Genetic Engineering of a Lead Biosensor — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Genetic Engineering of a Lead Biosensor

Name: Janet Haro
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Mundelein, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: SURE
Funding: SURE

Name: Perrin Schupbach
Major: Biology
Hometown: Algonquin, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: SURE
Funding: SURE

Abstract

Exposure to lead (II) ions can cause damage to the brain and central nervous system and is associated with a number of intellectual and behavioral disorders. It can lead to oxygen depletion and is especially harmful to children. While regulations limit acceptable lead levels in toys, enforcement of these laws is poor, especially overseas. Furthermore, current detection technology for home use is expensive and unreliable. Therefore, the goal of this project is to create a more practical, inexpensive, and reliable method to detect lead in toys using a biosensor. To construct this biosensor, we need to engineer two DNA plasmids and insert them into Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells. The first plasmid encodes a lead-sensitive transcriptional activator (PbR). The second plasmid contains the reporter gene (amilCP), which will produce a blue protein when activated by PbR. Thus, a blue color in the bacteria will signal that lead is present. This summer, we worked to engineer the reporter construct. Currently we are adjusting our procedures as well as testing different methods to improve results. This work is ongoing, and will hopefully soon result in the creation of a functioning biosensor. The ultimate goal of this project is to create a reliable lead biosensor that can easily be used in a household setting.

Poster file