IGEM:Harvard/2006/Brainstorming with William

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What are the synonyms for containers?

Use these terms for web searches investigating potential applications of molecular containers

• capsules
• containers
• encapsulation
• vaults
• viruses
• vehicles
• vesicles
• liposomes
• vessels
• boxes
• compartments

What are the enabling features? (Can be optional features)

These are general capabilities for which there may or may not exist demand outside the field

• Rigid or defined structure
• Getting things in and out
• Non-porous -> doesn't leak in or out
• Allows one to maintain different microenvironments (inside versus outside)
• Allows multiplexed microenvironments
• Selective permeability
• Ability to fuse or separate
• Caging and release
• Controlled release
• Specific targeting of container to destination
• Robotics

What are potential applications for containers?

These are applications for which one suspects there may be demand in the outside community

• Drug and gene delivery
  • Issues
    • Slow down the clearance time in plasma and intracellularly
    • Size of pores
    • Getting into cell
• Directed evolution (compartmentalized selections)
• Chemical synthesis
  • Increase effective concentration of reactants
  • Using multiplexing for combinatorial synthesis
• Protein folding (chaperone)
• Capture and stabilization of multiprotein complexes
• Marker scavenging
• Cell sorting (gattaca technology)

What are demand-meeting applications for containers?

Can move items from the "potential applications" list down to this list when you can find specific examples (i.e. names of molecules involved) where a demand exists for this application; for many people, this is the only list that matters

How exactly to implement container and lid?

Biotin/streptavinin docking?

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