Team:Princeton/Description
Princeton
Project Description
Our current focus deals with the Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly microbiome, and engineering a microbe to introduce to the fly gut. We aim to use the Drosophila gut as a model to develop general techniques for engineering gut microbiota.
Phase I: Successful Introduction of Microbe
This first phase will involve a simple circuit to confirm successful integration of the introduced microbe into the fly gut microbiome. This would involve engineering the microbe to release GFP or some other measurable indicator when in contact with food (likely some indigestible sugar). The presence of fluorescence would serve as proof that our engineered microbes are alive and functioning, and set precedent for further bioengineering. Our current work shows E. coli to be a potential candidate for introduction to the fly gut.
Phase II: Engineering Initiators
The second phase will involve microbes responding to more complex initiators, such as a strain of bacteria, a virus, or some signals in the fly's natural physiological state. This would allow us to understand the nuances of effecting change in the microbiome. We are currently looking towards CCHamide-2 for this purpose, as it reduces foot intake and locomotion and delays pupariation, which can be observed.
Phase III: Biomedical Applications and Beyond
If we manage to pass the second phase, we can approach the final stage, which is the bioengineer microbes to actively respond to signals within the gut microbiome. This could involve the production of antibiotics in response to a bacterial pathogen, the modification of fly behavior or physiology in some capacity, etc.
