COLLABORATIONS

NU iGEM 2016 performed a variety of collaborative activities.

First and foremost, we collaborated with the University of New South Wales iGEM team. OMVs played a large role in both of our projects—we sought to use them as a delivery mechanism, and UNSW worked to standardize their generation, purification, and characterization for future projects such as ours. In order to standardize these procedures, UNSW needed to demonstrate that they can be replicated in other labs. To that end, NU iGEM 2016 provided UNSW with data collected after using their protocols to purify vesicles produced by our hypervesicular strain. We obtained data from a Bradford assay showing the total protein content in whole cells, periplasm, and OMVs using their purification protocol and sent them this data.

Our team also completed Munich United’s “Enabling Factors in Biotech” survey. Munich wanted to know what factors promoted or limited iGEM teams from creating startups. Our response was that we didn’t consider entrepreneurship because of inexperience with iGEM.

Finally, CRISPR Capsules also helped Purdue University’s team fundraise their project, “Engineering E. coli to Treat Wastewater and Generate Electricity,” on the research crowdfunding platform Experiment. We donated to their project and promoted it on our social media.