Nowadays, exposition to harmful UV rays has led to an ever growing number of skin cancer cases, among other sun-related diseases. While efficient sunscreens do exist, we do not always think it necessary or forget to reapply it as often as we should. With our project called BactaSun, we propose to design a biobadge which would detect excessive UV exposure and therefore warn us to seek sun protection should it become necessary.
This badge would work as a capsule holding an E. Coli strain, changing colors as the UV dose and intensity increases. The capsule would also work as a safe and reliable containment, destroying the engineered microorganisms once the biobadge is discarded.
Starting with a tyrosine auxotroph E. coli, a gene coding for a colored protein which contains tyrosine will be constitutively expressed. Only photocaged tyrosine will be available in the media, and linked to a specific tRNA. The reporter protein will be synthetise but in the wrong conformation due to the cage presence. Once the bacterium is exposed to direct sunlight, the cage will be cleaved, inducing the good conformation of the protein and its coloration.
Besides the biotechnological side of this project, the design of the badge capsule itself is going to represent a great challenge. We will need to find a specific plastic which lets the UV pass trough and design a way to kill the microorganisms once the badge has been used.
Our team has also started an effort to educate the public on biotechnologies and synthetic biology. We are motivated to raise interest among scientist and others around iGEM and project like ours. The academic year 2016-2017 at UCL will unfold under the theme "Scientific Adventures". Under these circumstances, we already have been asked to lead panels and participate in debates and discussions. We hope to associate the UCLouvain iGEM project with many more initiative of this kind in the future.
