Harvard 2006

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'''[http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2006 Harvard's 2006 iGEM Team] manages its daily operations on [http://openwetware.org/ openwetware].'''  Follow the provided link for up-to-date-information!
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__NOTOC__
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{| {{table}}
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|-
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| colspan="3" align="center" style="color:#fff; background:#cc0000;"|Harvard University 2006 iGEM Team
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|-
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| rowspan="2" | [[Image:HarvardTeamPhoto2006.jpg|left|300px]]
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| valign="top" style="width:120px;" |'''Students'''
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*Tiffany Chan
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*Katherine Fifer
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*Lewis Hahn
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*Hetmann Hsieh
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*Jeffrey Lau
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*Valerie Lau
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*Matthew Meisel
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*David Ramos
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*Zhipeng Sun
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*Perry Tsai
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| valign="top" style="width:180px;" |
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'''Teaching Fellows'''
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*[http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:Doucette Chris Doucette]
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*[http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:ShawnDouglas Shawn Douglas]
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*[http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:Stroustr Nicholas Stroustrup]
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'''Faculty Advisors'''
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*[http://arep.med.harvard.edu/ George Church] (HMS)
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*[http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~rad/ Radhika Nagpal] (DEAS)
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*[http://hst.mit.edu/biosketch/Shah.html Jagesh Shah] (HMS)
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*[http://research2.dfci.harvard.edu/shih/ William Shih] (HMS)
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*[http://silver.med.harvard.edu/ Pamela Silver] (HMS)
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|}
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==The Harvard University 2006 iGEM Team==
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This year Harvard's team consisted of 10 undergraduate students, with backgrounds in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and computer science.  With the help of five faculty advisors and three graduate-level teaching advisors, they devised and executed three separate projects.
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1. Construction of novel DNA nanostructures for the purpose of stealth drug delivery,
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2. Exploration of cell-surface targeting using interchangable and linkable aptamers (adaptamers) and Lpp-OmpA fusion vehicle for bacterial surface display.
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==The Harvard University 2006 iGEM Team==
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3. Reconstitution of a circadian oscillator from cyanobacteria into E. coli,  
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[[Image:Igem-cartoon2.jpg|thumb|250px]]
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The iGEM (intercollegiate Genetically Engineered Machine) Competition is a cutting-edge team research experience for students (undergraduate and graduate) interested in designing and building synthetic biological systems. This is an interdisciplinary challenge, so we are looking for students from all backgrounds of science and engineering who like to build cool things!
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This year, ten undergraduates participated in three projects: reconstituting a circadian oscillator from cyanobacteria into E. coli, construction of novel DNA nanostructure drug-delivery devices, and exploring cell-surface targeting. More up to date information, including results, can be found on the wiki site which serves as a lab notebook: http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard. Click under “Projects” for the most up to date information.
 
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==Team Members for 2006==
 
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[[Image: harvard_team_discipline_Background.gif|thumb]]
 
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*David Ramos
 
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*Hetmann Hsieh
 
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*Jeffrey Lau
 
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*Katherine Fifer
 
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*Lewis Hahn
 
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*Matthew Meisel
 
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*Perry Tsai
 
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*Tiffany Chan
 
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*Valerie Lau
 
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*Zhipeng Sun
 
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==DNA Nanobox: A Device for Stealth Drug Delivery==
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*[http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2006/DNA_nanostructures openwetware page]
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==Teaching Fellows for 2006==
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'''Project Overview'''
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*Nicholas Stroustrup (GS1 Systems Biology)
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*Our goal is to design and implement molecular containers, which can be dynamically opened and closed by an external stimulus.
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*Chris Doucette (H2007)
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*The containers will be implemented as DNA nanostructures, which afford a significant degree of positional control and chemical versatility.
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*Shawn Douglas (G2 Biophysics)
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*As an initial proof-of-concept, we plan to use our DNA containers to demonstrate controllable activation ("delivery") of anti-thrombin aptamers.
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[[Harvard - Initial Teaching Links]]
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*We expect that molecular containers could have several interesting scientific and clinical applications, such as
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**Drug and gene delivery
 +
**Bio-marker scavenging (early detection of biomarkers)
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**Directed evolution (compartmentalized selections)
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**Using multiplexing for combinatorial chemical synthesis
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**Capture and stabilization of multiprotein complexes
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**Protein folding (chaperones)
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**Cell sorting
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==Faculty Advisors for 2006==
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'''Results'''
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*[http://silver.med.harvard.edu/ Pamela Silver] (HMS)
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<gallery>
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*[http://arep.med.harvard.edu/ George Church] (HMS)
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Image:Harvard2006-nanobox-3Dview1.jpg|3D Cross Section
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*[http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~rad/ Radhika Nagpal] (DEAS)
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Image:Harvard2006-nanobox-3Dview2.jpg|3D cartoon of Design
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*[http://hst.mit.edu/biosketch/Shah.html Jagesh Shah] (HMS)
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Image:Harvard2006-nanobox-EM1.jpg|Negative stain EM
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*[http://research2.dfci.harvard.edu/shih/ William Shih] (HMS)
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Image:Harvard2006-nanobox-EM2.png|EM side view
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</gallery>
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'''Future Plans'''
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==Cell Surface Targeting==
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*[http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2006/Cell_surface_targeting openwetware page]
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'''Adaptamers'''
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*[http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2006/Adaptamers openwetware page]
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'''Project Overview'''
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*We are interested in the mostly equivalent problems of targeting substrates to cells and cells to substrates. In the former case, targeting a substrate to the cell would facilitate uptake and a subsequent cellular response, important in fields such as drug delivery. Directing cells to particular places, for instance, a column, could be used to isolate cells and perform diagnostics.
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*Briefly, we are pursuing two methods to attack this problem. In one route, we will express streptavidin on the E. coli cell surface, hence providing a target for any biotinylated molecule. In the second, we will build on the work of Tahiri-Alaoui et al. (2002) in developing bi-specific DNA "adaptamers" that can bind a cell surface and a substrate.
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'''Results'''
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'''Future Plans'''
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'''Cell Surface Fusion Proteins'''
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*[http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2006/Fusion_proteins openwetware page]
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'''Project Overview'''
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'''Results'''
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'''Future Plans'''
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==A Circadian Oscillator for E.coli==
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*[http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2006/Cyanobacteria openwetware page]
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==About the Harvard 2005 Team==
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'''Project Overview'''
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[http://karma.med.harvard.edu/wiki/IGEM_2005 Harvard University's 2005 Team Wiki]
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Harvard's 2005 Team was composed of 12 undergraduate students from biology to computer science, and freshman to seniors. And together they brainstormed, designed and partially implementing two cool circuits - the BIOWIRE and the BACT-A-SKETCH. In the Biowire project, bacterial cells create a florescent pulse that travels down a length of bacteria (i.e. a wire). The pulse is transmitted using cell-to-cell signalling, and the trick is to get the pulse to travel in one direction. The group also created micro-patterned stamps to lay down bacteria in different patterns. In the Bact-a-sketch, a lawn of cells is a film on which one can "write" using a UV pen and then "erase" using heat. The basic circuit is a genetic switch, with UV and heat inputs. The group is experimenting with several versions of switches. Both groups have several pieces of their circuit working and presented their research at the iGEM Jamboree. And some of the research is still ongoing.
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'''Results'''
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[[Image:Harvard-iGEM05.jpg|thumb|left|600px|Back row: Kit, Radhika, George, Danny, Kang-Xing, Patrick, Yves, Chris, Sasha R., Ira; front row: Alain, Sasha W., Pam, Jenny, Connie, Hing, Orr, Yin, Thomas.]]
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'''Future Plans'''
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==Background on iGEM and Synthetic Biology==
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==Complete Electronic Notebooks==
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*[http://www.nature.com/nature/comics/syntheticbiologycomic/ Synthetic Biology Comic Strip by Drew Endy (Nature)]
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Detailed records of our summer activities, including results, can be found on openwetware, which the team used to host its [http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2006 electronic notebook].
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*[http://karma.med.harvard.edu/w/images/e/ee/Igem05-gazette-article.pdf Gazette Article on the Harvard Team] - (Aug 25, 2005)
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*[http://karma.med.harvard.edu/w/images/7/7c/Igem05-nyt-article.pdf New York Times Article on the iGEM competition] - (Nov 24, 2005)
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*[http://2006.igem.org/Main_Page The Official iGEM 2006 page]
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*[http://2006.igem.org/Schools_Participating_in_iGEM_2006 Universities Participating in 2006]
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Revision as of 02:00, 29 October 2006


Harvard University 2006 iGEM Team
HarvardTeamPhoto2006.jpg
Students
  • Tiffany Chan
  • Katherine Fifer
  • Lewis Hahn
  • Hetmann Hsieh
  • Jeffrey Lau
  • Valerie Lau
  • Matthew Meisel
  • David Ramos
  • Zhipeng Sun
  • Perry Tsai

Teaching Fellows

Faculty Advisors

The Harvard University 2006 iGEM Team

This year Harvard's team consisted of 10 undergraduate students, with backgrounds in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and computer science. With the help of five faculty advisors and three graduate-level teaching advisors, they devised and executed three separate projects.

1. Construction of novel DNA nanostructures for the purpose of stealth drug delivery,

2. Exploration of cell-surface targeting using interchangable and linkable aptamers (adaptamers) and Lpp-OmpA fusion vehicle for bacterial surface display.

3. Reconstitution of a circadian oscillator from cyanobacteria into E. coli,


DNA Nanobox: A Device for Stealth Drug Delivery

Project Overview

  • Our goal is to design and implement molecular containers, which can be dynamically opened and closed by an external stimulus.
  • The containers will be implemented as DNA nanostructures, which afford a significant degree of positional control and chemical versatility.
  • As an initial proof-of-concept, we plan to use our DNA containers to demonstrate controllable activation ("delivery") of anti-thrombin aptamers.
  • We expect that molecular containers could have several interesting scientific and clinical applications, such as
    • Drug and gene delivery
    • Bio-marker scavenging (early detection of biomarkers)
    • Directed evolution (compartmentalized selections)
    • Using multiplexing for combinatorial chemical synthesis
    • Capture and stabilization of multiprotein complexes
    • Protein folding (chaperones)
    • Cell sorting

Results

3D Cross Section

3D cartoon of Design

Negative stain EM

EM side view


Future Plans

Cell Surface Targeting

Adaptamers

Project Overview

  • We are interested in the mostly equivalent problems of targeting substrates to cells and cells to substrates. In the former case, targeting a substrate to the cell would facilitate uptake and a subsequent cellular response, important in fields such as drug delivery. Directing cells to particular places, for instance, a column, could be used to isolate cells and perform diagnostics.
  • Briefly, we are pursuing two methods to attack this problem. In one route, we will express streptavidin on the E. coli cell surface, hence providing a target for any biotinylated molecule. In the second, we will build on the work of Tahiri-Alaoui et al. (2002) in developing bi-specific DNA "adaptamers" that can bind a cell surface and a substrate.

Results

Future Plans

Cell Surface Fusion Proteins

Project Overview

Results

Future Plans

A Circadian Oscillator for E.coli

Project Overview

Results

Future Plans

Complete Electronic Notebooks

Detailed records of our summer activities, including results, can be found on openwetware, which the team used to host its electronic notebook.

Retrieved from "http://2006.igem.org/wiki/index.php/Harvard_2006"
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