Environmentally Friendly Luciferase-based Illumination Technology

Current technologies for marking of landing zones as well as areas for search and rescue have significant drawbacks ranging from the additional weight of batteries for some systems to plastic and metallic debris left behind. There are clear advantages both operationally and environmentally to utilizing bioluminescent materials that can be lighter and do not leave behind non-biodegradable debris. In this Phase I, Agave BioSystems proposes to demonstrate the use of bioluminescent technology in biodegradable packaging as a stable, easy to use and effective illumination system to replace current chemical and electrical systems. To accomplish this, we propose to genetically manipulate yeast so it is capable of producing luciferase, the enzyme that is produced by fireflies, and package the yeast in a stable form. The yeast can then be "activated" and luciferin (the substrate for luciferase) added to them, with the subsequent production of light to mark the desired area.