“Businesses in Manitoba have been switching to the compostable polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastic as a “green” alternative to single-use plastics. But the reality is not that simple”, says Jessica Marinelli and Camille Prefontaine. Marinelli [BScHons/2022] is a MSc student in Chemistry and Prefontaine is a 5th-year student in the BSc Honours Biology program in the Faculty of Science. They are part of the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) student group at the University of Manitoba. Their team recently presented Project PLAnet Zero at the iGEM 2023 Grand Jamboree in November 2023, won a silver medal, and was nominated for best part collection in the overgrad category.

1. What got you interested in improving PLA plastic breakdown in local composting systems?

As the Canadian government has started to phase out petroleum-based plastics to reduce carbon emissions and plastic waste in landfills, businesses in Manitoba have been switching to compostable polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastic as a “green” alternative. But the reality is not that simple. Degradation of PLA requires specific temperature and moisture conditions, challenging to maintain in our local composting facilities, especially during dry cold winters. In many cases, PLA does not break down effectively and is diverted to landfills.

After meeting with waste management experts, we saw this as the perfect opportunity to develop a bio-based solution that would help ensure “sustainable” plastic ends up where it belongs, in the compost!

2. Can you tell me about your solution?

At the core of our solution is the use of enzymes to digest PLA on the molecular level. Enzymes are biomolecules that help break down and build up materials.

To reduce the cost, we engineered a bacterial organism to make PLA-degrading enzymes and display them on the bacterial surface. Doing this will allow the enzymes to directly come into contact with PLA plastics and not be made inside bacteria cells which would require a lengthy and expensive separation process to purify them. Our whole-cell approach avoids this and enables cost-effective PLA plastic breakdown in local composting facilities.

To increase the efficiency and effectiveness of enzymatic degradation of PLA, we expanded nature’s toolset of amino acids. All living cells use the same standard 20 canonical amino acids to make proteins. Our team went beyond this set of 20 amino acids and used novel amino acids (non-canonical amino acids) to improve PLA-degrading enzymes. We use an amino acid called norleucine to help our enzymes bind better and break down materials faster and more efficiently. Our improved enzymes can allow for effective breakdown in the lower temperature conditions of food compost.

We worked on our solution alongside many experts and stakeholders in the waste management and composting community in Manitoba. Their feedback has been valuable and integral to our project. Our team is excited to continue building these partnerships to help us further develop PLAnet Zero in the next iGEM cycle.

3. Can you tell me about the award and what it means to you and your team to have won a silver medal and to have been nominated for best part collection in the overgrad category?

We are very proud of our Prairie iGEM team members for our silver medal win! We have all put so much work into this project over the past year and it was great to see our hard work pay off. To put this in context, our achievement is on par with leading Canadian institutes such as McMaster University and Queen’s University as well as top global institutes such as MIT and Harvard University. We have all put so much work into this project over the past year and it was great to see our hard work pay off.

This year, we were also nominated for best part collection (the development of a coherent group of parts that have a common function or theme) for our whole-cell catalyst design. The best part collection award is challenging because it requires a coherent vision and execution of the project. We are proud to be among the final 4 nominees out of 106 teams around the world in the overgrad category. To achieve this, we worked with a series of PLA-degrading enzymes and parts for our surface-display mechanism such that they could all be used collectively or interchangeably when designing a whole-cell catalyst for plastic degradation. Our results and success have shown that students at the University of Manitoba can conduct world-class research and have a lot to offer to the international Synthetic Biology community.

Every year we have seen more and more progress as the synthetic biology community on campus grows. PLAnet Zero allowed us to bring in students across all disciplines with a passion for science and sustainability and who want to implement real change in the community. It has been a really rewarding experience to see students experience science and entrepreneurship in the real world and see the future that synthetic biology has to offer to our local Winnipeg and global communities.

The Grand Jamboree is an annual competition hosting multidisciplinary student teams from around the world. It involves designing, building and testing projects using synthetic biology for real-world applications.

Prairie iGEM, which consists of Faculty of Science research students led by Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden and Dr. Ned Budisa, has a mission to use global synthetic biology knowledge to solve local Manitoban problems. In Paris, they presented their current project: tackling zebra mussels, one of Manitoba’s notorious aquatic invasive species threatening freshwater ecosystem health and infrastructure integrity. Prairie iGEM has designed and built a smart bio-based device that can detect the presence of zebra mussels and synthesize a selective molluscicide to target them.

Earlier in the year, Prairie iGEM received the Impact Grant, setting the team up for further success in the 2022 Jamboree in Paris. 

Huy Luu, a master’s candidate in chemistry, is one of Prairie iGEM’s teaching assistants and founding members. “We’re very proud of our team for helping connect Manitoba to the global synthetic biology community,” he says.

“The competition is also a great opportunity to learn and develop yourself,” Luu adds. He describes the strenuous and challenging process of project development and taking part in the competition itself, but it’s clear that the team never lost sight on the importance of their work.

Kevin Lim, a 3rd year Faculty of Science student, shares how the competition has shaped the student experience for him: “There are many moving parts to an iGEM project. It was an opportunity for undergraduate students to gain experience working in labs, presenting and networking, which are not taught enough in the curriculum. Everyone has an essential role to play and in doing so, they gain new skills that they wouldn’t think they’d learn.”

Jamboree judges were highly impressed with what Prairie iGEM has accomplished, even more so as first-time competitors. Their technical abilities are remarkable, but going beyond the hard science is just as important. The team consulted with several experts and stakeholders across multiple scales in order to define the most practical and feasible outcomes. Outreach activities have also included presenting their findings to university and high school students, which they look forward to continuing in the future.

While this win in Paris has been a surreal experience and accomplishment for the team, they’re back to working on their next move. Prairie iGEM will be recruiting students to join their team and expanding their scope of expertise to include students from all departments.

Luu is most excited to “contribute to the foundation for integrating synthetic biology into the local Manitoba bioeconomy.” He’s extremely proud to be a part of this team, and he looks forward to what the next iGEM cycle has in store.

About iGEM

The iGEM is a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating advancements in synthetic biology, education and competition, and developing an open scientific community and collaboration. The Foundation hosts the annual iGEM Competition, pushing the limits of synthetic biology and its implications on complex challenges around the world. With applications in climate change response, human health enhancement, agricultural production optimization and more, iGEM has carefully selected teams with projects exemplify what it means to positively impact the world by tackling one local problem at a time.

With support from the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation, Prairie iGEM has received a $2,500 grant to help level up their agenda. The team’s current focus is on zebra mussels, one of Manitoba’s invasive species that have now spread into Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba.

The rapid spread of these mollusks can clog water intake systems increasing costs to communities and industries. This includes power generating stations, irrigation systems, water supply facilities, and drinking water infrastructure.

The Prairie iGEM team is working on an innovative approach to controlling zebra mussel populations. They aim to design a bio-based device that dispenses molluscsides specifically targeting zebra mussels after ingestion, allowing the device to remain dormant and only affect a single species instead of other native organisms. They are pursuing a method for zebra mussel detection through changes in water chemistry and recognition of zebra mussel’s internal environment, then determining the best timing for the secretion of the highly specific molluscsides. They are advancing their research in close collaboration with the University of Lausanne iGEM team from Switzerland.

Zebra mussels, an invasive species of fresh water mussels, on the propeller and shaft of a sailing yacht. Stock photo.

Over 250 teams across the globe applied for the Impact Grant, all of whom are considered international leaders in their respective disciplines. 90 teams with ingenious and inventive projects were selected, placing Prairie iGEM in the company of teams from some of the world’s highly esteemed post-secondary institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT), the University of Helsinki, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and so on.

“This project and the iGEM competition in general is a great example for how leading-edge synthetic biology research in the hand of undergraduates and graduate students paired with their ingenuity can contribute to solving emerging challenges in our communities”, says Dr. Wieden

Prairie iGEM is truly representing the University of Manitoba at the forefront of biology-based research and engineering. The iGEM Foundation envisions a scientific community where breakthroughs in laboratories translate to the world’s most pressing challenges, and Prairie iGEM fits perfectly into this world.

The Impact Grant will support the team’s progress in building their device and moving their project beyond the proof-of-concept stage. The grant will also allow the team to make advancements in stakeholder engagement and in the project’s application phase.

As part of iGEM the UM team of primarily undergraduate researchers will travel in October to the annual Grand Jamboree in Paris to compete with over 300 teams from around the globe for medals, awards, and the grant prize.

About iGEM

The iGEM is a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating advancements in synthetic biology, education, and competition, and developing an open scientific community and collaboration. The Foundation hosts the annual iGEM Competition, pushing the limits of synthetic biology and its implications on complex challenges around the world. With applications in climate change response, human health enhancement, agricultural production optimization and more, iGEM has carefully selected teams with projects exemplifying what it means to positively impact the entire world by tackling one local problem at a time.

Accelerating scientific discoveries in natural and synthetic biology into deployable products and knowledge requires a collaborative and integrative ecosystem.

The success of RNA vaccines demonstrates that we’re in the golden age of mainstreaming synthetic biology and bio-inspired technologies. This achievement was, however, the culmination of decades of research coalescing under the pressure of the pandemic, and notably was brought to bear outside of Canada. This example highlights the collaborative ecosystem needed to advance biotechnologies. An ecosystem that facilitates the interaction of start-ups, SMEs, larger industry, academia and government, and provides access to the equipment and talent available at universities is required. To address this urgent need for this type of innovation and discovery network in the prairies, the University of Manitoba recently launched a hub for the exploration of natural and synthetic biology, BioExM.

We are opening the door to partners from all sectors to work together to fast track innovations in synthetic biology and bioengineering through our integrated Learn, Design, Build and Test model.

BioEx^M – Creating a vision for biotechnology in the prairies

Drs. Hans-Joachim Wieden, Lead for BioSciences Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships, and Ned Budisa, Canada Research Chair in Chemical Synthetic Biology, were recently recruited to the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba and are leading this hub. We had the opportunity to virtually sit with Drs. Wieden and Budisa for a Q&A to hear more about the future of BioEx^M and its role in advancing biotechnology.

What was the inspiration behind the launch of BioExM?

Budisa: Although Canada is now investing in vaccine development and manufacturing, a lack of an existing framework for the advancement of vaccines meant we were left behind in the race for the COVID-19 vaccine. Here, we’re taking a more forward-looking approach by building on the critical mass of research expertise existing in the prairies in synthetic, structural, and digital biology to provide biologically-based solutions to myriad challenges in diverse sectors such as agriculture, energy, and medicine.

What would be the benefit of accessing this new hub?

Budisa: Fundamental and cost barriers limit the participation of emerging companies and SMEs in the R&D enterprise. Effectively, we’re bringing partners together by lowering the access barrier and de-risking participation in research. We are opening the door to partners from all sectors to work together to fast-track innovations in synthetic biology and bioengineering through our integrated “Learn, Design, Build and Test” model. 

Read more  – full article at www.innovatingcanada.ca

One of the significant projects funded today is led by Dr. Jorg Stetefeld at the University of Manitoba (UM). His team received $950,000 and is looking to use cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to guide rapid development of novel therapeutic strategies and improved diagnostics for COVID-19.

Dr. Jorg Stetefeld

Stetefeld, Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Structural Biology and Biophysics, explains: “In order to develop targeted therapeutics and diagnostics it is crucial to gain a detailed molecular understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 assembly itself and the life cycle within infected cells, and to study molecular interactions of individual druggable protein targets with potential inhibitors. The requested infrastructure will enable rapid and timely research responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada by focusing on the development of therapeutic drug targets providing unprecedented visual insight into the molecular basis of SARSCoV-2-drug interactions.”

He adds: “The cryo-EM microscope equipped with a Direct Electron Detector (DED) will allow us to study the assembly of viruses and virus-like particles and, at the same time, the atomic resolution of individual proteins in complex with drug targets, blocking antibodies or vaccines. This will provide essential insights for most efficient design of compounds blocking COVID-19.”

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a powerful and effective method for studying the structure of highly relevant COVID-19 proteins and SARS-Cov-2 at near-atomic resolution to better understand 3D structure and functionality. These findings will support and accelerate design of vaccines and the development of treatments for COVID-19.

“I congratulate Dr. Stetefeld and his team on their success in receiving this competitive funding,” said Dr. Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research and international) at UM. “This piece of equipment will advance UM’s contribution in the search for treatments for COVID-19.”

This project builds upon a recent $1.5 million investment by UM Faculty of Science to purchase a TALOS F200C cryo-EM. Pairing the cryo-EM with a DED will enable markedly enhanced structural visualizations of SARS-CoV-2 proteins that will contribute much needed insight into potential strategies to detect and inactivate the COVID-19 virus. The equipment will be housed at the Manitoba Institute for Materials, UM’s state-of-the-art research and training facility specializing in materials and composites characterization.

Stetefeld’s UM team have expertise in the areas of structure-based drug design, investigations of viral assembly, photo-mediated virus killing, and rapid diagnostics. They are:

Faculty of Science:

Nediljko Budisa, chemistry, CRC in Chemical Synthetic Biology
Brian Mark, microbiology, Faculty of Science

Rady Faculty of Health Sciences:

Kevin Coombs, medical microbiology and infectious diseases
Jason Kindrachuk, medical microbiology and infectious diseases, CRC in Molecular Pathogenesis of Emerging and Re-Emerging Viruses