Team:Toulouse INSA-UPS/Collaborations
Collaboration with IGEM IISER Pune
We contacted the IISER PUNE team because they were also working on a co-culture
model using the same strain of cyanobacteria than us. Their objective was to produce
butanol using an engineered E. coli bacterium that uses as carbon substrate
the sucrose provided by the cyanobacteria.
For the dry lab part, we compared our implementation of the sucrose secretion pathways on our respective Genome Scale Models. Using Flux Balance Analysis approaches, we were able to verify that our results were similar and thus validated the reproducibility of this type of systems biology modelling. IISER PUNE team worked on different strain optimization approaches (Flux Scanning based on Enforced Objective Flux (FSEOF) and Optknock) to identify targets of interest for gene overexpression or deletion to improve the sucrose secretion. They also worked with Steadycom on an alternative strategy to model microbial communities. Using the code they provided to us, we were able to obtain a positive global community growth which convinced us about the feasibility of our project. On our side, we developed a dynamic algorithm for our co-culture. We shared and explained our code with them so that they were able to implement it in their project.
For the experimental part, we exchanged our results about cyanobacteria cultures and advices on how to grow this strain in the best possible conditions.
Finally, we organized with them and other teams, the cyanobacteria symposium to discuss our projects with cyanobacteria experts (see below).
Given the numerous and continuous exchanges we had with this team, and given the continouous collaborative work between our respective projects, we agreed on reconsidering our collaboration as a true partnership.
Click here to learn more about this partnership with IGEM IISER Pune.
Phototroph meet up series and handbook
After seeing posts on the social networks of Marburg and Biefield, we decided to join them and contributed to their project of a collaboration between iGEM teams working on phototrophic organisms. This collaboration also gathered the teams iGEM Linköping, ASU iGEM, iGEM Sorbonne, iGEM Aboa, iGEM Victoria-Wellington, iGEM Madrid_UCM, iGEM Miami and iGEM LMSU. The goal of this collaboration was to promote the use of phototrophic organisms in synthetic biology, to learn more about it and to create a phototroph guide to help future iGEM teams to use phototrophic organisms.
Here is our guide for future iGEM teams to use phototrophic organisms:
Cyanobactaria Symposium
With iGEM Pune, iGEM HKU and iGEM Stony Brook, we decided to organize a meetup to share our projects and to program useful workshops for our iGEM adventure. Our goal was to present our project to cyanobacteria experts. This allowed getting very constructive feedbacks and to grab the strengths and weaknesses of our projects. These experts shared also their experiences with us and their opinions about what could be applied in real life or not.
French meet up
The purpose of this collaboration was to create an event with all the French iGEM teams. Our initial goal was to do a real in-person event but the incertain sanitary situation led us to create an online event. We participated in this project with iGEM Aix-Marseille, iGEM Bettencourt, iGEM Evry, iGEM Go-Paris Saclay, iGEM Ionis, iGEM Nantes, iGEM Sorbonne, and iGEM UParis. All 9 teams shared their project by giving presentations during the meetup. We also planned and participated to workshops during this meetup on many subjects like cell-free systems, scientific communication or the use of biotechnologies in food alimentation.
Collaboration with iGEM Thessaly
iGEM Thessaly contacted us to translate the script of their 2 minutes videos into French. Their goal was to reach more people with their video by translating it into several languages. We were delighted to be able to help them with this small contribution.
Surveys
We were more than happy to answer surveys conducted by other iGEM teams. We have participated in several surveys ranging from nutrition to cancer topics.
