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==== Game and iGEM Project 2008 ==== | ==== Game and iGEM Project 2008 ==== | ||
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Just a first, brief comment on the idea of making a kind of computer game, but with genetically modified bacteria. As some of you might already know, the iGEM project of our team in 2008 was about creating an artificial preditor-prey system by genetically modifying bacteria. We wanted therefore to create bacteria that would: | Just a first, brief comment on the idea of making a kind of computer game, but with genetically modified bacteria. As some of you might already know, the iGEM project of our team in 2008 was about creating an artificial preditor-prey system by genetically modifying bacteria. We wanted therefore to create bacteria that would:<br/> | ||
a) swim towards a target bacteria | a) swim towards a target bacteria <br/> | ||
b) kill that target bacteria when it would reach it | b) kill that target bacteria when it would reach it<br/> | ||
The second part (killing) worked really good, but the first part (swimming towards a certain target) didn't work out so good. | The second part (killing) worked really good, but the first part (swimming towards a certain target) didn't work out so good. | ||
But anyway, there are interesting implications in both parts I want to comment on. | But anyway, there are interesting implications in both parts I want to comment on. | ||
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'''''a) making bacteria swim in a certain direction''''' | '''''a) making bacteria swim in a certain direction''''' | ||
It is pretty well known in literature, that bacteria have certain so-called chemotaxis receptors [http://2008.igem.org/Team:Heidelberg/Project/Sensing] on their surface. These receptors are, in nature, used for recognizing attractand molecules (nutrition, i.e. sugar) or repellents (i.e. toxic molecules). | It is pretty well known in literature, that bacteria have certain so-called chemotaxis receptors [http://2008.igem.org/Team:Heidelberg/Project/Sensing] on their surface. These receptors are, in nature, used for recognizing attractand molecules (nutrition, i.e. sugar) or repellents (i.e. toxic molecules). | ||