This iGEM project involved merging traditional electronic components with biological alternatives. 

Our new components fit together, similar to Lego bricks. This allows synthetic biologists to combine bacterial and electronic devices in order to create electro-biological circuits. 

This offers an exciting new fusion of synthetic biology and computer science. 

The team produced a proof of concept bacterial light bulb. It was activated by electricity using genetically engineered E. coli. 

The bacteria was engineered to respond to electrical currents by taking advantage of their natural stress response. 

The team characterised this process and released their data openly. This aimed to enable other researchers to work on hybrid bacterial-electronic systems.

Find out more about the 2016 project.

The 2013 Newcastle team worked on the production of a whole new chassis for synthetic biology; bacteria without a cell wall. Such cells are called ‘L-forms’. 

The aim of this project was to make it easier to interface engineering and biology. This was done by fixing some of the disadvantages with traditional bacterial chassis, including the: 

• difficulty of getting material into and out of the cell
• difficulty fusing cells together
• inability of the chassis to mould into different shapes

The team further explored the ability of the L-forms to undergo sexual reproduction to enable directed evolution. They did this through modelling.

The team also explored the similarities and differences between Synthetic Biology and Architecture. They also looked at the implications of a relationship between these two fields. 

The team's work earned them a gold medal at the regional jamboree.

Find out more about the 2013 project.

In 2010 the Newcastle team achieved gold with ‘BacillaFilla’. 

BacillaFilla was an engineered strain of Bacillus subtilis. It was able to repair cracks in concrete. If these cracks are left unattended, they can lead to catastrophic structural failure. 

The plan was to repair concrete through the production of calcium carbonate and levansucrose glue. They used filamentous B. subtilis cells to provide strength. 

The team successfully designed and demonstrated constructs for producing filamentous cells, glue and survival in the high pH environment of concrete. 

Because of the scenario in which this technology would be used, the team also considered the ethical and safety issues resulting from this biotechnology.

Find out more about the 2010 project. 

In 2009 the Newcastle team achieved gold with 'Bac-Man'.

For Newcastle’s second entry to the iGEM competition the team aimed to solve the problem of cadmium contamination. 

Cadmium contamination is a serious problem in countries where polluting industries are located close to agricultural sites. 

The 2009 team again engineered B. subtilis to sense and sequester cadmium from the environment into metallothione in containing spores. This renders it bio-unavailable. 

The team also worked on disabling the germination of B. Subtilis spores. This would make the retrieval of the cadmium unnecessary. 

This required the computational simulation of cell life cycles to engineer the cells in such a way that sustainable populations could be maintained. This resulted in a number of devices for controlling cell fate. 

Find out more about the 2009 project. 

In 2008 the Newcastle team achieved gold with 'BugBuster'.

2008 was Newcastle’s first year in the iGEM competition. The project was to engineer a simple, safe and fast biological diagnostic system capable of identifying bacteria. 

This was in response to concerns around antibiotic-resistant bacteria and poor diagnostic methods in use in developing countries. 

The team chose to engineer Bacillus subtilis 168 with the ability to detect Gram-positive pathogens through their secreted quorum sensing peptides and report this using reporter proteins. 

To achieve this the team wrote a  modelling framework. This allowed the design and simulation of regulatory networks in an evolutionary way. 

The team was also successful in producing a BioBrick device that could detect Subtilin. Subtolin is a quorum sensing peptide. This acted as a proof of concept for their work.

Find out more about the 2008 project.