International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) is the world's largest international synthetic biology competition, hosting teams annually from across the globe. We are UCSC's 2022 team, and we will tackle a global issue through the use of cutting-edge developments in synthetic biology.
But what makes us different? As a student-driven team, we are building a research project from the ground up. We are a non-for-profit organization, and all of our funding comes through outreach and donations. We come from a wide array of cultural backgrounds, genders, sexualities, and academic interests. We believe that having a diverse team allows for diverse perspectives, and therefore more efficient problem-solving.
While this year's project is still under development, our goal is to create a project that will serve a positive human impact among underserved communities. We will be collaborating with students, mentors, institutions, and companies from around the world, developing integral relationships in the greater scientific community to provide accessible and self-sustainable solutions for global problems.
Our idea of success is multifaceted. While winning an award at the Jamboree would be gratifying, our priorities are about more impactful goals; a cheap, functional, and sustainable biological machine with the power to help those who need it most. Along the way, our new connections and experiences as developing engineers and researchers are career building, providing a foundation for a life in scientific humanitarian pursuits. By fostering ideas of research, responsibility, and broadening our perspectives, the campus climate can thrive with an emphasis on scientific and social student growth.
Your support during Spring Give will be integral in covering costs associated with lab materials to conduct our research project, along with team registration fees and travel expenses in order to participate in the competition and Jamboree presentation.
UCSC's past projects include:
- PoPPY 2018 - Modified an edible yeast to produce progesterone, for accessible birth control for communities around the world. It is a contraceptive that can be grown at home.
- Vitrum 2019 - Created a heat-stable vaccine for Newcastle Disease by surrounding it in a "glass shell." While this is a vaccine for chickens, this technology has applications for human vaccines as well, by making them more accessible to communities without refrigeration.
- Komaplastics 2020 - Engineered a biodegradable plastic for agricultural bed mulches, an alternative that removes a major source of plastic waste in industrial farming.
- Progenie 2021 - Designed a system that removed the Shiga-toxin gene in E.coli, which is responsible for many food recalls. This system also functions as a tool for controlling genepools of microbiomes, which could solve issues such as lactose intolerance in humans.