(Correspondents Shen Yiru, Chen Yu, Yu Zhitao) Recently, our iGEM WHU- China team went to Boston, USA, to participate in the international genetic engineering machine competition 2019 (iGEM 2019), winning the gold medal from nearly 400 teams from 45 countries and regions around the world and nominated the best new application single award.

IGEM team of our school won the gold medal

Our iGEM team was nominated for the Best New Application Single Award

It is reported that the WHU-China team, inspired by the collection “Sushadanyi” of the Museum of Hunan Province, is committed to solving the light and fragile status of silk cultural relics, strengthening the silk cultural relics with biomaterials, and adding protein polypeptides that can resist mildew pollution and light damage, so as to improve the status of cultural relics and preserve them for a longer time. After continuous experiments and improvement, the project "SilKeep" was finally completed, and won the high praise of experts in cultural relics restoration and on-site judges.

Project Cchievement Cover Display

The team is composed of 19 undergraduates from the college of life sciences, Hony school, college of mathematics and statistics, and college of computer science. Professor Xie Zhixiong and Chen Yu of the college of life sciences serve as academic advisors. The undergraduate college has included this event in the key funding projects of 2019 discipline competition, and has given strong support in funding, platform support, etc. At the same time, the project is supported by the joint funds of the College of life sciences and Hony school.

WHU-iGEM Team of Our School

Shen Yiru, team leader and 2017 undergraduate of College of life sciences, introduced that the team members were in accordance with the dry and wet team, wet lab was responsible for the experiment, dry lab was responsible for the mathematical model, physical model, art and web design and social practice. Under the guidance of the teachers, the team members worked together to complete the silk reinforcement experiment, bacterial cellulose production experiment, adapter experiment and functional peptide (antibacterial peptide & antioxidant peptide) experiment.

"These four parts of the experiment, are not smooth sailing, but precisely because each step is not easy, so each step is very unforgettable." Song Liangyue, vice captain and 2017 undergraduate of Hongyi school, said that in the interdisciplinary cooperation, there are many collisions of ideas. Such communication not only enriches the whole project, but also gives each team member a broader knowledge framework.

It is reported that the international genetic engineering machine competition (iGEM) is the first interdisciplinary application competition in the world, which was founded by the world's top University Massachusetts Institute of technology in 2003. The competition requires students to choose their own topics, use their spare time to complete the experimental work of discipline cooperation, and cultivate their independent academic ability and team cooperation ability. It belongs to the world stage of scientific and technological exchange! The iGEM team needs to use the standard Biobricks to build gene circuits, establish effective mathematical models, and achieve the prediction, manipulation and measurement of sophisticated artificial biosystems to complete the competition.