Final Projects
Welcome to the Final Projects hub. You’ll find the Individual report specifications and the Group project brief here.
- Project brief & stages — 2025 continues from 2024’s effort
- Due May 13, 2025
Subsections of Final Projects
Group Final Project
Warning
This page mirrors the 2024 Group Final Project and notes on the 2025 continuation (as posted on the course site). It will be updated as the 2025 details publish.
Phage Therapy — Context
Phage therapy uses bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections and offers specificity advantages over conventional antibiotics. A well-known case is Tom Patterson and Steffanie Strathdee’s story (see CNN coverage).
The Project
We aim to engineer bacteriophages so they can better withstand bacterial resistance mechanisms. Building on prior work, the 2025 cohort continues with MS2 phage and its host E. coli.
MS2: the Model System
MS2 infects E. coli with high specificity. It encodes A (maturation), coat, L (lysis), and replicase proteins. The L protein is crucial for lysis; host proteins like DnaJ affect its processing.
Stages
- Engineer L‑protein mutants using protein design tools.
- Synthesize the mutant gene (e.g., via Twist).
- (Additional stages TBD) — will be reflected as the 2025 page publishes.
References
- MS2 lysis and host interaction (NCBI/PMC)
- Bootcamp Part 1 (background on bacteria, phages & therapy)
Individual Final Project
Tip
Presentations: Tue May 13, 2025 (see Zoom on the class page).
Documentation due: May 15, 2025 (post your report on your student page).
Links:
Section 1 — Abstract
Provide an abstract/summary for your project (minimum 150 words). Use lay language and include: Significance, Objectives, Hypotheses, Specific Aims, and Methods.
Section 2 — Background
Describe the state of knowledge and the gap your project will address. Include a critical evaluation of the literature, broader context, and the specific problem(s) you seek to solve.
Section 3 — (Content published on the source page)
Full text will be mirrored here once posted on the course site.
Section 4 — (Content published on the source page)
Full text will be mirrored here once posted on the course site.
Section 5 — (Content published on the source page)
Full text will be mirrored here once posted on the course site.
Section 6 — (Content published on the source page)
Full text will be mirrored here once posted on the course site.
Section 7 — (Content published on the source page)
Full text will be mirrored here once posted on the course site.