In the early morning of October 27, the BUCTiGEM2024 team from School of Life, Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) won the gold medal in the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition 2024 (iGEM) held in Paris, France, and achieved another success, which demonstrated the excellence of the BUCT students in the international arena.
(Group photo of the team from left to right: Xiaolin Shen, Zhihua Long, Linwei Yu, Junbin Li, Li Liu, Zihao Li)
The iGEM Competition, initiated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is the world's top synthetic biology competition. This year's competition attracted 438 teams and over 8,000 participants worldwide. In the highly competitive environment, BUCT iGEM2024 team stood out with their innovative project “Broccoli Master”. The project demonstrates the potential of synthetic biology in health and environmental protection by synthesizing the anticancer compound lysergic acid thiolane from scratch using brewer's yeast, providing a new low-cost and sustainable approach to cancer treatment.
Cancer is a major health problem, and chemotherapy, the mainstay of treatment, is often associated with severe side effects and limited efficacy. Rafflesulfanes are isothiocyanate compounds found in cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli seeds) that have potent anticancer properties with few side effects. However, the production of lysergic acid thiolanes through plants can be land-wasting, costly and unsustainable. The team aimed to synthesize lycopene-thiolanes from scratch using the brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), and combined computational and synthetic biology techniques to devise a “multi-enzymatic co-localization strategy” based on two important P450 enzymes in the pathway to enhance their production. This approach will reduce costs, minimize land waste and deforestation, support the global response to climate change, and improve human health.
(Image: theme page of the promotion video)
The team was guided by five teachers: Xiaolin Shen, Jia Wang, Xinxiao Sun, Zhengjun Li and Yifei Zhang. With the support of the instructors, the team carried out full preparation and in-depth research from experimental design, modeling analysis to practical application solutions. on October 21st, the instructor Prof. Shen Xiaolin led the team leader, Yu Linwei, and the team members, Lai Junbin, Long Zhihua, Li Zihao and Liu Li, to participate in the competition in Paris, where they met with the participants from all over the world face-to-face. During the booth display, on-site presentations and judging sessions, the team demonstrated the scientific and social value of the project, which was highly evaluated by the judges.
(Photo: Team members communicating their project with the judges and other team members)
BUCTiGEM2024 team said that the award could not be won without the hard work of every member and instructor, as well as the strong support from the university. In the future, they will continue to explore the cutting-edge applications of synthetic biology and contribute more to the promotion of human health and global sustainable development.
(Photo: Group photo between participating teams)