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Team Chem. Biological Water Filtration. Purification Process. Add cells to possibly contaminated water Cells take in arsenic and store it Cells provide an output (color) signaling the water is clean or needs further processing Separate of cells from water
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Team Chem Biological Water Filtration
Purification Process • Add cells to possibly contaminated water • Cells take in arsenic and store it • Cells provide an output (color) signaling the water is clean or needs further processing • Separate of cells from water • Possibility for further processing
Devices • 2 Arsenic Sensors • Sensitive: activated by any arsenic • Non-sensitive: activated by maximum tolerable arsenic level • 2 Color Generators • Arsenic Transport and Storage Device
Arsenic Transport and Storage Arsenic Measurement Remove the gene that encodes this transport protein Tripathi, R.D., Srivastava, S., Mishra, S., Singh, N., Tuli, R., Gupta, D.K. and Maathuis, F. Arsenic Hazards: Strategies for Tolerance and Remediation by Plants. Trends in Biotechnology. 2007, 25.4, 158-165.
Where is Concentration Read? Sensitive Arsenic Sensor Arsenic Transport and Storage Device (constitutively active) Non-Sensitive Arsenic Sensor Device Level Diagram Color Generator 1 (constitutively active) Outside Vacuole Inside Vacuole or with a Timer Color Generator 2
Sensitive Arsenic Sensor Arsenic Transport and Storage Device (constitutively active) Non-Sensitive Arsenic Sensor Simulation: Pure Water Green Color Generator (constitutively active) Red Color Generator Result: Cells Stay Green → Separation
Sensitive Arsenic Sensor As As Arsenic Transport and Storage Device (constitutively active) MAXIMUM ARSENIC Non-Sensitive Arsenic Sensor Simulation: Maximum Arsenic Green Color Generator (constitutively active) Red Color Generator Result: Cells Turn Red → Separate and Process Again
1 1 1 1 1 Green Color Generator 0 0 0 0 0 Sensitive [As] Sensor Transport and Storage Non- Sensitive [As] Sensor Red Color Generator t=0 No Arsenic Timing Diagram: Maximum Arsenic Contaminated Water Added Midlevel [As] Maximum [As]
1 1 1 1 1 Green Color Generator 0 0 0 0 0 Sensitive [As] Sensor Transport and Storage Non- Sensitive [As] Sensor Red Color Generator t=0 No Arsenic Timing Diagram: Midlevel Arsenic Contaminated Water Added Midlevel [As] Maximum [As]
Biological PartsBackground System ARR2 ARR1
Biological PartsControl System P(x) YCF1 GSH1 P(y) GCGD: BBa_K274004 [As] [As]max P(z) RCGD: BBa_K274100 Y-Repressor X-Repressor
Cellular Chassis [Source:http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/nlc_biology/1406/lab/r2/slide6.jpg] [Source: http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/eldde.htm]
Testing/Debugging [Source: http://www.sciencephoto.com/images/] • Cell Death • Effectiveness of ARR1, ARR1, YCF1, GSH1 • Need to determine Vacuole limits • Testing Color Generators • Promoter Design
Impacts If this process succeeds: • Solves one of the most problematic issues of the developing world, saving millions of lives. • 70 million people are affected in Bangladesh alone - arsenic in ground water is the cause of 23% of all the deaths there!
Why Biological Water Filtration by Team Chemistry? • No energy requirement (operates independent of electricity) • Accessibility to effective water filtration technology even in rural parts of the developing world • Very low cost of sustaining system • The end product is not a waste • Possibility of selling to pharmaceutical companies and turning a profit
Open Issues • Elodea is the current choice of organism • Common water weed: robust, packaged for surviving in water • The cost of entire project is unknown. • Legal issues attached to introducing genetically modified organisms into the environment? • Length of effectiveness is unknown • (How long until the organism reaches max arsenic uptake capacity?) • The process of genetically modifying plants is very slow…
Citations Saccharomyces Genome Database www.yeastgenome.org Standard Registry of Biological Parts www.partregistry.org