Project Description
Describe how and why you chose your iGEM project.
Describe how and why you chose your iGEM project.
Project Ash Gaurd aims to create a highly specific and environmentally friendly bioinsecticide to combat the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) beetle. Using the Cry8Da toxin derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, the project will engineer E. coli DH5-alpha, Bacillus subtilis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to express this potent protein.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a destructive beetle species originating from Asia, first detected in North America in 2002. It poses a significant threat to ash trees, which are crucial for supporting diverse ground flora, raising soil pH, and enhancing nutrient availability. Current EAB management methods include mechanical and silvicultural practices (cutting and burning), chemical pesticides, hybridization of ash tree species, and biological control using the fungus Beauveria bassiana strain GHA. However, these methods have limitations and can have adverse environmental impacts.
Ash Guard uses the Cry8Da toxin, which specifically targets and binds to receptors on the gut epithelial cells of EAB, causing cell lysis and death. By engineering microbial hosts such as E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce Cry8Da, we aim to develop a bioinsecticide that effectively targets EAB while minimizing harm to other species and the environment.
By providing a targeted bioinsecticide, Ash Guard has the potential to preserve ash tree populations, maintain forest health, and protect the ecosystems that rely on these trees. This project supports biodiversity, and mitigates the risk of secondary infections in forests.
The engineering team aims to reduce plastic waste by developing a cost-effective process for recycling used polypropylene pipette tips into 3D printer filament in-lab. The filament will be mechanically characterized to determine if the recycled filament has comparable properties to commercially available filament. The performance of the filament in laboratory applications will then be assessed by creating and testing 3D printed parts designed to facilitate lab work by improving workflow and accessibility. The SOLIDWORKS files and alteration and assembly instructions for these parts will be organized in a library that can be easily shared among the scientific research community. All parts are designed to retrofit existing lab equipment to reduce the cost of upgrading equipment, so will be easily adjustable.