Contribution

Our project introduces a type of protein called the human heavy chain ferritin (BBa_K4669000) to iGEM. Ferritin has the potential to serve as a versatile delivery system that can be adapted for multiple applications.

The transFERRITIN Concept

Our initiative, termed transFERRITIN, showcases the potential of modifying the ferritin protein complex. By incorporating components such as cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) or nanobodies, we can bestow ferritin with enhanced properties, allowing it to undertake unique functions.

Application Potential

Ferritin's versatility extends to numerous applications. Our human practices provided insights into some of these applications. Additionally, our team conceptualized various innovative modifications to ferritin.

Modification Potential

Future iGEM teams can explore the coupling of diverse proteins or molecules to the ferritin backbone using click chemistry. The N-terminus, which faces outward, offers opportunities for modifications that can redefine how ferritin interacts with its external environment. Conversely, the C-terminus can be altered, providing new ways to interact with cargo inside the cavity.

Further Exploration

For a comprehensive list of examples and potential applications, we direct readers to our outlook page.

We ardently encourage upcoming iGEM teams to leverage our system, fostering the discovery of innovative solutions to contemporary challenges.

Our parts page showcases a range of new composite parts. This not only demonstrates the modularity of our system, but also provides a diverse selection of parts that we have used ourselves and can recommend for further use.

A small selection of our contributed composite parts:

Name	Type	Short Description	Description	Designers	Length
BBa_K4669004	Coding	R9-ferritin	The cell penetrating peptide R9 fused to WT-ferritin	Lisa Siemers	597 bp
BBa_K4669005	Coding	TAT-ferritin	The cell penetrating peptide TAT fused to WT-ferritin	Lisa Siemers	603 bp
BBa_K4669006	Coding	R12-ferritin	The cell penetrating peptide R12 fused to WT-ferritin	Lisa Siemers	612 bp
BBa_K4669008	Coding	TAT-ferritin (Amber)	The cell penetrating peptide TAT fused to ferritin with the mutation K88TAG	Lisa Siemers	603 bp
BBa_K4669009	Coding	R9-ferritin (Amber)	The cell penetrating peptide R9 fused to ferritin with the mutation K88TAG	Lisa Siemers	597 bp
BBa_K4669010	Coding	R12-ferritin (Amber)	The cell penetrating peptide R12 fused to ferritin with the mutation K88TAG	Lisa Siemers	612 bp
BBa_K4669027	Plasmid	pET22b(+)_WT-ferritin	The complete plasmid we used for the expression of WT-ferritin and all further experiments with ferritin.	Prof. Dr. Tobias Beck	5931 bp

Public Awareness And Misconceptions

Our recent survey revealed alarming gaps in public knowledge about antibiotic resistance: Approximately 9 % of respondents were unfamiliar with the term "antibiotic resistance”. Roughly 18 % of the survey participants mistakenly believed that antibiotics could be used to treat viral or fungal infections and 15 % incorrectly assumed antibiotics could be used against an infection with parasites.

iGEM Hamburg 2023: Focusing On Education

In response to this challenge, iGEM Hamburg 2023 has committed to educating the younger generation. Our goal is to foster a well-informed society capable of mitigating the spread of antibiotic resistance in the future.

To make complex topics more accessible, we designed an interactive game for young and old that introduces players to the fundamental concepts of antibiotic resistance. We want to give the broad public the possibility to learn something about the biochemistry behind the threads that normally are not easy to access.

The antibiotic resistance game introduces the player to the basic terms for understanding the mechanism of resistance and learning about ways to fight this. We printed the game for playing it in person, but also developed an App to play it anytime and anywhere.

We contribute this and two other games to iGEM, allowing future teams to complete the collection of games. May it be for teams working on antibiotic resistances or other teams that want to adapt the games for their own usage.