On October 27, “BUCTiGEM2024”, a student team from the College of Life Science and Technology, BUCT, won the gold medal in the 2024 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition held at Paris, France. This achievement is a vivid demonstration of the innovative talent and entrepreneurial spirit of BUCT students on the international stage.
Team BUCTiGEM2024
(From Left to Right: Shen Xiaolin, Long Zhihua, Yu Linwei, Li Junbin, Liu Li, Li Zihao)
The iGEM competition, initiated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , is a world-leading event in synthetic biology. This year, it attracted 438 teams around the globe, amassing over 8,000 participants to join the event. Amongst numerous competitors, BUCTiGEM2024 stood out with its innovative project titled“Broccoli Master”. The project, which synthesizes sulforaphane de novo in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, proposes a new solution to cancer that is both cost-efficient and sustainable, shedding light on the immense potential of synthetic biology in healthcare areas and environmental protection.
Cancer is a major health issue, and chemotherapy, while a primary treatment, often has severe side effects and limited effectiveness. Sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli seeds, has strong anti-cancer properties with minimal side effects. However, its production from plants leads to land waste, high costs, and unsustainable practices.
The team aimed to synthesize sulforaphane de novo in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and use computational and synthetic biology to enhance its yield. This approach will reduce costs, land waste, and deforestation, offering a sustainable alternative that supports global climate change efforts and improves human health.
Shen Xiaolin, Wang Jia, Sun Xinxiao, Li Zhengjun, and Zhang Yifei advised the team on their project. Under their careful guidance, the team carried out intensive studies throughout the process, making concrete preparations and thorough investigations in experiment design, modelling and analysis, as well as the final application planning.
On October 21, the team started for Paris to join the event. Led by Professor Shen Xiaolin, the team is composed of five students, respectively Yu Linwei, the student leader, and four team members, Li Junbin, Long Zhihua, Li Zihao, and Liu Li. During the competition, the team showcased both scientific and social significance of their project in booth presentation, live stage talk and judging sessions, and was received with high praises from the judges.
Team Member in Presentation
After winning the gold medal, the team expressed sincere thanks to each member and their advisors for their endeavors, as well as gratitude for the strong support of BUCT. In the future, they will keep abreast of the cutting-edge research in synthetic biology application, and further contribute to human health and global sustainable development.
It is the third time that BUCT wins the gold medal in iGEM Competition. In 2020 and 2021, student teams from the College of Life Science and Technology and School of International Education representing BUCT also won the golds in the event.