Ten-year iGEM: 2008

How was your subject design inspired?

IGEM 2008 had not only brilliant team members with excellent biological experiment skills, but also students with interdisciplinary background who were proficient in modeling. We carried out two subjects in parallel. One is about the chemotaxis of bacteria, based on the combination of mathematical modeling and experimental verification. The other is optimizing the efficiency for bacteria to produce PHA via genetic feedback pathway, which matched the strength of synthetic biology in Tsinghua University. For more details please visit http://2008.igem.org/Team:Tsinghua.

Any challenge and adjustment in the process?

Back in 2007-2008, iGEM in Tsinghua was still in its starting period. We really met lots of problems in the arrangement of time, place and financial support. For time arrangement, most team members had to finish their schoolwork, experiments in their own lab and subject of iGEM in parallel, which could be quite challenging. For place arrangement, we didn’t have specific laboratory for iGEM experiments, which lower the efficiency of experiment management objectively. Meanwhile, we didn’t get stable financial support at the very beginning, causing negative impact on our project progression. Fortunately, financial problem was finally solved, thanks to the support from our school and department, as well as some alumni and enterprises. We felt quite lucky and grateful for their help.

The most unforgettable moment during participation of iGEM?

For me the most unforgettable moment is the morning we set off to Boston, after a year of studious experiment, and a month of preparation for the final exhibition. At that time, although tired physically, we were all in a high spirit. I’d like to acknowledge all of our team members and advisors: Professor Zhirong Sun, Professor Guoqiang Zhang, Xue Gao, Qi Liu, Yicheng Long, Xin Rong, Luying Jia, Ziying Liu, Shan Lin, Ding Ma, Yuemeng Wang, He Yang, Yuanfan Yang, Yongqiang Gou, Feng Tian, Jun Wang, Yaxuan Yang, Junjie Luo, Zi Wang, Junya Peng.

Any regret about the project?

Due to limitation of experience, time and objective condition, we didn’t finish the subject thoroughly. It was regrettable indeed, but we had tried our best after all.

What do you think of iGEM team in Tsinghua?

Tsinghua iGEM is an excellent group with full unity and long-range pursuit. The team of iGEM 2008 I participated in was the best cooperating team I have ever met!

What’s your percipience of synthetic biology? How the experience of iGEM influenced your thought?

At the beginning I thought synthetic biology was a cool emerging subject, which would bring lots of brand new technology and concept into the whole biological field, and it had great practical value too, despite the simple, crude, low-efficient and inaccurate molecular biological technologies at that time. In the past ten years, we have experienced explosive evolution in the technologies of DNA synthesis and genomic engineering, making synthetic biology one of the fastest-growing subject in the field of biology. Meanwhile, synthetic biology has become an important platform that helps to solve multiple problems in basic sciences, fitness and industry, etc. One example is the study of CAR-T tumor immunotherapy. In the future, synthetic biology can certainly release its potential. The experience in iGEM made me interested with synthetic biology, and willing to try the advanced technology in this field.

Any suggestion and blessing to future iGEMers?

It is really a precious and unique experience in college to participate in such a meaningful, open-ended scientific research activity with a group of team members with brilliant talent and similar pursuit. Hope you can enjoy this process, release your potential, and do the best you can.

What kinds of jobs do iGEMer take now? Are they still in the field of biology, and engaged with synthetic biology?

Most members of iGEM 2008 in our school now are engaged in scientific research or drug development as postdocs or scientists/managers in pharmaceutical companies. Synthetic biology has certainly been a key for everyone to solve problems in their career.

By  Yilong Zou