ZJU clinches gold at the 2018 iGEM competition

On Oct. 29, ZJU-China won the gold medal at the 2018 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition at Haynes Convention Center, Boston, USA. 

This was the ninth time that ZJU-China participated in the competition and the sixth time the University has won the gold medal. The team, led by Prof. CHEN Ming, comprised of 14 members from 8 colleges: College of Life Sciences, Chu Kochen Honors College, School of Medicine, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Computer Science and Technology, and School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The ZJU-China team designed “A Detector”, which employed protein logic gates to detect biomarkers and ultimately aid in diagnosis. They linked three pairs of isopeptide bonds—spytag/spycatcher, snooptag/snoopcatcher and sdytag/sdycatcher—with LDH, HRP and GOX so as to form logic gates which were fixed onto electrodes via the curli matrix. Blood samples were added to electrodes and matter in samples underwent layered oxidation in multi-enzyme complexes. The output signal could be applied to diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries and hematogenic shock. Meanwhile, the team also constructed two models: the cluster analysis model and the logic-gate model.

The iGEM competition began in 2003 as an independent study course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where students developed biological devices to make cells blink. It has evolved into a global academic competition, which gives students the opportunity to push the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling daily challenges that the world currently faces. Every year, nearly 6,000 people dedicate their summer to iGEM before gathering during autumn to present their work and compete at the annual Jamboree.

Photo: LI Yunqian

Edited by: Ian Chew

Source: College of Life Sciences