Success of Butanerds fires up competitive spirit in synthetic biology (9/22/2008)

The solution to many of the world's problems may well lie in something as simple as E.coli bacteria. A hot new science is looking at how such organisms can be genetically engineered to do everything from providing hydrogen fuel to cleaning up the environment.

At the forefront of this emerging science are students, some of the best and brightest hailing from right here at the University of Alberta.

Last year the University of Alberta Butanerds won in their category at the Massachusetts synthetic biology competition, the International Genetically Engineered Machine Jamboree (iGEM). They came up with an idea for a biofuel called butanol, produced by bacteria similar to E.coli.

This year two new University of Alberta teams are gearing up to compete at iGEM in November, again using E.coli as their agent.

The Bisphenolics, made up of an interdisciplinary team of 10, are exploring how to program the bacteria's DNA to find, metabolize and neutralize Bisphenol-A, the toxic chemical found in many of today's plastics.

A second team of 11 students from faculties across the campus, called Logi-col[i], is trying to manipulate E.coli cells to operate much like logic gates, the decision-making functions in computer programming.

The preparation for iGEM is intense. To warm up for the competition, the two teams, along with five others from the universities of Lethbridge and Calgary , met last weekend at the Alberta Genetically Engineered Machine Jamboree at Kananaskis to compare notes and improve their presentations.

The biggest difference in the approach this year, however, is a new University of Alberta science course in synthetic biology, the first offered anywhere in Canada and taught by biochemistry professor Mike Ellison. It brings together students from across disciplines and is designed mainly to help them prevail in Boston.

"We really feel that, because of the success of the Butanerds, the enthusiasm iGEM generates is a powerful educational device," said Ellison. "Synthetic biology is about taking biology and applying the principles of engineering to it, so we can actually produce useful, modified organisms that really fulfill important functions in society."

He says that, theoretically, "it would be possible to take these organisms and program them as if they were computers."

Some students find the challenge enormously appealing, enough to sacrifice what little spare time they have to the iGEM quest.

"Everybody has their hobbies," said third-year biochemistry student Max Buschko, who is taking Ellison's course this year in the hopes of joining a team next year. "You have the guy playing guitar, or the guy who throws a football. Why not come into a lab and actually create something useful?"

"It's so applicable,"said third-year molecular genetics student Julia Pon. "It's a way of taking everything we've invested in learning so far and actually using it to make a difference. It's also empowering that it's targeted for students who have a minimal level of experience."

Ellison says the project is one of the best examples on campus of applied interdisciplinary science, crossing boundaries and thinking in unconventional ways to solve real-world problems. Furthermore, the impetus to compete in the field, he says, is "grassroots. We're not getting this from administration or anywhere else."

However he does stress the pivotal role played by Alberta Ingenuity in "laying the seeds for synthetic biology in the province." They've sponsored the teams' efforts from the beginning, and this October they are sending both the Bisphenolics and Logi-col[i] teams to Hong Kong to present at a conference with some of the top experts in the world.

The international movement has been growing "exponentially," says Ellison, with some 60 teams presenting at MIT this year, and the competition continues to grow.

The goal, says Ellison, is to establish a University of Alberta winning streak, with more advanced team- members passing on their expertise to the newcomers.

"We're trying to professionalize the operation," he said. Ultimately those who have taken the course and competed "will become the veterans. Then a new group will come in and we'll keep this thing cycling around."

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the University of Alberta

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