The BioBuilder family has been extra busy lately, so there is a lot of news to share this month. Check out these interviews, publications, letters, and more!
BioBuilder’s Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Natalie Kuldell, recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Boston Globe. In the letter, Dr. Kuldell addressed new challenges facing Massachusetts high schools in light of a voter-passed ballot initiative that sent high school coursework determination back to the school districts. She points out the benefits of project-based curricula with hands-on learning and skills-oriented testing.
BioBuilderClub Team Projects…in Print!
The October 2024 issue of the BioTreks journal includes 25 papers from BioBuilderClub teams about the synthetic biology projects they’ve been working on for the last year or longer. These student-scientists are tackling an impressive range of needs including food, environment, health, agriculture, and more.
Here’s a roundup of the projects and papers these amazing students are working on. Click an article title to go to the webpage where you can read the paper, watch a short video presentation about the project, and see Badges awarded for the manuscript.
Food Safety, Security, and Nutrition
Utilizing allicin as a means for Fusarium wilt resistance in Cavendish banana plants, Authors: Mingzheng Li, Peter McGinnes, Kate McMullin, Andrew Parrish, and Haocheng Wang – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio, United States of America
Photosynthetic enhancement of algae to increase food production, Authors: Zayd Dhasthageer, Katie Dong, Zachary Kendall, Amelia Landry, Arjun Macha, Alisha Raiker, Henry Tshabalala, Mihir Vidhate, and Espen Wellner – Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, Massachusetts, United States of America
Maximizing protein and glucosinolate content in Brassica oleracea: the ultimate broccoli, Authors: Yu Ju Chao, Chelsea Djajaria,Jaeyi Kim, Andrew Tan, Avni Tyagi, and Jing Xiong – Sinarmas World Academy, BSD City, Tangerang, Indonesia
Nature’s dose of sunshine: engineering vitamin D in peppers, Authors: Fernando Bermudez and Junning Hu – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio, United States of America
Detox-i-Fish: novel approach for an Escherichia coli-based solution that reduces methylmercury in fish, Authors: Keerthana Anumukonda, Kensley Burke, Julia Crossen, Aditya Mukker, Aditi Pabidi, David Park, Ayan Raghunathan, Daksh Reddy, and Tessica Selvaganesan – Lambert High School, Suwanee, Georgia, United States of America
Environmental Protection
An Escherichia coli-based formaldehyde detector: an economical and effective solution for safe air monitoring, Authors: Lujiong Danzhen and Gaowading Tan – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio, United States of America
Road salt alternative using antifreeze proteins, Authors: Paige Dix, Hyunwoo Pae, Minseo Roh, Taylor Strilesky, and Lingzhen Wang – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio, United States of America
Visual quantification of PVC levels via luciferase and the catalase-peroxidase promoter: A unique solution to an under discussed issue, Authors: Chelsy Co, Soleil Hayes-Pollard, Roman Horowitz, Haley Kim, and Sophie Wesemann – Brookline High School, Brookline, Massachusetts, United States of America
Water treatment degradation of PFAS, Authors: Exahel Castaneda, Floricela Bravo JoAnna Chaclan, Kevin Cruz, Brandon Gonzalez, Juan Mendoza, Camilo Samano, and Carolina Torres – Cross Keys High School, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Laccase enzyme as a potential solution to the negative effects of glycosylation reaction when oxybenzone is metabolized by coral, Authors: Marin Chalmers, Sarah Ephstein, Margaret Herman, Will Kaegi, Linnea Nam, Sadie Parkinson, Elizabeth Smith, Ally Sugita, and Cael Walicki – Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park, Illinois, United States of America
Inserting Ideonella sakaiensis genes into chassis Comamonas testosteroni to create bacterial super-degrader for plastic waste reduction, Authors: Amanda Blasberg, Brennan Christian, Arsh Goyal, James Vacca, and Jake Wells – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio, USA
Runoff remediation of atrazine and chlorobenzene via a novel Pseudomonas putida construct, Authors: Zhongchen Cai, Junbo Fan, Isabella Haslinger Johnson, Claire Hua, Sofia Kovacevic, Nana Kyei, Chongming Liu, Yihan Ma, Anya Mathur, Ruihan Qin, Carmen Reed, Binita Shaw, Aparajita Shimpi, Lingzhen Wang, Cavin Xue, Mira Zamarro – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio
Raising public awareness: Synthetic biology provides opportunity to contribute to the conservation of horseshoe crabs, Authors: Adrian Luck and Alexander Luck – Andover High School, Andover, Massachusetts, USA; Alisa Koltsova – Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge, Massachusetts, US
Human Health
Harnessing synthetic microbial communities for gut health: A novel approach to addressing the impact of unhealthy diets on mental well-being, Authors: Vedant Kalipatnapu, Eshawnvie Kallu, Yun Xin Lin, Kanishq Palla, Shashank Ramireddy, Amey Saokar, Korah Simmons, William “Harrison” Turner, Sarah Verma, and Veda Vudithyala – Lambert High School, Suwanee, Georgia, United States
Quantifying glioblastoma biomarker MGMT using fluorescence from augmented BCI, Authors: Sujaal Gelle, Chaithra Jogiraju, Abhay Kumar Prashanth, Jagruti Lokam, Nimal Murugan, Arav Raghunathan, Naga Rajuladevi, Vaibhavee Shirkhedkar, Aarya Trivedi, Janahan Murali – Lambert High School, Suwanee, Georgia, United States of America
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) biosensor for accessible health monitoring, Authors: Avraham Abbett, Caroline Kaplan, Charlotte Kaplan, Aaron Missaghi, Hayim Sims, and Shlomo Vedol – Maimonides School, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
Utilization of chitinase for digestion of indigestible fibers like chitin to alleviate symptoms and inflammation in irritable bowel disease, Authors: Jordan Alioto, Juliette Bezaire, Evan O’Brien, Rafi Butt, Dee (Daniel) Epshtein, Charlie Scott, River Scott, Kavi Whyte – Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park, Illinois, USA
Yeast biosensor for simple detection of lactose-metabolizing pathogens through a galactose-inducible promoter, Authors: Jons Jaison, Angelina Kodudhula, Anais Ndione, Akshara Palanisamy, Ella Rahimo, Rishabh Rao, Samiksha Saravanan, JoAnn Tu, Ashi Viswanathan, and Jessica Wu – Troy High School, Troy, Michigan, United State of America
The application of cyanobacterial pigments to construct an environmentally friendly sunscreen, Author: Yihan Ma – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio, United States
A novel parasitic STI detection system utilizing Trichomonas vaginalis specific gene expression, Authors: Suhaan Yadama and Mira Zammaro – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio
A fungal-derived enzymatic anti-tick spray: Targeting the Ixodes scapularis population, Authors: Evangeline Campbell, Anna Childs, Celine Omega, and Natalia Ortiz – Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio
Developing new aptamers to combat antibiotic resistance by screening aptamer libraries and a proof of principle microbicidal aptamer that selectively binds to an Ampicillin-binding protein, Author: Siyona Abbott – Andover High School, Andover, Massachusetts, USA
Methods for testing effects of prebiotic on Lactobacillus species and Escherichia coli co-cultures, Authors: Makayla Dunn and Ty Heinlen – Marietta High School, Marietta, Georgia, United States
Revolutionizing MRSA treatment: CRISPR-mediated disruption of VanS/VanR system to overcome vancomycin resistance, Author: Emily Packer – Andover High School, Andover, Massachusetts, USA
Proof of principle: utilizing bacteriophages for acne treatment, Authors: Alisa Koltsova – Oak Ridge High School, El Dorado Hills, California, United States of America; Adrian Luck and Alexander Luck – BioBuilder Club, Andover High School, Andover, Massachusetts, United States of America
The BioXconomy publication delivers cutting-edge insights and the latest updates on life sciences investment, innovation, partnerships, and business strategies. They recently sat down with BioBuilder’s Dr. Natalie Kuldell to discuss the function and importance of BioBuilder Educational Foundation and the effects it is having in the life sciences space.
Dr. Kuldell eloquently explained the purpose of and need for BioBuilder programs and the benefits being realized for students, teachers, industry, and other stakeholders. Check it out!
Authority Magazine recently published an article by Dina Aletras about her interview with Dr. Kuldell for an ongoing series on Lessons from Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech.
Dr. Kuldell describes one leadership lesson as, “The waiting room is always full. You have to be comfortable never getting everything ‘done’ if your projects are ambitious.” The rest of the lessons and the entire interview are insightful and encouraging.
Device Dude
The iGEM 2024 Grand Jamboree was held in Paris, France, last month, and BioBuilder alumni were part of the competition and festivities.
Each year, over 400 teams from 45 countries participate in this prestigious event, developing projects that push the boundaries of synthetic biology. This year, the Boston-BOSLab team represented Massachusetts as the only high school team from New England to participate in iGEM.
The Boston-BOSLab project, named Ecorin, addressed a critical issue in healthcare: the need for a better method for the production of heparin, a life-saving blood thinner They developed an innovative approach using genetically engineered E. coli to produce heparin in a more sustainable, ethical, and eco-friendly way. At the Jamboree, the team earned a Silver Medal and received nominations for Best Measurement and Best Education, placing them among the top-performing high school teams globally.
Two BioBuilder students were part of the Boston-BOSLab team. Nico Rojas Taborda and Michael Zhu are alumni of BioBuilder’s High School Apprenticeship Challenge and the Summer Research Program. Both also returned to BioBuilder to help coach the next cohort of summer research interns.
Nico, a senior at Revere High School, was the team’s associate lead. His primary contributions to the team were in the education/human-practice, wet lab, and modeling subteams.
Michael, a senior at Brookline High School, was the team’s modeling lead. He also worked with the design subteam and education subteam.