By DKU Staff
A team of undergraduate researchers from Duke Kunshan has received a silver medal in the 2021 iGEM Competition, an international synthetic biology event, after proposing an eco-friendly solution to the environmental threat posed by algal bloom.
This year’s competition, held online Nov. 4 to 14, attracted almost 400 teams from institutions around the world including Duke University, Wuhan University, the University of Edinburgh, and Kyoto University.
The Duke Kunshan team focused its proposal on blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, which can cover the surface of lakes and other bodies of water. Untreated, the algae can cause imbalances in the underwater ecosystem and release a mixture of toxins, potentially affecting human health.
To tackle the issue, the team devised and tested an environmentally friendly method using a peptide composed of 15 amino acids that target just one species of freshwater cyanobacteria, thereby reducing the risk of harm to other species. The undergraduate researchers also used mathematical modelling to design an innovative physical delivery system: A flexible, biodegradable floating unit that would release the peptide at a controlled rate.
The team’s bio group: From left, (front row) Yunji Lee, Yixuan Wu, (second row) Jiani Chen, Yunfei Lyu, Ruoxian Xu, Zhenyu Xu, Yang Yu, (back row) Ziqin Wang and Jingsong Shan
The team’s data group: From left, Yufan Zhang, Zichao Chen, Jingwei Li and Yuxuan Wang
Junior student Jiani Chen, the team’s leader, said the idea to tackle cyanobacteria was inspired by a visit one undergraduate researcher took to Taihu Lake, a large freshwater lake in East China that has had issues with blue-green algae.
“At the beginning, we were checking for recent research breakthroughs and had targeted two areas: environmental issues and disease detection. We narrowed this down to using a biological method to kill cyanobacteria,” said Chen. As iGEM also looks for innovation, she added, the team came up with the idea of using polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), naturally produced polyesters, for the delivery system, and exosomes, natural lipid droplets released by the cells, as the drug carrier.
The interdisciplinary team — which included majors in molecular bioscience, data science, and materials science — consulted commercial and academic experts to draw up its proposal. Duke Kunshan professors Linfeng Huang, Shixin Xu, Yajuan Lin, Huansheng Cao and Chuanhui Gu also provided supervision and advice.
With the team spread across China and the United States, Chen said it was difficult to coordinate the wet lab researchers, the mathematical modelers, and the students building the competition wiki page. “We began preparing for the final presentation in the middle of August, but it was only in the two weeks before the presentation that we became really effective. Everyone made iGEM their priority,” she said.
Funding for the research project came from the DKU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, the Office of Student Affairs, and Nikon.
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology. Its main program is the interdisciplinary iGEM Competition, which provides undergraduate, postgraduate and high school students with the opportunity to explore the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling everyday issues.
Duke Kunshan iGEM 2021 silver medalists: Jiani Chen (team leader), Yunfei Lyu, Ziqin Wang, Zhenyu Xu, Ruoxian Xu, Yixuan Wu, Yang Yu, Jingsong Shan, Zhang Yufan, Ziqin Wang, Jingwei Li, Yuxuan Wang, Zichao Chen.
Read more about the team’s proposal at its iGEM wiki page.
Find out more about the iGEM Competition.
