The future of synthetic biology unveiled at the iGEM 2022 Grand Jamboree
The iGEM 2022 Grand Jamboree – the most important global synthetic biology gathering – brought together over 3,500 synthetic biology researchers, industry, investors, startups, and policy makers from all over the world to witness and celebrate the future of synthetic biology. Held for the first time at the Paris Porte de Versailles Expo, the Grand Jamboree featured the synthetic biology innovations of 350+ teams from 40+ countries who demonstrated their ideas, initiatives, and innovations for humanity’s most pressing problems, including the climate crisis, food security, human health, foundational advances, biomanufacturing and more.
“The industrial revolution was about being good at energy. The digital revolution was about being good at information. We’re at the beginning of the next revolution, which is about being good at matter. And the best tool for that is biology.”
2022 was a milestone year, culminating with the first in-person gathering for the iGEM Grand Jamboree in Paris, a major undertaking that was nearly 4 years in the making. An international panel of 370 judges cast their votes to select the winning teams, and the results were impressive – with 173 teams earning gold medals, 94 teams earning silver, and 57 teams earning bronze. The “Top Ten” iGEM teams in each section were recognized for their exceptional work, and dozens more teams received awards and special prizes for demonstrating excellence in each of 10 tracks and other categories. Some of the top teams and projects include:
Undergraduate
🏆 Grand Prize winner
TU-Eindhoven (Netherlands) designed a Modular and Personalized Autoimmune Cell Therapy "!MPACT" using engineered mammalian cells for treatment of autoimmune disease.
🥇 1st Runner-up
INSA_Lyon1 (France) developed a biosynthetic tool "FIAT LUX" to understand and combat plant diseases and build more sustainable agricultural practices.
🥈 2nd Runner-up
HKUST (Hong Kong) created a colorimetric biosensor that detects bioamine levels in raw fish, which can be used to indicate the freshness of seafood products.
Overgraduate
🏆 Grand Prize winner
Ucopenhagen (Denmark) combined spider silk with mussel foot protein to create fibers "Netlantis" that can be twinned into biodegradable fishing nets.
🥇 1st Runner-up
Montpellier (France) created a user-friendly, paper-based test to detect Vibrio aestuarianus that could be used for preventive pathogen scanning in oyster farms.
High School
🏆 Grand Prize winner
Lambert_GA (United States) designed a biological detection method for researchers and physicians to facilitate point-of-care screening for coronary artery disease.
🥇 1st Runner-up
PuiChing_Macau (Macao) engineered bacteria that can neutralize the pH and produce hormone binding proteins in hydroponic systems to increase the food supply. .
We are proud of all the iGEM 2022 teams who have given the world a glimpse of what the future of synthetic biology may hold. By focusing on the needs and perspectives of their local communities, and working together to solve global challenges, each team has made a unique contribution to furthering iGEM’s new purpose of “ensuring that synthetic biology, and all the power this technology holds, gets developed everywhere by everyone.”
See all the 2022 Competition results:
Startup Showcase
iGEM Startup Showcase celebrates the startups and biofounders that have gone through iGEM, and provides an avenue for said startups to pitch their ideas in front of a panel of judges and climb towards the next steps in their startup journey. This year, 15 remarkable iGEM Startups traveled to Paris to present their business ideas live on the Startup Showcase stage, and compete for the top spot.
The winner of this year’s Startup Showcase is RebX. Hatched out of the iGEM’s year-long entrepreneurship program, iGEM EPIC, this startup from Latin America is working to sustainably produce chemicals using fungi and agro-waste at a low cost.
In addition to the Competition and Startup Showcase, iGEM features many new and ever improving programs, including:
iGEM Leagues – iGEM features competition leagues in Latin America and India, and plans to develop leagues in additional countries and regions to expand the role of synthetic biology in emerging bioeconomies.
iGEM Community – the iGEM Community program supports the competition's 70,000+ participants in their future endeavors to continue to work toward a strong, responsible and visionary synthetic biology industry.
iGEM Startups – supports the development of iGEM’s entrepreneurial community. The vision of the program is to become the driving force behind hundreds of SynBio based start-ups globally to help accelerate our transition to a more sustainable bioeconomy.
Respect & Responsibility – a world class program that is pioneering what it means to innovate responsibly, to fully consider (and deliver) biological solutions that are safe and secure, and to work together in a manner that is respectful and inclusive of people from many backgrounds.
We invite you to join us as we continue to build infrastructure and develop new initiatives to grow and support the global synthetic biology community. We look forward to the continued evolution of the new iGEM in 2023 when the next competition season begins!
Invest in the future by partnering with iGEM, exhibiting at future iGEM Grand Jamborees, or sponsoring iGEM teams. Contact: sponsor [AT] igem [DOT] org.
