NOTEBOOK
“Not only should you have a to-do list, but it must become your best friend.”
- Jim Kwik
“Not only should you have a to-do list, but it must become your best friend.”
- Jim Kwik
⬤ Attendance to Sonia Blanco's presentation at IBIMA-Plataforma BIONAND
On September 12th, some members of the UMA-MALAGA team had the opportunity to attend the lecture of the Doctor in Audiovisual Communication, Sonia Blanco, about how to disseminate science and use social networks successfully. In this talk, they were able to learn tools on how to take advantage of the booming potential of networks when disseminating science information faithfully, effectively and responsibly.
⬤ Brainstorming for project planning
The members brainstormed about which problem to address. After various proposals, it was decided that the topic could be related to biomedicine and several interesting ideas were proposed that would mature over the weeks.
⬤ Team Building - Internal Communication
On Saturday, we attended a workshop proposed by the networking instructor, Antonia. We learned the beneficts and the impact of a correct internal communication between team members, as well as assertiveness when it comes to conflict resolution and the importance of identifying and valuing the strenght of each one within the different areas.
⬤ Maturation of ideas
Gradually, the most attractive ideas were selected. Ideas as diverse as a healing and sun protection cream, aspergillus detection in hospitals, methods to prevent coeliacs from reacting to gluten and to avoid problems caused by aflatoxins. Everyone was very active in coming up with new ideas!
⬤ Laboratory Safety Introduction
Together with the team instructors, all team members were taugh about basic principles of working with microorganisms and GMOs and the safety measures necessary to work in an experimental environment. We learned how to grow, treat and dispose of microorganisms.
⬤ Team Building - Escape Room
The members of the team went to an Escape Room because we considered it a very good way to see how we work as a team in stressful situations. We could also have a good time together and get to know each other better. Of course, althought only one team was able to win the game, we were all winners in terms of camaraderie.
⬤ Team Building - How to speak in public and make amazing presentations
Networking instructor Antonia conducted a second workshop at the Faculty of Science where we learned basic notions and tools to overcome the fears of public speaking and have a good presence in front of an audience.
⬤ The approach of a possible final idea
We selected the idea that we thought was the most interesting and technically feasible. The goal of our project would be to tackle the problems caused by aflatoxins, for which the whole team searched for literature and information on previous projects in iGEM before going on with this adventure.
⬤ Demo Day of Link by UMA
On October 25th, an event called Demo-Day was organized at the Rayo Verde building of Link by UMA, which was attended by our team member Lucía Campos and PI Dr. Manuel Bernal. They made a brief presentation explaining the evolution of our ideas and presenting the iGEM competition.
⬤ Get-together "A germ in Synthetic Biology"
The members of the UMA-MALAGA team, Lucía Campos and Ángel Navarro, gave an informative talk about what is understood by synthetic biology and its application. This workshop was possible thanks to the support and trust provided by UMA Divulga.
⬤ ⬤ UMA-MALAGA team meeting
The team met at the Faculty of Science of the University of Málaga to plan the start of the project, after accepting the idea of developing a probiotic with the ability to capture AFB1. During the meeting, we discussed several key points to analyse how the selected problem could impact the population and to which sectors our solution could be relevant. To facilitate this assessment, we decided to create a paper outline that would allow us to visualise all the important aspects of the project in a clear and orderly manner.
⬤ Logo creation training
Two of our colleague, Ángel Navarro and Lucía Aguilar, held an online meeting with Mónica Sanz, photographer and in charge of the image of many large companies. In this meeting, we learned the most important keys on how to design a logo and how to use the righ tools for it; the most important points to take into account when creating the name of the projects, and, of course, how to get a quality corporate image.
⬤ First presentation of ideas for the project
After several working meeting, we presented a barinstorming to the PIs responsible for UMA-MALAGA where we showed the intial organization that we expected to implement, sectors we wanted to address and the logo with which we wanted to be associated.
⬤ First Dry Lab meeting
The Dry Lab team met for the first time to discuss the more technical aspects of the project. They discussed how to capture AFB1, synthetic receptors, information on Lactococcus lactis, among others.
⬤ Talk at Torre Atalaya high school
On the 16th, we gave our first talk to students of Torre Atalaya high school where we showed AflaxOFF in a dynamic and fun way. It was our first public talk, how thrilling!
⬤ Meeting with Tecnalia
We visited the applied research and technological development centre Tecnalia. We explained the ideas we had about our project and asked them for feedback to improve and optimise our product sales.
⬤ Meeting with Torcuato
The UMA-MALAGA team met with Torcuato Fernandez García, who had worked as a consultant in different medical and pharmaceutical companies. We presented our work to him and he helped us to focus the project on different areas, without pigeonholing us in one. We discussed the purpose of our project applied to different sectors such as food, biotechnology, medical, veterinary and even bioremediation.
⬤ Meeting with advisors
First meeting with the advisors, where we introduced them to our project concepts and the techniques we plan to use to detect aflatoxins. During the meeting, we received feedback on the errors present in our approach, as well as constructive criticism that helped us to identify areas for improvement.
⬤ First brainstorming in Dry Lab
We started to develop, from the bibliography found, the genetic circuit, with still several options on the table. We started to work with a more engineering view, breaking down the functions our probiotic has to do in terms of input module and output module, and their relevant submodules. We also learned how to use Benchling to facilitate the recording of the sequences and the construction of the circuits.
⬤ Presentation of progress to the rest of the team.
Colleagues from Human Practice and Dry Lab updated team members on their progress. In Dry Lab the information regarding genetic circuits, and in Human the advances in the search for funding.
⬤ ⬤ First Day - Informative session about UMA-MALAGA for possible new members
The UMA-MALAGA team held an informative day at the University of Málaga in aim of attracting different profiles of various educational branches in order to raise the opportunity to participate in the AflaxOFF project. Thanks to this, we got people from computer engineering, health engineering, communication and law degrees interested in participating in the adventure that is iGEM.
⬤ Lecture on Artificial Intelligence with Sonia Blanco “Artificial Intelligence, your ally or your enemy in the classroom?”
On December 15, members of the UMA-MALAGA team attended another magnificent lecture given by Dr. Sonia Blanco about the use of artificial intelligence in education. This talk inspired us to make changes in our project.
⬤ ⬤ Second "New Members" Day
On this day, we organized activities to see the potential of our new members. We carried out activities and games where we promoted internal communication, team building and, above all, the values of the UMA-MALAGA team.
⬤ Team Building - Christmas dinner
With the Christmas spirit in the air, the members of the AflaOFF team decided to organise a more festive dinner to get to know each other better outside of the iGEM work environment. We had a great time!
⬤ Team Building - Dinner with new members
The new members have arrived! To integrate them into the work dynamic and the team, we organised a general meeting in which we explained our working method and the areas in which they could collaborate to push the project forward. We know that integration can be exhausting, so, after the meeting, we decided to go for a typical Malaga dinner, a campero, which allowed us to get to know each other better in a more relaxed atmosphere.
⬤ The genetic circuit is finished
The gene designs were finalised, and the idea of using Lactococcus lactis was abandoned as there was no literature on synthetic receptors in this species, a key point of our project.
⬤ Presentation of the genetic circuit to the PIs
We showed our design to Carlos, one of our PIs, who helped us to revise them to avoid small errors in order to send them to synthesis. Together with the circuits we presented the associated bibliography to demonstrate their robustness at a theoretical level.
⬤ Gene synthesis
Our designed parts were ordered, finally materialising a period of effort. In addition, it was decided to use the collection of pSEVAs as vectors.
⬤ General meeting
In this meeting, a general tour of the social networks of UMA-MALAGA was made, focusing on the purpose of each one, and the use of Linkedin. The email signature of all members was formalised, the work areas were delimited and doubts of all members were solved. In addition, we discussed the approach we want to give to Instagram and X posts.
⬤ Colonia Santa Inés Day Care Center Workshop
On the morning of 5th February, we had the opportunity to give a workshop at the Colonia de Santa Inés day centre, where people with different types of cognitive disorders live. Here, we were able to show them in a playful and entertaining way what synthetic biology is, the real applicability it has and the work we do. In addition, after giving the talk, we raised the possibility that, in the future, we could join forces with this and other day centres to seek the inclusion of these people in our work.
⬤ Meeting with the Mayor of Málaga and with the President of the 11th District Council
The Mayor of our city, Francisco de la Torre, and the President of the 11th District Council, Borja Vivas, were also going to visit the facilities of this day centre, and thanks to the fact that they liked the workshop we had given that same morning, they decided to invite us to visit and formally present our work to both of them. Thus, we had a conversation in which both were receptive to know our initiative and to strengthen the links we had with the City Council of Málaga.
⬤ General meeting: Day of reflection
Today we had our first general meeting after welcoming the new team members. We worked in groups to further elaborate on various aspects of the aflatoxins problem, such as its scope, regulations and ethical implications. We shared ideas on how to approach the next feedback loop and discussed Special Prizes that the team could focus on. We also added some new features to our team’s website.
⬤ UPA meeting
In the meeting with the Unión de Pequeños Agricultores y Ganaderos, Ángel Navarro, Adrián Gómez and Lucía Aguilar presented the project. They placed great emphasis on the problem of aflatoxins in the agricultural sector and on the methods of action and prevention that are active today to solve this problem. The conclusion was that there are no simple and cheap methods that farmers and ranchers can use routinely. In addition, it is the cooperatives that are responsible for analysing the samples they received and taking the necessary measures. Finally, a series of contacts were obtained to contrast this information.
⬤ Talk at ASA (High Ability Association)
We gave a talk to the kids of the High Abilities Association of Málaga about the UMA-MALAGA team, the Grand Jamboree competition and the possible outlets for students in science, which allowed the attendees to ask questions about their possible participation in future editions of UMA-MALAGA and gave us feedback with their opinion of our idea AflaxOFF.
⬤ Meeting with Cordis
In the meeting with Cordis Software Solutions, Adrián and Lucía Aguilar met with Jaime Mahillo, to whom they presented the AflaxOFF project and the different areas of work. They discussed the work done by our software engineering colleagues to assess the feasibility of it. We got advice on the importance of organisation in developing good software and the time usually spent on it.
⬤ Meeting with Toomba
On February 13th, our colleagues Álvaro and Lucía Aguilar had the opportunity to meet with Patrick Berends, Raúl Domínguez and Jordi Van der Ven; all of them belong to the company Cordis Software Solutions. We presented our project, from the most experimental to the most theoretical part. In addition, the possibility of support and intervention in the IT part of the project was valued, where it was agreed to develop a more in-depth presentation of the objectives we had and the deadline of the work.
⬤ Meeting with Promega in Madrid, attended by professors Carlos and Manuel together with Lucía Campos and Alonso
Today we were lucky enough to visit the offices of the biotech company Promega in Madrid. There we had a meeting with Gijs Jochems, director of Promega Biotech Ibérica, and with several of their marketing specialists, molecular biology PhDs and functional analysts (among many others). We presented the AflaxOFF project and received feedback on how to address aflatoxin issues and on future proposals for iGEM. In addition, we were provided with help and solutions for the future in case we had any doubts when we started working in wetlab.
⬤ Talk at IES Jardines de Puerta Oscura Highschool
On 16th February we visited IES Jardines de Puerta Oscura to give an informative talk on synthetic biology and to present the UMA-MALAGA initiative, as well as our new project, AflaxOFF.
⬤ Structuring our own website
On the 16th of February work started on the wordpress of the AflaxOFF website. A gallery was made for each team of UMA-MALAGA showing the members and the projects of previous years.
⬤ Meeting with CEM
Our colleagues attended the meeting with Felix Infante, technician of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Málaga. In this meeting our project was presented and we discussed different proposals for improvement.First, the entrepreneurial nature of the initiative and the possibility of enhancing its business projection in the future.Secondly, the feasibility of such an ambitious project, especially under the possibility of creating software in parallel to the laboratory work, which simplifies the dynamics in this area.
⬤ Meeting with ASP Ozono
ASP Ozono is a company dedicated to the disinfection of spaces and food products by different methods, among which they are specialised in the use of ozone. After presenting our project to them, we received a very satisfactory response to the approach. They congratulated us for our work and encouraged us to orient it towards the agricultural field to improve food quality.
⬤ Team building in Juan Antonio's Dojo
Today we participated in a self-defence workshop given by our colleague Juan Antonio, a black belt in the martial art known as Shorinji Kempo. Although the workshop was of an individual nature, it fostered communication between us and allowed us to connect on a more personal level.
⬤ Sponsorship of Publikit
Our first sponsorship came from Publikit, who prepared t-shirts for the AflaxOFF team. After contacting Jesús and telling him about iGEM and the AflaxOFF initiative, he showed immediate interest in supporting us. In return for his generous contribution, we made some posts on his social networks showing the t-shirts and thanking Publikit for his support.
⬤ Human Practices meeting
This meeting was dedicated to reflection and the distribution of tasks of Integrated Human Practices. After the day of reflection on February 7, we considered how we could obtain information from society about the problem, how to make our project ethical and responsible, and how to approach Special Prizes. All this reflection materialized in several tasks.
⬤ Collection of aflatoxin data from hospitals
We contacted 18 different public and private hospitals in Málaga, as well as the General Organization of Toxicology to obtain information on the incidence of aflatoxins in our region. This allowed us to consider the possibility of carrying out our own study for the team, which would allow us to know precisely the scope of the project.
⬤ General meeting
In this meeting we discussed how to start a crowdfunding to obtain funding for the project. We discussed the content that should be included in the texts to request its opening and we evaluated which would be the most efficient channel for its dissemination in society. In addition, we designed a series of videos to share on our social networks in order to promote the crowdfunding in advance.
⬤ Update of the website of the team
With the idea of subsequently shaping the contents of the website, we began to set up the entire team's website. To do this, the explanatory texts for each section were uploaded in general and the initial presentation video showing the team and highlighting its objectives.
⬤ Wet Lab Team debut
This week, the Wet Lab team started working to get used to the basic safety measures and protocols applied in Synthetic Biology. The 6 Wet Lab team members were divided into pairs to ensure an appropriate learning environment for all the members (there is no room for 6 people pipetting at the same time.) In addition, working in pairs allows one person to perform an experiment while the other ensures that correct technique and safety procedures are followed.
⬤ Opening of a Crowdfunding
With a view to financing the team’s participation in the competition, we developed during the previous month the content shown in the crowdfunding platform GOTEO. Through it, we managed to raise the money necessary for the attendance of two ore members for the competition, as well as funds for the development of material for informative events and for the competition itself.
⬤ First Steps in the Lab
With the growth media (LB, 2YT) and competent Escherichia coli cells obtained last week, we decided to try to get a first stock of SEVA plasmids. We started to keep track of our experiments in our laboratory notebook and performed our first transformations.
⬤ Attendance at Foro Transfiere
We attended a meeting at European level on science, technology and innovation where we had the opportunity to talk and share information with various agents such as employers or technology and research centers as well as organizing bodies such as the Junta de Andalucía. Thanks to the synergies established, we obtained advice for the development of our project, taking into account socio-economic and commercial factors, we applied everything we had learnt to our business plan.
⬤ Troubleshooting Plasmid verification Problems
We are having a few problems recovering plasmid DNA from our precultures, getting some low concentrations or purity of extracted DNA, leading to failure in DNA digestion verification. We are working very hard to improve our technique and hope to get better results soon.
⬤ First contact with IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND
We contacted IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND with the objective of exploring a possible collaboration, given the importance of the sector they work in. The interaction proved to be successful as a couple of months later we had the opportunity to visit their facilities. During the visit, we were able to continue the conversations and advance our collaborative discussions.
⬤ Defining the asthetic of the website
With the aim of offering the public a serious and quality presentation letter, on 27 March, we defined and implemented a characteristic style already defined for the project's presentation web page. Once that was done, we homogenised the rest of the pages that made up the UMA-MALAGA website following the previous criteria in order to offer a better visual experience.
⬤ First SEVA stock
After solving the problems with Minipreps and digestions, we managed to get our first stock of pSEVA 181 with a red fluorescent protein-expression device as a dropout. Now we are ready to transform new DNA parts into this plasmid!
⬤ Meeting with the Vice-Dean Carmen del Rocío Monedero Morales
The social networks team met with the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Carmen del Rocío Monedero Morales, in which an agreement was reached for the use of the facilities, specifically the photography set and the radio room.
⬤ Possible colaboration with Toomba
After a first approach to the company TOOMBA, it was agreed that an explanatory document would be presented showing the possible software to be developed jointly. However, after several attempts at compatibility, no agreement could be reached.
⬤ Cloning of basic DNA parts
We started cloning basic parts (Level 0) such as constitutive and inducible promoters, RBS with different strengths, reporters and terminators into our pSEVA 181 in order to get a toolkit for further Wet Lab experiments.
⬤ Contact with Unicaja Foundation
We saw in the Unicaja Foundation, which belongs to the Spanish bank of Málaga origin Unicaja, the perfect opportunity to publicize the AflaxOFF project in society having as support an entity of such renown and given to support a wide variety of scientific projects. So, that day we spoke for the first time with Miguel Gil, director of Social Activities of the foundation, who was very interested in collaboration and with whom we kept in touch during the following months.
⬤ Chasis change
In reviewing the literature, we encountered a problem. There were no papers confirming that aflatoxin could pass through the bacterial cell wall, which undermined our idea of using a receptor. There was only evidence to suggest that it could damage the cell wall. In view of this, we decided to change the chassis. We opted for yeast, whose papers did show that aflatoxin could pass through its cell wall. As a result, we immediately started the new development.
⬤ Presentation of the project to Fernando Leguina Roig, from the Department of Education and Employment Promotion of the City Council of Málaga
On April 11th, our colleagues Ángel Navarro and Lucía Aguilar met with Fernando Leguina to present our project and preserve the legacy of the UMA-MALAGA discipline. After a very satisfactory presentation, they discussed topics such as the official presentation of the team, or the possibility of establishing synergies thanks to his support.
⬤ Blend Hub Meeting
The team met in the T1 classroom of the Faculty of Science for a call with Juan José Valderrama, Innovation Director of the company Blendhub. The project was presented to him and he was shown different ways in which his company could collaborate. He identified some of the failures we had when it came to exposing a company. After giving us his feedback, he invited us to make a new presentation following his advice and with a defined deadline, which he would later revisit, and give us his opinion again.
⬤ New yeast genetic circuit
It was a challenge to go from designing a genetic circuit in prokaryotes to eukaryotes, so we decided to keep the same approach we designed for bacteria but adapt it to yeast. We presented our research and provisional circuits to our colleagues.
⬤ First Integrated Human Practices loop meeting
We caught up with the work done in Human Practices. On one hand, the task of communication with companies and personnel directly related to aflatoxins (loops) was addressed. On the other hand, the focus of the Inclusivity Special Prize was finally decided.
⬤ ⬤ Presentation model advised by Blend Hub
Thanks to the collaboration of Juan José Valderrama, Innovation Director of the company Bledhub, we received the necessary advice to make an appropriate presentation for companies, which would allow us to understand the different mechanisms we use and their objectives. This was very useful for us to apply it later to the rest of the meetings we held with important entities.
⬤ University fundraising party
In order to raise funds in a more informal way, the UMA-MALAGA team organised a university party, offering music, drinks and a fun atmosphere. As part of our commitment to promoting science among young people, we also organised a trivia game in which we tested the attendees' knowledge of synthetic biology.
⬤ Application for European Researchers’ Night
Since we want to bring synthetic biology research closer to as many people as possible, we considered that taking the opportunity to participate in the European Researchers' Night was something we could not miss. Therefore, we met online to plan the activity that we would organize for this event, and we concluded that a micro-meeting in which we would talk about the socio-health aspects of our project could be the most interesting. After sending it to the central service of scientific dissemination of the University of Málaga, they gave us the go-ahead, so we continue our work for September.
⬤ Second Integrated Human Practices loop meeting
We shared the progress of the Human Practices work and agreed to attend different companies in person to learn about the aflatoxin problems first hand.
⬤ First photoshoot for UMA-MALAGA members
The first photo session for UMA-MALAGA members took place in the photo lab of the Faculty of Communication Sciences.
⬤ Visit to BIOLES cooperative
This company is responsible for the packaging of organic production, as well as its distribution for sale. Their main products are dried fruits, such as nuts, legumes and cereals, although they have also worked with food spices.In the meeting with Carlos Aragón, co-founder of the company, we were able to learn about real cases of mycotoxin contamination in food that reach the market, and how to act in those situations. We also learned about how quality control works, who is responsible for carrying it out, and the traceability of food that may be contaminated.Undoubtedly, it was a very productive and rewarding meeting.
⬤ Team building and conflict resolution workshop by Nogal
To ensure the efficiency and comfort of all team members, it is important to establish a joint work dynamic, learn how to manage conflicts and have enough confidence to communicate your personal situation to the rest of your colleagues. That is why we organized a workshop in which we address these points through various reflections and dynamics.
⬤ New team member: Jimena from Translation and Interpreting
Given the team's need for someone with a solid knowledge of foreign languages and a strong desire to work, we valued and decided that Jimena García from the Translation and Interpreting degree would become part of the team.
⬤ Visit to DCOOP
As part of our meeting with different sectors to learn about the aflatoxin problem first hand, we visited the cooperative DCOOP, a world producer of olive oil. We were welcomed by the head of R&D&I and the head of the laboratory to explain their relationship with aflatoxins, the quality controls their products go through, show us their facilities and give us feedback on what our project could contribute and what we could improve.
⬤ Fill in of the Safety Form
The team met to answer the questions on the Safety Form. The meeting generated discussion on the issues and implications that our project could have.
⬤ Second photoshoot of the UMA-MALAGA members
The second photography session for UMA-MALAGA members was held in the photography laboratory of the Faculty of Communication Sciences.
⬤ Meeting with the Diputación Provincial de Málaga
In the meeting with the Diputación Provincial de Málaga, our colleagues, Ángel Navarro and Lucía Aguilar, had the opportunity to present our project to…, and to talk about our values as a team and our short and long term goals.
⬤ Third loop integrated Human Practices meeting
After having visited several companies in person, we met to share all the relevant information we had gathered over the last month about the aflatoxin problems in society, and how it affects the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in particular.
⬤ Contact with Canal Sur
Given that in previous years Canal Sur had given us coverage on the television of our autonomous community, we again proposed to them to make a report to appear in the programme Tesis. We didn’t think they were going to answer us so quickly, the next day the recording was going to take place!
⬤ TV Report for Canal Sur
Today we welcomed Paula Peralta from Cedecom to record a report about our AflaxOFF project. It was a great opportunity for the team to communicate their ideas and make awareness to a wide local audience. Don’t miss out Lucía A and Daniel, coming soon on Canal Sur in the programme Tesis!
⬤ Visit to IBIMA plataforma BIONAND
The team was invited to visit the Institute of Biomedical Research of Malaga, where different researchers briefly presented their current lines of research, we visited the different laboratories of the centre and we had the great opportunity to talk with them during a break. As a result of this visit, the collaboration with this entity to which we are so grateful arose.
⬤ Visit to Sabor en Rama
Another of the companies that took the time to help us and provide us with information about how aflatoxin B1 affected their business was Sabor en Rama. We met their manager, who gave us information about the protocols they have to follow for the correct maintenance of the facilities, in order to prevent their product from being contaminated by aflatoxin B1. He also promised that, when we needed it, we could visit him again and he would give us more information. Without a doubt, it was a very rewarding experience to get to know this company closely!
⬤ Meeting for the Special Prize Inclusivity approach
After a reflection on the different social groups that may have difficulties in accessing science and inspired by the talk we have previously given in a Mental Health Day Center, we decided that working with people with conditions such as intellectual disability could be a benefit to society and the inclusion of differences in science. Thus we agreed to participate in Inclusivity’s Special Prize.
⬤ Final Constructs Presentation
This time, the Dry Lab team put aside the computers to capture all the ideas on the chalkboard. Genetic constructs were presented to our PI Carlos, including the final target design, as well as other transcriptional units for further validation of our parts. We discussed our synthesis strategy in order to take full advantage of the special offers provided by the official iGEM’s sponsors and decided on a top-down approach to test our designs.
⬤ General meeting
Dry Lab informed the rest of the team on the final yeast constructs, and explained the new functions it has compared to our original design in bacteria. Since the design followed the same idea as the first one, Human Practice had almost no need to adapt their work, only to introduce these new functions when talking to companies or organisations.
⬤ Project description
After collecting bibliographic information and specifying the main points of our project, we wrote the preliminary project description. This meant the opening of our Wiki and the first content that we uploaded. We are so excited!
⬤ Essential wiki preparations
Before starting to work fully on the wiki, basic preparatory work was carried out, including an analysis of how the wiki works and the repository rules associated with the wiki on the IGEM servers. In addition, the ‘Description’ tab contains a description of our project, marking the rest of the pages as under construction.
⬤ Distribution Kit Plates Test
The Distribution Kit Plates are finally in our laboratory and we have tried transforming some plasmids today to check that the DNA has arrived in good condition after its long journey from Asimov’s laboratories. We can't wait to test the Open Yeast Collection (OYC)!
⬤ Videogame Brainstorm
On the 3rd of July we started a new challenge with the aim of participating in the Special Prize for Education. We started to develop our educational videogame, focusing on brainstorming about the possible design of the story, the characters that could appear and the path that will guide players through the experience.
⬤ ⬤ Wet Lab & Dry Lab Update
The last few changes in genetic constructs and assembly strategy were communicated to the Wet Lab members. Once everything was clear, we proposed a workflow for the following weeks and coordinated to get the lab running again.
⬤ First idea for the characters
Initial sketches of the characters for the educational videogame are presented, each designed to represent a specific area of the work team. Each character reflects the characteristics and skills associated with their respective role, creating a connection between the dynamics of the team and the narrative of the game.
⬤ First script and final characters style
At the same time as working on the character sketches, an initial draft of the script of the videogame is generated, in which the structure and theme of the game is specified. After a meeting with the members of the team, the colour of the characters is decided and the final sketches and designs are obtained.
⬤ ⬤ Madrid European MeetUp Deliverables
Getting ready for the iGEM European MeetUp organized by Madrid-UCM. Today we finished designing our first Team Poster to present our project in Madrid and practised our speech. Late-night bus today for Ángel and Daniel in order to make it to Madrid. We are very excited to meet the other teams and projects and exchange ideas with all the participants!
⬤ First day at the European MeetUP in Madrid
After a long overnight bus ride, we met in the morning with iGEM team members from Madrid, Maastricht, Stockholm, Paris and Leuven. On this first day we were able to enjoy several talks, snacks and free time. We really enjoyed the company and the knowledge we got from the other teams.
⬤ Second day at the European MeetUp in Madrid
This was the most important day for our project. We brought with us the poster that we had designed a couple days before, and in front of a jury of PIs from the UCM team, as well as iGEM ambassadors, we defended in 3 minutes the key ideas of the project. Then, it was our turn to defend the project in more detail through a 10 minute presentation, where we explained certain concepts in more detail and showed how multidisciplinary our team is. After both presentations, the jury evaluated the work we had done and gave us a lot of feedback. Once the hardest part was over, we went to lunch…and to get to know the University and Madrid!
⬤ First transformations from the iGEM Distribution Kit Plates
After testing the Kit Plates, we started working with the DNA Parts needed for the assembly of a plasmid for Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the OYC.
⬤ General meeting
Once the exam period was over and after attending the MeetUP organized by the team of the Complutense University of Madrid, we saw the need to organize a face to face meeting in which we could share everything we had learned during the event, distribute the work in order to attend the CEEBI, and we could properly establish the work for the rest of July and part of August. We also discussed in detail some aspects of the Wiki fundamental to organize our work and taking into account all members’ opinions.
⬤ First verified stock
Today, we obtained our first DNA and glycerol stock from a bacterium transformed with an OYC plasmid. The miniprep DNA was confirmed by digestion with BsaI and electrophoresis. It is great to see the DNA bands with the expected size!
Elaboration of the final script of the videogame
Once the structure of the videogame and the parts to be shown were defined, the team started working on the collaborative writing of the final script. In several sessions, the narrative, characters and dialogue were discussed, ensuring that the story was coherent and engaging, aligned with the overall vision of the project.
⬤ Inclusivity Special Prize: Contact with centers
We initiated contact with the Mental Health Centers via e-mail and telephone. They all seemed so happy with our proposal, and we were so excited too!
⬤ Participation in the III Congreso Estatal de Estudiantes de Biociencias (CEEBI)
We attended the third edition of the State Congress of Biosciences Students (CEEBI), where we were offered the opportunity to perform several activities: First, a Pechakucha; a short talk in which we gave the attendees a few hints about iGEM, synthetic biology and our project. After that, the business forum began, where we had a stand dedicated to the dissemination of information about the institution and community of iGEM and about our project. Finally, we organized a workshop where we could explore an extended explanation about synthetic biology and our project in a playful and interactive way.
⬤ Start of the development of the videogame
The implementation of the different scenes of the videogame begins, while, in parallel, the mini-games that will be integrated in later phases are designed.
⬤ Notebook writing
All the members meet to clarify the format of the notebook and start writing it. We worked in groups to speed up the process and have it finished as soon as possible, and we agreed to record all the events directly in a common document. Thus, we started to compile all the information in a definitive way to be able to transfer it to the team Wiki.
⬤ Starting with Wiki work
The members responsible for software development carry out extensive research on visually appealing wiki designs, collecting examples of good and bad practices (must do and >must not). We then select the most attractive approaches according to our own criteria.
⬤ First Golden Gate Assembly
We have succesfully assembled our first fragment through Golden Gate. We constructed a transcriptional unit for constitutive expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP), which will be a valuable tool for future cloning experiments. Our next goal will be to perform the protocol with a larger number of fragments to assemble our shuttle plasmids.
⬤ Meeting with Sergio Ragel from Cervezas Victoria
That morning we visited the facilities of Cervezas Victoria, where we spoke with Sergio Ragel, head of External Relations of the company. Since Cervezas Victoria is a Málaga brand and they work with barley, a food that is easily contaminated by AFB1, we arranged a visit to their quality control center to obtain data fot the Human Practice work. They also consolidated their position as sponsors of the team, offering to privide beer, bottled water and free access to their facilities for future events.
⬤ Keeping on with the lab work!
Even though we are in August and the heat strikes, the lab work continues at a great pace! Today we decided to try out a new technique: colony PCR. These are days of intense work and sometimes it can be hard for our team members to keep the neurons working...Ángel even got confused and claimed that A was paired with G. He should rest until tomorrow.
⬤ First workshop for Inclusivity's Special Prize: CEPER
During the morning of the 12th, all the work that Nogal had designed began to take shape in that first visit to the CEPER center for people with intellectual disabilities. This first session consisted of getting to know the needs and motivations of these people in a playful way, through games and questions and doing experiments to stimulate their creativity and participation. We wrote down a lot of ideas they were telling us and, together with what we learn in more intellectual disabilities centers, we will do more sessions that we hope they enjoy a lot and get them involved.
⬤ Visit to Piensos Campillo
That day we also had to continue with the work of Integrated Human Practices. We managed to talk to a company that manufactures cattle feed, one of the areas more affected by AFB1 contamination. There, they showed us the preventive measures they apply, as well as the complete feed preparation process. We also visited the quality control laboratory and were given samples of feed and aflatoxin B1 sequestrant, which will be very useful for comparative experiments with the control techniques already used.
⬤ Start of wiki development
All the documentation collected throughout the project starts to be translated into final documents. The essential elements of the website are implemented, such as the navigation bar, the side menu, the footer and the team page.
⬤ Day of Reflection
On this day, the team met to discuss again certain issues concerning our project, for example, we reflected and sought information about the future projection of our product, whether it fosters inequalities, the associated risks... In addition, we considered whether our project had followed the established ethics. It was a very productive day that also helped us to write in the wiki.
⬤ General Meeting to see the videogames progress
On Thursday 15, the current state of the game was presented to the team in order to get feedback on possible areas for improvement. This will allow to correct potential bugs and ensure a satisfactory user experience, while facilitating the learning of key concepts through dialogues and mini-games.
⬤ Meeting with Carlos form the iGEM team at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona
Our colleagues met online with Carlos, a member of the iGEM team at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. In this meeting, besides getting to know each other and presenting our projects, we discussed a possible colaboration between both teams in the educational and informative field. Both teams are applying for the special prize of education, so we have both developed a project that ww will present in shcools, highschools and universities; reaching from Málaga to Barcelona, in both directions. We are looking forward to take our work to the classroom with UPF-BARCELONA!
⬤ First workshop for Inclusivity' Special Prize: Aidis
With the same methodology, we tried to get to know the interest of the people in this center, as well as explaining our project in a visual and practical way.
⬤ Recording voices for the Promotion video
The dialogue that would later appear in the promotion video was recorded by team members Lucía campos and Álvaro Acedo
⬤ First workshop for Inclusivity's Special Prize
Following the methodology previously used, we discover the interest of this center and explained our project to them in a prcatical and visual way.
⬤ ProGnosis sponsoship
After visiting Piensos Campillo ealier this month, we decided to talk to ProGnosis, the company that provided them the test to detect AFB1 in their samples. After talking to Jesús Romero, Iberian Sales Manager at the company, they decided to sponsor us and provide us with two different ELISA kits to analyze the capability of our engineered yeast to capture the toxin. We are so thankful for it!
⬤ First workshop for Inclusivity's Special Prize: APROINLA
As we did in the other workshops, we try to explained to them aour project in a entertaining way.
⬤ Presentation Video
On Friday, September 6, we were able to share with the world the AflaxOFF presentation video. In it we show the problem we are facing and the solution which we have developed thanks to synthetic biology, to put an end to it.
⬤ Second workshop for Inclusivity's Special Prize: Aidis,FAISEM, CEPER and APROINLA
In this second session, we started phase 2 of our Need-based response methodology, which consists of trying to hypothesise and answer the question posed in the first session. To do this, we taught them how to search for valid information using new techonolgies and encouraged them to make a graphical representation of the results found.
⬤ The videogame dialogues were finalised.
Once all the feedback comments in the dialogues were fully implemented, the content was translated into English, in order to internationalise the videogame and extend its reach to a more global audience.
⬤ AflaxOFF Presentation Event
On Wednesday morning, September 10th, the presentation of the UMA-MALAGA 2024 team took place at the rectorate of the University of Malaga. In this event we had the honor to show our project AflaxOFF before eminent people such as the rector of the University of Malaga, Teodomiro Lopez, the Vice Chancellor of Students, Employability and Entrepreneurship, Juan Carlos Rubio, the Councillor for Youth of the City of Malaga, Maria de las Mercedes Martin, and the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Antonio Flores. They presided over the event together with the coordinators of the UMA-MALAGA initiative, Manuel Bernal and Carlos Rodríguez. After an exciting morning, the team went to lunch to talk about the events that took place and plan the next steps to take in this exciting adventure that is iGEM.
⬤ Third workshop for Inclusivity's Special Prize: FAISEM
We continued with the Inclusivity workshops! On this occasion, the sessions consisted of demonstrating in a practical and experimental way the hypotheses that we had established in the previous session. They were the protagonists and the ones who put on the lab coats to learn all the experiments and obtain the results.
⬤ Third workshop for Inclusivity's Special Prize: APROINLA, Aidis and CEPER
We continued with the Inclusivity workshops! On this occasion, the sessions consisted of demonstrating in a practical and experimental way the hypotheses that we had established in the previous session. They were the protagonists and the ones who put on the lab coats to learn all the experiments and obtain the results.
⬤ Final Day of Inclusivity Workshops
To put an emotional end to this great adventure that has been Inclusivity, on Tuesday 17 we organized a great final workshop in the botanical garden of the University of Malaga which was attended by the centers of AIDIS, APROINLA, FAISEM and CEPER. Throughout the morning a great variety of activities were carried out and the flashcards created during the individual sessions in each center were exchanged. With this day, we tried to foster a support network through science, so they themselves carried out and explained the experiments they had learned to their classmates. We couldn't be happier with how everything went!
⬤ The videogame is finished
September 20th marked the end of the creation process of the videogame ‘Los Mohocytes’. It was launched on the AflaxOFF website so that any Internet user could access and enjoy it. In addition, desktop versions were developed on various platforms, allowing those who prefer to play on their own devices to have that option as well. The videogame was showed at the Instituto de La cala de Mijas, Researchers' Night and the Pompeu Fabra institute
⬤ Visit to the Victoria Beer Factory
Last Tuesday 24 September, we had the honour of being invited by the Cervezas Victoria brewery to tour their facilities and learn about their history. The day ended excellently with a tasting of their exquisite beer.
⬤ Talk at IES La Cala de Mijas High School
On Wednesday, September 23rd, we went to the high school IES La Cala de Mijas where we gave a talk in which we disseminated the project and tested our educational videogame. Everyone was delighted.
⬤ European Researchers' Night
On 27 September, our colleagues Juan Antonio and Lucía Campos held a micro-meeting at the Rectorate of the University of Málaga, as part of the European Researchers' Night, organised by UMA Divulga. During the event, they offered a workshop in which they explained our work using an educational videogame.
⬤ The wiki of the UMA-MALAGA team is finished.
The development of the wiki is finished, having integrated all the knowledge in an organised and structured way. In addition, a comfortable, guided and attractive navigation style has been defined, allowing users to explore each element with relative ease.
