Since the Edinburgh OG iGEM 2016 team has directly worked with non-model organisms and, ultimately, the goal of our project is to encourage future iGEM teams to use these microorganisms as well as domesticate additional, novel microorganisms, we have an obligation to review and inform the current situation regarding the use of non-model organisms, its regulatory framework and its biosafety and biosecurity status. As previously mentioned, the intended expansion of strains to be used within the context of synthetic biology (SynBio) through the domestication of uncommon microorganisms comes with biosafety and biosecurity issues that need to be addressed properly. For example, when analysing our microorganisms, we found out that filamentous fungi are able to produce a wide array of important secondary metabolites (e.g. naphto-γ-pyrones and ß-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin) with diverse biological activities relevant for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries: antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-tubercular, anti-HIV and anti-hyperuricuric (Choque et al. 2014). Nonetheless, they may also produce mycotoxins that can cause unwanted health and environmental problems, such as human disease (myxotoxicoses) (Peraica et al. 1999) and food and silage spoilage (Filtenborg et al. 1996).
We are the University of Edinburgh Overgraduate iGEM Team, competing in the new application track in iGEM 2016. read more
School of Biological Sciences The University of Edinburgh King's Buildings Edinburgh EH9 3JF, United Kingdom
Email: edigemmsc@ed.ac.uk