The Spring Give 2023

The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) is the world’s largest synthetic biology competition with teams from around the globe designing projects to address problems using the tools within synthetic biology. 

Past UCSC iGEM teams have proven to the world that revolutionary treatments to type 2 diabetes were possible and accessible, created novel methods to reduce crop contamination from dangerous bacteria, and developed viable alternatives to plastics in industrial farming. These past successful iGEM projects highlight a key goal of all UCSC iGEM teams: creating solutions that are directly helpful to the communities being served. This year, our 2023 iGEM team's goal is no different. 

Our current team is composed of 16 undergraduates from a diverse set of backgrounds and disciplines coming together with the common goal of using our scientific knowledge to benefit a greater community. With this student-led approach, we are given the opportunity to independently design a research project from the ground up in an environment that fosters hands-on learning in laboratory skills, project management, and networking within our future fields. As developing scientific researchers, the experiences made during this year will go to lay a strong foundation for future scientific and humanitarian pursuits of each and every one of us. Although the 2023 team would be gratified with formal recognition from leading experts in synthetic biology, our idea of success remains committed to the human impact of our project. Our goal is to create a synthetic biological machine that provides help to the people who need it most with the hope of leaving a lasting positive impact on the communities we serve.

UCSC's past iGEM 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.

- HELO 2022 - Modified an E. coli to produce Exendin-4, a drug to promote insulin secretion, to reduce treatment cost for type 2 diabetes patients. The group plans to move this system into yeast such that local communities can produce their own medication.