PLAnet Zero — Tackling the Bioplastic Crisis
Recipient of a Nomination for Best Part Collection
The first phase of the team's work on polylactic acid — a bio-based device to improve PLA breakdown.
View the full iGEM wiki ↗PLAnet Zero asked how synthetic biology could be integrated into local waste management. The team designed a bio-based device that anchored naturally occurring PLA-degrading enzymes directly onto a cell surface, using a display mechanism to put the enzyme where the substrate is. The project earned a silver medal and a nomination for Best Part Collection at iGEM 2023 — and laid the technical and conceptual foundation that the 2024 RePLAse team built on to take gold.
The problem
Standard PLA degradation is slow and impractical to accelerate in real waste-management contexts, especially away from industrial composters.
Why it matters
Solving PLA at the local level matters for Manitoba's waste strategy, and proving the approach at iGEM opened the door to the 2024 gold-medal project.
Our approach
Use cell surface display to anchor naturally occurring PLA-degrading enzymes on a bacterial surface, putting the catalytic activity in direct contact with the substrate.
Outcomes
- Silver Medal at the 2023 iGEM Grand Jamboree
- Nomination for Best Part Collection
- Technical and conceptual foundation for 2024's gold-medal RePLAse project
Other projects
H.A.L.T - UTI (LacThera)
Designing the next generation of live therapeutics to prevent recurrent UTIs.
RePLAse — Biological PLA Plastic Degradation
Engineering a compost-native bacterial chassis to break down PLA bioplastic where it actually ends up.
Zebra Mussel Biosensor & Control
A smart bio-based device for monitoring and managing invasive species in Lake Winnipeg.
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