Team:BostonU HW/HP/Gold Integrated
Integrating Our Microfluidics Knowledge
As our work on MARS progressed, many of the interactions we engaged in over the Summer had a direct impact on the project. Specific areas that were developed and modified as a result of our synthetic biologist and industry interactions are influencing the structure and content of our MARS chip archive, increasing accessibility to researchers through Microfluidics 101, and building the fluid functionality checklist. Through integrating the feedback, comments and advice received from various sources, we were able to significantly improve and refine MARS as a whole.
Biological Design Center and iGEM Outreach
In order to determine what would make microfluidics more practical and accessible for synthetic biologists we reached out to the Biological Design Center at Boston University. The BDC promotes collaboration between scientists in order to create new biological innovations. We asked the BDC researchers what types of biological protocols are performed day-to-day in the lab. Based on their feedback we were able to identify eight common protocols performed by synthetic biologists:
These eight common protocols informed both the layout of our MARS Repository into Isolation, Modification, and Quantification, as well as the chips within it. Of our nine MARS chips, eight were designed to each perform one of these synbio protocols.
We also reached out to the iGEM community via a poll; to see this poll, click here. (LINK) The purpose of this poll was to gauge how much the iGEM community knows about microfluidics, what procedures they perform every day in the lab, and what would get them interested in microfluidics. In total, we received 42 responses from teams all across the world. The results from this poll are summarised below.
POLLLLLLLLLL
These results validated our educational components of MARS. The introduction to microfluidics and video tutorials serve to educate the iGEM and greater synbio community about what microfluidics are and how to use them. Furthermore, this poll validated our choice of nine synthetic biology protocols to move onto microfluidic devices housed in the MARS archive.
These eight common protocols informed both the layout of our MARS Repository into Isolation, Modification, and Quantification, as well as the chips within it. Of our nine MARS chips, eight were designed to each perform one of these synbio protocols.
We also reached out to the iGEM community via a poll; to see this poll, click here. (LINK) The purpose of this poll was to gauge how much the iGEM community knows about microfluidics, what procedures they perform every day in the lab, and what would get them interested in microfluidics. In total, we received 42 responses from teams all across the world. The results from this poll are summarised below.
POLLLLLLLLLL
These results validated our educational components of MARS. The introduction to microfluidics and video tutorials serve to educate the iGEM and greater synbio community about what microfluidics are and how to use them. Furthermore, this poll validated our choice of nine synthetic biology protocols to move onto microfluidic devices housed in the MARS archive.
