Spring is a time of renewal, growth, and community. As the UCSC campus bursts into bloom, the iGEM team at UCSC is planting seeds of innovation, research, and global impact in the field of synthetic biology. 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.
Our team, composed of 14 dedicated students along with our PI, David Bernick, is gearing up for the 2024 iGEM competition — an international stage where we showcase our solutions to real-world problems through genetic engineering.
Past UCSC iGEM teams have proved to the world that revolutionary treatments for 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.
Here are examples of past team projects:
TABI 2023: Disrupted microcystis growths in a local lake through computational methods. The team plans to extend the project by designing a plasmid that can be conjugated to the cyanobacteria in order to stunt its proliferation.
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 so that local communities can produce their own medication.
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 2024 iGEM team's goal is no different.
For this Spring Give, we invite students, families, faculty, and anyone passionate about fostering scientific innovation and education to contribute in our journey.
Your donation will directly support our research project, competition participation, and community outreach efforts, empowering the next generation of scientists to bloom. Together, we can sow the seeds of a brighter, more sustainable future.
Join us in nurturing this garden of potential. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps our iGEM team grow stronger and reach further in our goals.
Support the UCSC iGEM 2024 Team today and be a part of our journey toward making a difference in the world!
