iGEM Announces Winners of the iGEM 2016 Synthetic Biology Competition

BOSTON - Nov. 7, 2016 - PRLog -- The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, iGEM (www.igem.org), welcomed 3,000 synthetic biologists from around the globe as they traveled to Boston for the annual iGEM Giant Jamboree(2016.igem.org/Giant_Jamboree), held on October 27-31, 2016.

This year 5,600 participants across 42 countries took part in the iGEM Competition, the world's premier synthetic biology competition for university and high school students.

iGEM is international, and as such it enables team to work on solutions to global challenges by building genetically engineered biological systems with standard, interchangeable parts. The breadth of iGEM projects is expansive. First time participants from the United States Naval Academy, Team USNA-Annapolis, focused on preventing aerosolized conotoxin attack(2016.igem.org/Team:USNA-Annapolis/Project), while Team Peshawar from Pakistan worked on addressing air pollution (2016.igem.org/Team:Peshawar).

The Grand Prize awards went to Team Imperial College, London (Undergraduate Section) for their work in developing a framework for engineering co-cultures(2016.igem.org/Team:Imperial_College), Team LMU-TUM Munich (Overgraduate Section) for developing a 3D printer for tissue printing(2016.igem.org/Team:LMU-TUM_Munich), and Team HSiTAIWAN (High School Section) for their work on screening toxins in Chinese medicine(2016.igem.org/Team:HSiTAIWAN).

"This year our iGEM teams lived in the future we all want for Synthetic Biology; a future where teams treat DNA as information instead of molecules" said Randy Rettberg, President of the iGEM Foundation. "For the students, this was a year of limitless possibilities. Where all teams, no matter where you lived or amount of resources, were given free DNA. For the first time, teams didn't have to think about how to get the DNA they need or work for weeks building it. Thanks to IDT, all teams were given customized DNA - accelerating their research and broadening the field."

The iGEM Giant Jamboree was a five-day event that celebrated the accomplishments of the iGEM 2016 competition. Held in Boston from October 27-31, 2016, the event featured oral presentations, poster presentations, workshops and social events. iGEM is proud to recognize the following teams of the iGEM 2016 Competition:

Undergraduate Section:

Grand Prize:Imperial College – for "Ecolibrium - developing a framework for engineering co-cultures" (http://2016.igem.org/Team:Imperial_College)

1st Runner-up:Sydney Australia – for "FRES(H)" - a fruit ripeness detector

(2016.igem.org/Team:Sydney_Australia)

2nd Runner-up:SCAU-China – for "aSTARice -- astaxanthin biosynthesis in rice endosperm"(2016.igem.org/Team:SCAU-China)

Overgraduate Section:

Grand Prize: LMU-TUMMunich – for "biotINK - rethINK tissue printing" (2016.igem.org/Team:LMU-TUM_Munich)

1st Runner-up: Wageningen UR – for "Saving honeybees from Varroa destructor: arming bacteria with targeted and specific toxin production against mites."(2016.igem.org/Team:Wageningen_UR)

High School Section:

Grand Prize: HSiTAIWAN – for "Biosensor for Toxin in Chinese Herb Medicine" (2016.igem.org/Team:HSiTAIWAN)

A complete list of results and project wikis are available on theiGEM 2016 Results page(2016.igem.org/Results), including winners for each of 12 Tracks (2015.igem.org/Tracks) and other special awards and medals.

About the iGEM Foundation

The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to education and competition, the advancement of synthetic biology, and the development of an open community and collaboration. Since its founding, over 28,000 people have participated in iGEM. Student teams design, build, and test their projects over the summer and gather to present their work and compete at the annual Jamboree in Boston, MA every fall. For more information, visit igem.org and 2016.igem.org.

Additional Resources

•iGEM 2016 Giant Jamboree Results: http://2016.igem.org/Results

•iGEM 2016 Giant Jamboree Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/igemhq/albums

SOURCE iGEM