ENGINEERING SUCCESS · 01
Before we built the Pillinator, we had to decide what problem we were actually trying to solve.
THE PROBLEM
Our engineering challenge began with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP. DEHP is a widely used plasticizer that can enter the environment through plastic products and plastic waste.
For our project, the question was not simply how to detect DEHP. We wanted to develop a biological system capable of capturing DEHP and removing it from its surroundings.
That meant our first engineering decision was figuring out exactly what our bacteria should do with the molecule once they encountered it.
OUR FIRST QUESTION
We considered three different engineering strategies.
Bind DEHP so that it becomes associated with our engineered bacteria and can be removed from the surrounding environment.
Use enzymes to break DEHP down into smaller compounds instead of simply binding the molecule.
Encourage DEHP-containing material to collect together, creating another potential route for removal.
INITIAL ARCHITECTURE
At this stage, our system was still an idea. We mapped out the basic components we would need before testing which approach actually made sense.
Target molecule
Engineered chassis
Capture and separate
FIRST REALIZATION
Degrading DEHP sounded appealing because it would seemingly eliminate the molecule altogether. But degradation introduced another question: what happens to the products created along the way?
That question became the starting point for our first major engineering gate.