02/09/2016
Hi!
We are the 2016 iGem team from the University of Ghent, Belgium.
Don't know what iGem is? In short, it is an international competition in synthetic biology, where teams from all over the world work on projects involving synthetic biology and present them to each other, and to the world at the Giant Jamboree in Boston, MA.
Our project: Dewpal!
In our project we try to functionalise a 3D-printed structure to passively collect atmospheric water. We will design an optimal shape for condensation of water, and use 3D-printing to print this shape in a filament containing biotin. Biotin is a natural protein that binds very strongly to another protein called streptavidin. Using synthetic biology, we will create a fusion protein of streptavidin and INP, ice nucleation protein. This INP acts as nucleation centre in ice formation on certain bacteria, but can also improve the condensation of water. This fusion protein will be produced in genetically modified bacteria, and attached to the water collector using the very strong biotin-streptavidin binding. The combination of an optimal condensation shape and increased condensation by INP should allow us to create a structure that can passively collect water from the air. This project also aims to serve as a proof-of-concept of general functionalisation of 3D-printed structures.
You can follow our progress here, on twitter () or on our website: http://www.dewpal.be/
Help us out bydonating! www.gofundme.com/dewpal
The right of access to water is a fundamental human right. This right has been referred to in a number of international documents over past decades and was specifically included in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The principle was reinforced that everyone, regardless of their loca...
