Silver Human Practices

From the very beginning, Chitinator et al. was never meant to be just another synthetic biology project. It was born as a response to challenges that farmers and ecosystems face every day: mountains of crustacean shells piling up as waste, soils becoming exhausted from years of chemical fertilizer use, and food systems struggling to stay sustainable.

Instead of accepting these problems as inevitable, we asked a different question: what if waste could become the beginning of renewal?

That question gave life to Chitinator et al., a platform where biology is not only about solving puzzles inside the lab, but about reshaping agriculture itself.

Our journey began close to home, at the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Democritus University of Thrace, where E. coli strains became our first companions in testing. With inserts, plasmids, and primers provided through collaborations with iGEM partner companies, we built the genetic designs and validated the expression of our engineered endochitinase–exochitinase fusion enzyme.

Now, our work enters its next stage: the turn to Bacillus subtilis 168. This GRAS-certified organism, naturally adapted for secretion, offers the chance to take our system beyond proofof-concept and closer to agricultural application. We are currently developing this transition, engineering B. subtilis to carry our fusion enzyme, aiming for robust activity, efficient secretion, and scalable production.

What we envision is more than data on a gel. It is a product: a liquid bioactivator that can be sprayed on garlic crops, revitalizing soil health while reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers. And beyond agriculture, the nutrient-rich fractions generated from chitin degradation hold promise as feedstock for engineered microbes, enabling future innovations in bioplastics, bioactive molecules, and even environmental bioremediation.

At its heart, Chitinator et al. is about more than enzymes and plasmids. It is about values:

• Sustainability that reaches beyond the lab bench.
• Biosafety and responsibility to protect the ecosystems we depend on.
• Collaboration between farmers, scientists, and industry.
• Accessibility so that solutions are practical, not just theoretical.

That is how Chitinator et al. takes its next steps: from E. coli to Bacillus subtilis, from waste to value, from concept to a future where science and farming grow stronger together.

From the very first stages of ideation, our team shared a common vision: to create a project that would not only showcase the power of synthetic biology but also deliver real benefits for agriculture and the environment. In our earliest brainstorming sessions, two priorities guided us: first, the project had to tackle a pressing environmental challenge by turning waste into value , second, it had to directly contribute to sustainable farming, reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers through the development of biofertilizers and bio-based soil enhancers.

The initial spark came from our team leader, who proposed an idea that would eventually grow into Chitinator et al.. Drawing inspiration from her background and research, she suggested focusing on chitin, one of the world’s most abundant natural polymers, yet one of the most underutilized. Although rich in potential, chitin is often discarded as waste, especially in seafood-processing industries. In Greece and other coastal countries, tons of shrimp and crab shells are thrown away each year, ending up in landfills or polluting coastal zones, where their value is lost.

This paradox, abundance treated as refuse , parked the vision to transform chitin into a resource. As the team explored the broader context, it became clear that the problem was global: chitin-rich waste streams are neglected worldwide, while agriculture remains locked in its dependency on chemical fertilizers that degrade soil biodiversity and drive up farming costs.

These realizations set our path. Guided by our leader’s vision, we committed to designing a synthetic biology platform able to upcycle chitin waste into valuable products: soil activators, and nutrient feedstocks. Our first steps were taken with E. coli, where we built and tested our engineered fusion enzymes. Now, we are working on the turn to Bacillus subtilis 168, a GRAS-certified chassis whose natural properties make it ideal for secretion and deployment in real agricultural contexts.

In this way, Chitinator et al. advances the principles of the Circular Bioeconomy, proving that discarded biomass can be reimagined as a tool for soil regeneration, microbial innovation, and a more sustainable future for farming.

To ensure that our Human Practices efforts were thoroughly organized and accessible to the entire team, we established a centralized digital system from the start. Using Google Workspace tools (Docs, Sheets, and Drive) alongside a shared Dropbox folder, we maintained a structured archive where every team member could access stakeholder notes, literature reviews, meeting minutes, and project milestones in real time. This system kept our work transparent and streamlined across the Wet Lab, Dry Lab, and Human Practices branches.

Our workflow was anchored by weekly meetings, not only among our core team but also with our Principal Investigators, Dr. Pappa (primary) and Dr. Galanis (secondary), our instructor, and our advisors from the previous iGEM Thrace team. These sessions provided us with scientific guidance, mentorship, and external perspectives. Each meeting’s discussions, decisions, and action points were carefully documented, ensuring that every piece of feedback , whether from experts, mentors, or stakeholders,was captured and translated into concrete adjustments to our project design and strategy.

This structured approach became more than just a record , it evolved into a dynamic framework that allowed Chitinator et al. to adapt and grow systematically, integrating the voices of everyone who contributed to our journey. We believe this model of transparency and collaboration is not only central to our success, but also a blueprint that other iGEM teams can adopt: a reminder that rigorous documentation and open communication don’t just organize a project, they empower it to make a lasting impact.

From the very beginning, we knew that Chitinator et al. could not remain confined to the lab. To create a truly sustainable solution for chitin-rich waste, we needed to listen to the voices of the communities it would serve. Guided closely by our Principal Investigators, we reached out to scientists, farmers, industry leaders, fertilizer companies, and local authorities, ensuring that our project was built not only on solid science but also on real agricultural needs.

Our first step was consulting experts in plasmid engineering, gene expression, and microbial biotechnology, who helped us refine our circuits for E. coli and prepare for our current transition to Bacillus subtilis. With their guidance, we ensured that our engineered fusion enzyme would remain stable and active beyond the bench, under real fermentation and soil conditions.

To prepare for scale-up, we worked with professors in bioprocess engineering, who advised us on how to adapt our system for bioreactors and industrial production while minimizing environmental impact. At the same time, soil scientists and ecologists helped us understand how the degradation products of chitin, carbon, nitrogen, and chito-oligosaccharides , could enrich ecosystems without disturbing native microbiota and arthropods.

Understanding the municipal perspective was just as important. We met with the Mayor of Alexandroupolis, our coastal hometown, where seafood restaurants and processing generate tons of shrimp and crab shell waste every year. Together, we explored how our project could not only relieve the city of this burden but also transform local waste streams into valuable resources for agriculture.

Equally crucial was our collaboration with the Agricultural Cooperative of Platykampos in Thessaly, one of the most important regions for garlic cultivation in Greece. There, we engaged directly with local farmers and the cooperative’s crop manager, discussing how a bioactivator like ours could support the sustainability and competitiveness of the renowned Platykampos garlic. These conversations gave us invaluable insights into real field conditions, farming costs, and the practical barriers farmers face in moving away from chemical fertilizers.

Beyond Greece, we also spoke with farmers from Cyprus, where the focus was not garlic but broader fertilizer use and soil needs. These discussions expanded our view, showing us how the problems of soil degradation and chemical dependence are shared across Mediterranean farming systems, and how a solution like ours could adapt to different crops and contexts.

At the same time, we engaged with fertilizer companies, including some of our own sponsors, who provided crucial feedback on how our bioactivator compares to conventional fertilizers in terms of cost, application, and effectiveness. Their perspective helped us refine our strategy to ensure that Chitinator et al. could compete in real markets while reducing environmental impact.

To validate our scientific foundation, we collaborated with biochemists and enzymologists to optimize enzyme synergy, while structural and computational biology professors helped us model folding, linker behavior, and catalytic function.

This broad, interdisciplinary collaboration, spanning scientists, farmers, fertilizer companies, and municipal leaders , strengthened Chitinator et al. and allowed it to grow into a sustainable, scientifically sound product with applications that benefit both the environment and society.

Find out more in the Integrated Human Practices Page.

Building a truly impactful solution goes beyond the science , it requires listening, learning, and working hand-in-hand with the people who will be affected by it. For Chitinator et al., every conversation with farmers, scientists, policy-makers, and local communities helped shape our project into something more than a technical innovation: a step toward a circular, sustainable future for agriculture and waste management.

We embraced diverse voices, from local restaurant owners to fertilizer companies, from students to municipal leaders, ensuring that every perspective contributed to a product that is not only effective but also responsible, accessible, and globally relevant.

By sharing our journey and remaining open to collaboration, we aim to inspire others to see waste as a resource, and synthetic biology as a bridge between science and society.

Find out more in the Education & Communication Page.

From the beginning, we wanted Chitinator et al. to be more than a synthetic biology concept. Our goal was to create a solution that addresses a real environmental challenge, supports sustainable agriculture, and engages both local and international communities. Through consultations, research, and stakeholder engagement, we gathered strong evidence that our project can have tangible, positive effects.

Environmental impact and waste reduction

In our hometown of Alexandroupolis, a coastal city with a thriving seafood sector, numerous restaurants and processing facilities generate tons of shrimp and crab shell waste every month. Today, much of this biomass is discarded in landfills, creating environmental and logistical challenges. In discussions with the Mayor of Alexandroupolis, we explored how our bioactivator system could relieve the city of this burden , transforming waste into a resource rich in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and returning value back into agriculture. Equally crucial was our collaboration with the Agricultural Cooperative of Platykampos in Thessaly, one of the most important regions for garlic cultivation in Greece. There, we engaged directly with local farmers and the President of the Cooperative, discussing how a bioactivator like ours could support the sustainability and competitiveness of the renowned Platykampos garlic. These conversations gave us invaluable insights into real field conditions, farming costs, and the practical barriers farmers face in moving away from chemical fertilizers.

Feedback from agriculture, industry, and the scientific community

Our journey also brought us into dialogue with farmers in Cyprus, who provided broader perspectives on fertilizer use and soil needs. Their feedback highlighted how the challenges of soil degradation and chemical dependency are shared across Mediterranean agriculture and how a microbial bioactivator like ours could adapt to diverse crops. We also worked closely with fertilizer companies, which not only gave us positive feedback after hearing our project idea but also went on to sponsor our work. Their response confirmed that Chitinator et al. fills a real gap in the market: a sustainable, environmentally friendly solution that can complement, and in the future compete with, conventional fertilizers. This endorsement helped us refine our business model and strengthened our confidence in the product’s potential. In parallel, we shared our concept at academic conferences and events, where students, professors, and researchers offered valuable insights. Their questions on scalability, regulation, and biosafety pushed us to refine our approach and ensured that our design remained both ambitious and grounded in reality.

Scientific and technical validation

Under the guidance of our Principal Investigators, we collaborated with soil scientists, microbial biotechnologists, and ecologists to confirm that our degradation products could enrich soils without disturbing native microbial communities. Biochemists and enzymologists helped us optimize enzyme synergy, while structural and computational biology experts modeled folding, linker behavior, and catalytic function. Additionally, professors in bioprocess engineering advised us on how to scale our design into bioreactors, ensuring that production could be both feasible and sustainable.

Community and outreach impact

Our outreach initiatives, including surveys, workshops, and online engagement , showed strong public interest in biological approaches to waste management and sustainable farming. Farmers and community members expressed enthusiasm for a system that could transform local waste into something beneficial for crops, especially when paired with educational efforts on biosafety and soil health.

Support, endorsement, and future entrepreneurship

The willingness of fertilizer companies not only to advise us but also to sponsor our project reflects confidence in our concept’s commercial potential. Their input helped us understand the dynamics of the competitive fertilizer market and position Chitinator et al. as a realistic, scalable solution. Looking ahead, we are also exploring the entrepreneurship dimension of our work. With its strong commercial applicability, Chitinator et al. has the potential to evolve into a market-ready bioactivator product. While this step is still under planning, it demonstrates how our project can grow beyond academia and into the real economy.

Looking ahead

While our bioactivator is not yet a full replacement for chemical fertilizers, it has the potential to become a transformative tool for sustainable farming. By addressing a growing environmental challenge and aligning with the agricultural shift toward greener practices, Chitinator et al. lays the foundation for a solution that scales beyond its origins, turning waste into value, revitalizing soils, and helping farmers worldwide take a step toward circular agriculture.

Every year, in coastal cities like Alexandroupolis, countless tons of shrimp and crab shells are discarded as waste. What restaurants and seafood processors see as useless debris ends up in landfills, creating environmental strain while offering no return to the economy. At the same time, farmers across Greece and beyond face the dual challenge of rising fertilizer costs and growing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices.

Chitinator et al. was born at this intersection. By combining synthetic biology, agricultural insight, and community engagement, we are developing a bioactivator that transforms chitin-rich waste into a resource capable of enriching soil, supporting crop health, and reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers.

We know that chemical fertilizers are deeply embedded in global agriculture and cannot be replaced overnight. But by offering a credible, eco-friendly alternative, Chitinator et al. fills a crucial gap in the market: providing farmers and fertilizer companies with a practical tool that reduces chemical inputs, supports sustainability certifications, and meets the expectations of a consumer base that increasingly demands greener agriculture.

Our impact already extends beyond the lab bench. In Alexandroupolis, discussions with the Mayor helped us envision how seafood waste streams could be turned into agricultural value, connecting city waste management with farming sustainability. In Thessaly, our collaboration with the Agricultural Cooperative of Platykampos allowed us to meet with farmers and the Cooperative’s President, exploring how our bioactivator could support the iconic Platykampos garlic by revitalizing soils and reducing fertilizer costs. In Cyprus, conversations with farmers expanded our outlook on fertilizer use and soil needs across Mediterranean agriculture.

We also engaged with fertilizer companies, who not only gave us positive feedback after hearing our concept but also chose to become sponsor of our work. Their confidence validated our approach and highlighted the project’s commercial potential. These interactions opened discussions about scaling our system into industrial bioreactors, preparing for the day when our bioactivator can be produced at a scale large enough to meet agricultural demand.

Perhaps most importantly, Chitinator et al. is more than a technical solution, it represents a shift in mindset. By turning waste into value, it shows how synthetic biology can be a bridge between science and society, offering innovation that serves people, the planet, and future generations.

Looking ahead, while our work is still at the research stage, the foundation we’ve built, with expert guidance, community feedback, and industry endorsement, positions Chitinator et al. to grow far beyond a proof-of-concept. We are also beginning to explore the entrepreneurship pathway, recognizing that our bioactivator is fully marketable, though this step remains under design and planning.

Our project is not only about solving one problem , it is about showing how environmental challenges can be transformed into opportunities, paving the way for a greener, more resilient future for agriculture worldwide.