Week 1 HW: Principles and Practices

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Week 1 HW: Principles and Practices

Biological Engineering Project

Genetically waterproof mycelium surfboards from olive waste.

My prior research: Waterproofed mycelium surfboards using polyester/pine resin coatings (6-12 months seawater durability).

HTGAA innovation: Replace chemicals → CRISPR-engineered hydrophobins (fungal water-repellent proteins) for permanent waterproofing.

How it works:

  1. Ganoderma lucidum grown on Attica olive pits (2M tons waste/year)
  2. Insert hydrophobin genes (Schizophyllum commune) via CRISPR
  3. Mold into surfboard shape → 2+ years seawater resistance vs 1-3 months untreated mycelium

Why: Hands-on waterproofing project | Greece surf market | Course labs

Does the option:Option 1Option 2Option 3
Enhance Biosecurity✓✓
• By preventing incidents✓✓
• By helping respond
Foster Lab Safety✓
• By preventing incident✓
• By helping respond
Protect the environment✓
• By preventing incidents✓
• By helping respond
Other considerations✓✓✓
• Minimizing costs and burdens to stakeholders✓✓
• Feasibility?✓✓
• Not impede research✓
• Promote constructive applications✓✓

My Governance Actions:

Action 1: Beach strain registry

  • Purpose: Prevent marine invasives (Protect environment ✓)
  • Design: Local authorities register approved strains
  • Score: Environment:1

Action 2: Skin-safe certification

  • Purpose: Human contact safety (Enhance Biosecurity ✓)
  • Design: FDA-equivalent testing before commercial release
  • Score: Biosecurity:1

Action 3: Open-source surfboard designs

  • Purpose: Greek SMEs adoption (Equity ✓)
  • Design: Free GitHub repository with molds/recipes
  • Score: Equity:1, Feasibility:1

Professor Questions

Joe Jacobson: Polymerase error rate: ~1 in 10⁵-10⁷ bases (proofreading fixes).
Codon redundancy limited by tRNA bias.

George Church: Lysine contingency: Engineered auxotrophy prevents uncontrolled growth.

Lab Notes

Pipetting: Slow technique prevents air bubbles.