"Building bridges for future innovation"
This year, our team is committed to developing a synergistic therapeutic platform for colorectal cancer. Beyond achieving our project goals, we aim to provide a series of valuable, open-source contributions to the iGEM community and future teams. Our contributions span across hardware design, software development, and experimental data.
| Type | Introduction |
|---|---|
| Part | Constructed the TRACER system (shielding, specific cleavage, penetration) and the Delivery system (environment-responsive lysis and drug release). |
| Hardware | Provide modeling files and size parameters of a smart, flexible hardware device. |
| Software | Provide the open-source code of our mobile control application. |
| Model | Developed a comprehensive, multi-scale modeling framework to guide our TRACER-IL24 drug delivery system from initial concept to clinical application prediction. |
| Human Practices | Developed a five-phase human practices model. |
| Art & Design | Created a variety of polished images and flowcharts. |
BIT team registered 8 basic parts and 7 new composite parts.
In 2025, the BIT team focused on human health and cancer therapy, addressing key challenges in the treatment of colorectal cancer by designing and constructing the TRACER system---featuring "shielding, specific cleavage, and penetration-based drug delivery"---along with the Deliver system based on an "environment-responsive lysis and drug release" mechanism.
The TRACER system exhibits high specificity toward cancer cells. By simply replacing the carried drug gene, research teams can achieve targeted delivery of various therapeutic agents. Other iGEM teams in the community can utilize this system to enhance drug delivery efficiency and reduce toxicity. Moreover, this "shielding--deshielding" strategy offers a valuable design paradigm for other iGEM teams developing genetic circuits.
The Delivery system introduces an innovative "oral colonization--oscillatory lysis drug release" strategy, leveraging both the tumor microenvironment and the body's natural circadian rhythm. By synchronizing drug release with intestinal mucosal renewal, this approach helps balance gut microbiome regulation and minimize potential harm from engineered bacteria to the host.
We successfully constructed and commissioned the synthesis of the TRACER-IL24 fusion protein.
This year, our team has developed a smart, thermo-responsive microneedle patch designed for on-demand, transdermal drug delivery. To inspire and assist future teams working on bio-electronic devices, we are open-sourcing our entire hardware design.
The goal of the hardware is to create a portable, user-friendly device that enables precise, real-time control over drug release. To achieve this, we adopted a typical engineering design process, moving from demand analysis to a proposed scheme, followed by feasibility verification and iterative improvement, ultimately leading to goal achievement.
Figure 1. Hardware Design Flowchart
The final structure is a multi-layered flexible patch, integrating an FPCB, a custom-developed heater film, and a dissolvable microneedle array.
The functions of each module are centrally controlled by an MCU. The system integrates a thermal control module, a wireless communication module, and a power management unit.
Figure 2. Hardware System Architecture Diagram
We are providing the complete KiCad/Eagle files for the PCB, the Bill of Materials (BOM), and the 3D modeling files for the device casing. We hope our detailed insights into hardware design philosophy, structural construction, and implementation methods will serve as a valuable reference for future iGEMers.
The software portion of the project involved the design of a mobile application that leverages Bluetooth communication to automate control of the hardware device and acquire temperature signals in real-time. This app provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) for users to easily program complex drug delivery schedules.
We are providing the complete, open-source code for our mobile application on GitLab. This allows future teams to adapt our software for their own hardware projects, saving them significant development time and providing a robust framework for human-machine interaction.
In our therapeutic delivery project this year, we developed a comprehensive, multi-scale modeling framework to guide our TRACER-IL24 drug delivery system from initial concept to clinical application prediction. This entire framework serves as a complete roadmap for future iGEM teams working on complex therapeutic projects.
The biggest challenge in designing large, activatable cell-penetrating peptides (ACPPs) is evaluating whether the "activation" truly enhances membrane translocation. We created the Transmembrane Readiness Framework (TRF), a systematic, multi-layered method that assesses cross-membrane potential from three critical angles: geometric interaction, thermodynamic feasibility, and kinetic stability.
All our models, analysis scripts, parameter tables, and intermediate files are fully documented and made available in our project's code repository. This transparency and commitment to reproducibility will empower future teams to build upon our work.
We have innovatively developed a five-phase human practices model - "Insight Capture - Ethics Anchor - Dialogue Co-creation - Market Insight - Feedback Cycle" - that deeply integrates scientific research, ethical considerations, and social values, forming a complete responsible innovation paradigm.
We established a multi-dimensional feedback cycle system through institutionalized communication mechanisms. This includes diverse information collection channels, dedicated feedback management positions, and a dual-track evaluation mechanism with monthly technical reviews and quarterly strategic advisory meetings.
Our design team has created a variety of polished images and flowcharts, all of which have been uploaded to the team's GitHub repository. These resources are freely available for future iGEM teams to reference and adapt for their own projects.