Our attributions page summarises who has contributed to each part of the project.
See our project description page to learn an overview of our project aims.
The contribution page decribes the 7 core contributions we believe we have made to the iGEM and wider scientific community.
Look to our engineering success page to find examples of how we have implemented the design, build, test, learn cycle.
The human practices page displays how we investigated the keys potential applications of our new technology.
Our modelling page describes the different mathematical approaches we took to physical and biological aspects that would help inform our hardware designs and wet lab experiments. Magnetic, heat and drag force models were used to predict feasibility of spatially specific activation and mechanical activation. Additionally, the thermal HSF, TcI, TlpA and mechanosensitive Wsc1 pathways were modelled using different ODEs to predict fluorescent protein expression. The heat model was integrated into the pathway models to predict the level of activation at different positions of the magnet through a temperature function. These different models fed back into hardware design cycles or wet lab experimental planning.
Our hardware page describes the development process of our novel research device for spatial targeting magnetogenetics. Commercially developed magnetogenetics hardware is expensive and inflexible so we needed to make our own. We first built our own electromagnet systems to characterise and test our cellular magnetogenetic control pathways. Learning from these initial devices, we then developed MagentaBOX which combines two different electromagnets on motorised stages with imaging capability for colour, fluorescence and temperature. This allows us to precisely move and power our electromagnets around our cells and to measure the spatial distribution of response over time. We sought user testing from researchers and bio-maker hobbyists to make improvements to our design. We hope MagentaBOX will be built, used and improved on by future teams and researchers so we have included links to a build and user guide and all the necessary CAD/Laser Cutter and 3D print files.
The human practices page displays how we investigated the key potential applications of our new technology; these were ultimately in the areas of organoid development, oncology and neuroscience research. We started by conducting in depth literature reviews and thoughtfully considering who to consult for advice on the direction of the project. We spoke to an extensive range of professionals in academia, healthcare and industry, at various stages of the project, who generously gave their time to have fascinating discussions which drastically enhanced our Magenta technology. The influence of the stakeholders we contacted can be seen throughout our project documentation, guiding our modelling, experimentation and system design. At all points, we carefully reflected on our interactions and how the advice we received could be fed back into improving our work. Furthermore, an important achievement was our careful consideration of aspects including safety, patient perspective and user experience. We aimed to share our successes on our wiki in a way that will help future teams with their Integrated Human Practices research, particularly in the Foundational Advance track where it can be challenging to find the most feasible real-world applications.