our biofilm would be capable of fighting other invasive pathogenic bacteria and reduce the risk of formation of an infectious biofilm. Secondly, we will try to promote neural connections. To do so, we will test the capacity of our biofilm to diminish an invasive bacterial population in an in vitro culture titration. Secondly, we will test the capacity of neuronal cells to grow and redirect towards a specific target under the influence of our biofilm.

Reference 1: Treatment of Infections Associated with Surgical Implants, Darouiche R. New England Journal of Medicine (2004)

Styling your wiki

You may style this page as you like or you can simply leave the style as it is. You can easily keep the styling and edit the content of these default wiki pages with your project information and completely fulfill the requirement to document your project.

While you may not win Best Wiki with this styling, your team is still eligible for all other awards. This default wiki meets the requirements, it improves navigability and ease of use for visitors, and you should not feel it is necessary to style beyond what has been provided.

Uploading pictures and files

You must upload any pictures and files to the iGEM 2018 server. Remember to keep all your pictures and files within your team's namespace or at least include your team's name in the file name.

When you upload, set the "Destination Filename" to T--YourOfficialTeamName--NameOfFile.jpg. (If you don't do this, someone else might upload a different file with the same "Destination Filename", and your file would be erased!)

UPLOAD FILES

Wiki template information

We have created these wiki template pages to help you get started and to help you think about how your team will be evaluated. You can find a list of all the pages tied to awards here at the Pages for awards link. You must edit these pages to be evaluated for medals and awards, but ultimately the design, layout, style and all other elements of your team wiki is up to you!

Editing your wiki

On this page you can document your project, introduce your team members, document your progress and share your iGEM experience with the rest of the world!

Use WikiTools - Edit in the black menu bar to edit this page

EDIT PAGE

Tips

This wiki will be your team’s first interaction with the rest of the world, so here are a few tips to help you get started:

State your accomplishments! Tell people what you have achieved from the start.
Be clear about what you are doing and how you plan to do this.
You have a global audience! Consider the different backgrounds that your users come from.
Make sure information is easy to find; nothing should be more than 3 clicks away.
Avoid using very small fonts and low contrast colors; information should be easy to read.
Start documenting your project as early as possible; don’t leave anything to the last minute before the Wiki Freeze. For a complete list of deadlines visit the iGEM 2018 calendar
Have lots of fun!

Inspiration

You can also view other team wikis for inspiration! Here are some examples:

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Team:Pasteur Paris