https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/justin-aguilar/index.htmlAbout me I’m fascinated by robotics, AI, biomedical engineering, and now biology. I joined HTBAA because I want to find out what happens when you put an engineer in a room with cells, sensors, and a questionable amount of curiosity. 🧬🤖Hugoenhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/justin-aguilar/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/justin-aguilar/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.html🤖 (1) What I want to biomanufacture and why I want to biomanufacture polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable bacterial bioplastic, as the raw polymer feedstock for 3D-printed scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration. Bone grafts are needed for large defects caused by trauma, tumor resection, or congenital conditions, and current options (autografts, allografts, metal implants) have real limitations: autografts require a second surgical site, allografts carry rejection/disease-transmission risk, and metal implants don’t resorb as new bone forms. A biodegradable, biocompatible polymer that can be 3D-printed into a patient-specific porous scaffold — and that gradually degrades as the body lays down new bone — addresses this directly. My personal motivation comes from my Mechatronics background: I’m interested in the intersection of CAD/manufacturing and biomedical engineering, and this project lets me combine both.https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/justin-aguilar/week-02-hw-dna-design/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/justin-aguilar/week-02-hw-dna-design/index.htmlPart 0. Repository: JUSTIN AGUILAR HTBAA, folder: [JUSTIN AGUILAR HTBAA]. Part 1: Expression target Molecules: the three enzymes of the PHB pathway: PhaA (β-ketothiolase), PhaB (acetoacetyl-CoA reductase) and PhaC (PHA synthase). PHB is not encoded in DNA; these enzymes make it. Sequences: PhaC, UniProt P23608 (589 aa); PhaB, UniProt P14697 (246 aa); PhaA, UniProt phaA, phaB, phaC . All from Cupriavidus necator H16. Host: C. necator (a PHB-negative strain such as PHB⁻4 is ideal, so the phenotype comes from my construct). Kernel offers no C. necator model, so I used E. coli as a proxy in codon optimization and simulation.https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/justin-aguilar/final-project/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/justin-aguilar/final-project/index.html