Bulletin No. 1, 2012

26   Chinese University Bulletin No. 1, 2012 Harnessing Bacterial Power W hile coal-fired power plants are seen as a major cause of environmental pollution and nuclear power considered risky because of potential radiation leakage, humans are searching for alternative and renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. A genetic engineering team formed by undergraduate students of science and engineering at CUHK has devised a new way of generating electricity with solar energy and bacteria. Halorhodopsin (HR) is a light-driven ion pump that can be found in halobacteria. When activated by light, HR transports surrounding chloride ions into cells of the bacteria. The CUHK team makes use of this characteristic of HR to make BioBrick parts that can alter chloride ion concentration by light. In synthetic biology, BioBrick parts are standard biological parts similar to electronic components or Lego bricks. The BioBrick parts developed by the CUHK Back row: Prof. K.F. Wong (4th right), Associate Dean of Engineering; Prof. Ng Cheuk-yiu (5th right), Dean of Science; and Prof. Chu Ka-hou (6th right), Director of the School of Life Sciences, share the joy of victory with the research team