One major issue facing the world today is starvation. According to World Hunger statistics, there are over 900 million people in the world that are classified as being ‘hungry.' These people are malnourished and in a dangerous situation. Growing up in Bombay, Arjun Khakhar witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of hunger and poverty in his community. The Indian junior biomedical engineer major at John Hopkins University in the United States, with the help of fellow undergraduates, has synthetically engineered a yeast bacteria which provides high levels of vitamin A. “The major problem in developing countries right now is not that people are hungry and starving because they don't have enough food,” said Khakhar. “What people don't have now is the food that they need to survive. Vital nutrients like vitamins are just missing from their diets because they can't afford fruits and vegetables.” The team coaxed a yeast bacteria to produce beta carotene and have called it ‘VitaYeast.' The team presented their engineered bacteria at the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. The aim of iGEM is to bring together young scientists and challenge them to use synthetic biology to manipulate DNA into carrying out new tasks. The students conduct their research in the lab of the School of Medicine's Jef Boeke, a leading yeast expert who is a professor of molecular biology and genetics, and worked with 10 faculty advisors from engineering and arts and sciences. “One of the great things about iGEM teams, which are mostly made up of undergraduates, is that those students, frankly, will not believe that something is impossible,” Boeke said. “If you tell them that something is impossible, they will go off and do it. I find that to be very exciting.” Ofcourse, many people today reject the notion of genetically modified food based on taste, smell and looks. The ultimate test came when the group bought a small bread maker, and proceeded to bake a loaf made from the new enhanced bacteria. So far, the bread has shown promise; it looks and smells much like an ordinary loaf of bread but can not be eaten untill it has undergone federal regulation tests. “VitaYeast is a tiny component—it gets killed in the bread,” said Noah Young, a senior biomedical engineering major. “We're not genetically modifying the wheat. We're not genetically modifying the flour or the water. We're genetically modifying something like 1 percent of the bread recipe. When you bake VitaYeast bread and you look at it, it looks like normal bread.” Vitamin A deficiency has been listed as the leading cause of preventable blindness in children by the World Health Organization. The team failed to win the iGEM competition this week, yet the members are confident that they will continue to push their innovation to help people around the world. Such efforts from a group of undergraduates who have yet to receive an official diploma from their university are welcomed by the university, which currently has the project plastered all over the front page of the university website.”How do I get the idea in my mind that I want to change the world?” Khakhar asked. “I would ask, how can you not have the idea that you want to change the world?” BM
