Future Study

The hypothesis, E. coli samples not exposed to UV light will have a higher rate of pGAL plasmid transformation success indicated by a higher blue colony count, was accepted. The data shows that the foreign DNA (pGAL plasmid) can replicate while the organism repairs its own DNA, even though the UV radiation, and possibly the DNA repair, does hinder the transformation efficiency. Therefore, if ionizing radiation and bacterial transformation combined as a form of cancer treatment, the plasmid used would replicate autonomously, yet at a lower efficiency.
However, there are internal and external radiation therapies. External radiation therapies use UV waves to shrink and eliminate tumors, while internal radiation therapies use capsules of radioactive elements, like cesium, inserted into the body. Testing the effects of internal radiation on bacterial transformation is a possible amendment to this study.