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iGEM Blogs: Colonising Mars with E. coli via Leiden iGEM 2016

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As summer approaches we are edging closer to the start of the 2016 iGEM competition. Here the Leiden iGEM team introduce their project which aims to use E. coli to convert a toxic compound found in Martian soil into oxygen. This research could aid efforts to make life on the red planet possible. We’re looking forward to seeing how things develop!

by  Leiden iGEM 2016

Colonising Mars

It’s just a matter of time before Mars is colonised, but before that can happen there are some problems that first need to be resolved, problems that the students are well aware of.  The prime problem is that there has to be a sustainable and self-maintaining atmosphere that can support human life. The students have come up with an idea for creating such an atmosphere and have developed the idea into a workable plan.

Genetically manipulating bacteria

Perchlorate is widely present  in the soil of Mars and is highly toxic to humans. It disrupts the working of the thyroid gland that produces hormones needed for digestion. To be able to use the soil on Mars, the perchlorate first has to be removed.  ‘We decided to genetically manipulate the bacteria so that we could remove this toxic molecule and convert it into something useful, like oxygen,’ commented biology student Valentijn Broeken from the Leiden iGEM team.

E. coli 

The team aims to introduce enzymes from Dechloromonas agitata, a bacterium that can convert perchlorate into oxygen, into E. coli. E. coli has been widely studied and thanks to all the available knowledge, the team can also add other functions. Broeken: ‘One interesting possibility is, for example, to make E. coli more resistant to the severe conditions in space.’

Project launch

The team will present the project on Tuesday 26 April during the This Week’s Discoveries lecture at Leiden’s Faculty of Science.

Follow the team

Leiden_iGEM
Leiden_iGEM

The participants will present their project at the Giant Jamboree in Boston in October. Until then you can follow the team’s progress via Facebook and Twitter.

Team  members

  • Charlotte van de Velde, Biology (Leiden)
  • David van Driel, Physics (Leiden)
  • Frans Rodenburg, Biology and Statistics (Leiden)
  • Guus de Wit, Maths and Astronomy (Leiden)
  • Koen Hokke, Biology and Science Based Business (Leiden)
  • Lisanne van Oosterhoud, Biology (Leiden)
  • Lisa Verbeij, Biology (Leiden)
  • Lucie Delfos, Life Science & Technology (Leiden)
  • Max Snijders, Physics (Leiden)
  • Sjoerd Seekles, Biology (Leiden)
  • Valentijn Broeken, Biology (Leiden)
  • Vincent de Bakker, Biology and Statistics (Leiden)
  • Wouter Liefting, Nanobiology (Delft and Rotterdam)
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