This blog is where we share stories, announcements, and insights from around the iGEM community.
One of the standout success stories from this year’s iGEM Startups cohort is Paqta, a trailblazer biotech startup from Lima, Peru. Paqta’s co-founders shared their startup story and discussed current milestones with iGEM Startups, while offering their insights on the unique challenges and opportunities within the Peruvian and broader Latin American biotech sectors.
Over the years, different organizational structures have emerged to overcome some of the challenges that are unique to high school teams. In the early years, most high school teams were organized by the high schools themselves or by community labs. In 2020, it came to our attention some high school iGEM teams were being organized by third-party institutions that were building teams for high schools that did not have access to laboratory facilities and/or for high school students who did not have an iGEM program at their own school.
Right now, the world is excitedly watching the Summer Olympics taking place in Paris. For some, the Olympics offer a glimpse of impressive athletes and teams who have committed to their sport to compete at the highest level. In October, there will be another Olympics (of sorts) in Paris, where the participants are no less impressive and no less committed – the iGEM 2024 Grand Jamboree – the World Expo of synthetic biology and the culminating event of the iGEM Competition.
We are thrilled to announce that the iGEM 2024 Grand Jamboree – the World Expo of Synthetic Biology – will once again be held under the High Patronage of Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and the Patronage of Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.
iGEM Startups Summer School helps 2024 iGEM teams to refine their entrepreneurship part in iGEM project and race for the Best Entrepreneurship Prize yet to give them a better idea of what they can do with their project post-iGEM competition.
Get insights in to successful iGEM Competition teams and their projects and learn from them the tips and tricks that can help you have a successful iGEM competition season.
In just a few days, we will celebrate the birth of Gregor Johann Mendel, considered the father of modern genetics. Mendel found that each of the traits he studied were inherited as discrete units rather than blended together at each new generation. Those discrete units of inheritance are now known as “genes”, which are made up of sequences of DNA. Today, over two hundred years later, iGEM teams from around the world are engineering sequences of DNA in ways Mendel would never have dreamed – designing, building and testing biological systems to tackle everyday issues facing the world.
Last year was a banner year for high schools in iGEM, with 119 teams participating, each experiencing the joys, frustrations, challenges, and rewards that come from working on an iGEM project. High school teams have been a part of iGEM since 2011, and their numbers have been growing ever since. Yet, because the iGEM Competition was originally designed for collegiate teams, high school teams have been in a perpetual state of experimentation as the elements and format of competition have been adapted to meet the unique challenges of high school teams. This post is the second of a series where we focus on high school teams in iGEM.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all over the news, and it's making waves in synthetic biology too. At iGEM, teams are leveraging AI as they push the boundaries of synthetic biology to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges. To give you some background and perspective on how past iGEM teams have incorporated AI in their work, check out these projects.
In 2011, iGEM began an experiment by opening up the competition to high school students. The idea was to see how well these young, ambitious students might respond to the challenges of the competition. The results have been overwhelmingly positive.
The productive four-week Venture Creation Labs have officially concluded, with 82 startups onboarded from across the region! Over the course of four weeks, our bioentrepreneurs delved into workshops, mentorship sessions, and pitching opportunities, emerging with newfound knowledge and refined strategies to drive their ventures forward.
Imagine a future where most cancers are prevented or even cured, where there is universal access to early detection and treatment, and where most (all?) cancer patients can expect to live cancer-free without trading the quality of life for length of life. At iGEM, teams are working to create such a future using the tools of synthetic biology. Check out these examples.
Due to their inherent safety, simplicity and portability , cell-free systems have become an increasingly important tool in iGEM and synthetic biology more broadly.
Nicolas Krink, CEO BioHalo, joins us for the BioFounders Interview. This series delves into the firsthand stories of iGEMers venturing into entrepreneurship. Documenting challenges, opportunities, experiences, and lessons for other startup founders.
Our world has entered a new era of infectious diseases, where emerging, re-emerging, and endemic pathogens spread quickly, aided by increased international air travel and global warming. At iGEM, teams are tackling infectious diseases by using the tools of synthetic biology to reduce disease transmission, prevent future epidemics and pandemics, and save lives.
Imagine closing of the session with full of intense brainstorming and ideation with a midnight discussion that sparks ideas but also the birth of a startup. That's exactly the unique experience offered at the iGEM Startups BioHackathon.
The future of the fashion and cosmetics industries may well lie in the hands of the future leaders of synthetic biology. These consumer-driven industries touch the lives of almost everyone on earth, but they also use massive amounts of raw materials and have an immense negative impact on the environment. At iGEM, teams are using synthetic biology to help move the fashion and cosmetics industries into a new, more sustainable, and animal cruelty-free era. Here are just a few examples of iGEM team projects that could usher in the next revolution in fashion and cosmetics.
Have you ever worked on a laptop computer? (perhaps you are reading this post on a laptop right now?) Have you ever used a cell phone to take a picture? Or get directions using your GPS? Have you ever had your temperature taken in your ear? Or lived in a home with a smoke detector? Or rested your head on a memory foam pillow? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are the beneficiary of space innovation!
Villages represent the global challenges that iGEMers are most interested in working on, and the solutions that iGEM teams put forth reflect the future of synthetic biology. In keeping with the changing needs of synthetic biology and the interests of the teams, iGEM Villages are constantly evolving. This year, we are introducing three new Villages: : Fashion & Cosmetics, Oncology, and Infectious Diseases.
This year, iGEM Startups highlights an iGEM alumna and female founder. Meet Dr. Lydia Mapstone, an alumna of iGEM Edinburgh OG in 2017 and the founder of BoobyBiome, a FemTech startup dedicated to developing an intact breast milk microbiome for babies.
