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If your employer sponsors a matching gift program, our project fund number is 0008985. All donations are tax-deductible!
Cornell iGEM is an international award-winning engineering project team composed of over 25 students drawn from various disciplines and levels of expertise across the university. The team’s mission is to design and develop a novel genetically modified platform, using the principles of synthetic biology, to compete at the world’s premier synthetic biology competition - international Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM). Past projects include developing a biological filtration device using bacteria engineered to remove heavy metals from contaminated waters and a “BioFactory” for the cell-free synthesis of complex biomolecules. We believe that synthetic biology and the ability to engineer life itself can offer breakthrough answers to the many needs of the industry, environment, and economy.
For the upcoming 2015 competition cycle, Cornell iGEM will use the tools of synthetic biology to help ensure global food security, an ever-pressing concern given the world’s rising population. Salmonid fish, including salmon and trout, are one of the top leading agricultural exports in America and contribute to vital aquaculture industries in many countries including Vietnam, Norway, and Chile. Unfortunately, thousands of these otherwise viable or edible fish are wasted each year due to bacterial cold water disease (BCWD). BCWD is a potentially lethal bacterial infection caused by the pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum, and is commonly found on fish farms and hatcheries where fish are raised in close quarters. There currently does not exist an industrial solution to combatting such a disease. Antibiotics are being used to treat BCWD, but these antibiotics remain in the food we consume, leach into the ocean or soil surrounding farms, and give bacteria the opportunity to develop resistance.
Another option is to feed fish bacterial probiotics; recently, a certain peptide called ecnB has been implicated in providing resistance in one such probiotic. This year, Cornell iGEM will engineer bacteria to test similar peptides from the larger class of peptides called entericidins to evaluate their utility as probiotic treatments against BCWD. Additionally, the team will develop a delivery system for these peptides that aligns with current feeding and tagging practices on fish farms. Upon completion of this project, Cornell iGEM will have designed an alternative, safe, and effective means of fighting bacterial cold water disease to help alleviate a major food security concern in salmon-dependent industries and communities.
Cornell iGEM provides undergraduates with an interest in biological research and engineering an opportunity to brainstorm, design and build their own project from start to end. The team is composed of multiple subteams including wetlab, drylab, policy and practices, programming, and business. Students are free to join multiple subteams, which allows team members to not only view each year’s project from multiple perspectives, but also to apply their skills to a diverse array of research goals. Cornell iGEM engages its members in a learning process that teaches students how to apply their academic instruction to real-world applications, uniquely preparing them for team-based projects in the biological field.
Our team prides itself in fostering a meaningful impact on our local and global communities by engaging with Cornell University, Tompkins County, and beyond. To do so, Cornell iGEM has visited the Ithaca Sciencenter, 4-H STEM Camps, and Sustainability Center to help promote safety with regard to the controversial field of synthetic biology. In addition, we have developed a social media platform called "Humans and SynBio" in collaboration with other iGEM teams from across the world to spread awareness of synthetic biology. By sponsoring Cornell iGEM, not only will you contribute to the success of the team, but also helping to fund the scientific engagement of our local community.
As an undergraduate project team, Cornell iGEM relies on outside donations and sponsorships to complete our projects and compete at annual competitions. Your generous contributions would provide us with necessary lab equipment and supplies to develop a treatment for BCWD. Our wet lab research requires materials such as primers, enzymes, and kits; just these three materials together can cost over three thousand dollars throughout the course of a single project. Cornell iGEM invites you to join us in our efforts to achieve food security throughout the world and advance the field of synthetic biology for years to come.
A donation of $10 would allow us to purchase basic lab supplies including pipette tips, test tubes, and petri dishes that we use on the daily. Each and every contribution helps and is greatly appreciated!
A donation of $25 allows us to purchase a pack of 25 centrifuge tubes. We use these tubes every day in our wetlab, and they are absolutely essential to our work!
A donation of $50 allows us to purchase the enzymes and other such lab reagents needed for synthetic biology research. Additionally, the money covers the cost of plastic fiber needed to 3D print our fish tag device. We are designing and creating our own delivery device as part of our efforts to be as cost-efficient as possible.
Each donation of $100 allows us to synthesize an additional phenotype of entericidin B, the bacteriotoxin used in our research. With every additional phenotype we are able to afford, our results will be able to more concretely determine the most effective treatment against bacterial cold water disease.
With a donation of $250, we would be able to purchase DNA sequencing tests, synthesize genes, and obtain vector plasmids necessary for the molecular cloning techniques used in synthetic biology.
With a donation of $500, we would be able to fund all of our outreach costs for the entire year. We are involved in several programs to expose youth in and around Ithaca to science and engineering. We believe that it is very important to invest in future scientists!
A donation of $1000 would cover all of our projected non-reusable laboratory equipment for the duration of the entire project as well as into the future. This is an absolutely essential cost of our work, and the ability to cover these costs allow us to dedicate even more funds to wetlab, drylab, and outreach work. By donating $1000, you are contributing to all aspects of the team and allowing us to achieve and exceed our project goals.