Subsections of Danica Ding — HTGAA Spring 2026
Homework
Weekly homework submissions:
Week 1 HW: Principles and Practices
I would like to make an enzyme that can break down even the hardest plastics. I want to do this because I have been interested in environmental problems for a long time, and I think that synthetic biology could solve the microplastic problem.
Subsections of Homework
Week 1 HW: Principles and Practices
I would like to make an enzyme that can break down even the hardest plastics. I want to do this because I have been interested in environmental problems for a long time, and I think that synthetic biology could solve the microplastic problem.
Designing an enzyme that can break down plastic would align with many environmental goals such as reducing single-use plastic pollution, and plastic pollution in general. This would introduce more equality because poorer places have more plastic pollution, but if they had this enzyme, they could more easily get rid of their waste, and make a generally healthier ecosystem and planet.
3a. The University of Texas at Austin has done research on enzymes that can break down plastic. They need more funding to make these enzymes on a large scale. I think that the government should step in and provide the funding. The enzymes could have an error in manufacturing and the entire thing would be a bust. If the enzymes are still too expensive, Countries that have pollution problems might not even have enough money to buy the enzymes at all.
3b. Carbios in France has done research on enzymes that can break down plastic. They should receive funding to make the enzyme less expensive so that they can be bought for less on a large scale.The enzymes might already be cheap. The price might go up anyways due to the high demand for it.
3c. Colossal Biosciences has done research on enzymes that can break down plastic. They should receive funding to find a way to make an enzyme with a larger range of functioning temperatures.Enzymes might not be able to have a wider range. This might take too long and use too much money.
| Does the option: | Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enhance Biosecurity | |||
| • By preventing incidents | x | x | |
| • By helping respond | |||
| Foster Lab Safety | |||
| • By preventing incident | x | ||
| • By helping respond | |||
| Protect the environment | |||
| • By preventing incidents | x | ||
| • By helping respond | |||
| Other considerations | |||
| • Minimizing costs and burdens to stakeholders | x | x | |
| • Feasibility? | x | x | |
| • Not impede research | x | ||
| • Promote constructive applications | x | x | x |
Prof. Jacobson Questions:
- 1:10^6, about 32,000 error per copy of the genome, MMR and proofreading
- 64, codon bias and protien folding
Dr. LeProust Questions:
- phosphoramidite method
- side reactions and inefficiencies
- side reactions and inefficiencies
George Church Questions:
- arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine [https://www.asi.k-state.edu]