Project Contributions
Our Contribution to the iGEM Community
At NeuroSplice, we believe that iGEM is about more than just building a project, it’s about contributing to a global community of student scientists who are shaping the future of synthetic biology. With this mindset, we’ve dedicated our work not only to developing biological parts, but also to sharing the computational tools and educational resources we created along the way. Our goal is to make it easier for future teams to expand on our work and apply it to their own diagnostic challenges. From refining toehold switch performance to designing approachable outreach materials, we hope our contributions leave a lasting impact that extends well beyond this year’s competition.
Documentation
1. Wet Lab Parts: New RNA-Sensing Toolkit
Development and rigorous characterization of new toehold switch constructs.
We designed and characterized a series of toehold switch constructs capable of detecting the soluble IL7R. Each construct contains:
- A trigger-binding region complementary to the exon-6 splice junction of sIL7R.
- A hairpin stem-loop that hides the ribosome binding site (RBS) and start codon until the trigger RNA binds.
- A GFP reporter that produces fluorescence when the switch is successfully activated.
Key Improvements to the Toehold Platform:
- Added buffer sequences upstream to stabilize RNA folding.
- Reduced G-rich trailing regions to prevent unintended secondary structures.
- Tested different GFP variants (including sfGFP) to improve ON/OFF contrast.
- Adjusted DNA concentrations (from 96 nM to 160 nM) to balance reaction strength in TX-TL systems when RNA triggers were added.
These improvements resulted in a robust and reusable RNA-sensing toolkit that other teams can easily adapt for their own diagnostic projects.
2. Part Collection: Building a Synthetic Biology Library
Documentation and submission of our 9 improved, validated biological parts.
A core contribution of the NeuroSplice project is the development and rigorous validation of new and improved biological parts. Our submission includes a total of 9 carefully documented and validated biological parts, focusing on providing a complete, ready-to-use toolkit for RNA-sensing applications:
Composite Part (Full Device)
BBa_25FW15AV
Full IL7R Δ6 Sensor Device
Complete expression cassette that produces sfGFP only when the IL7R Δ6 trigger binds the toehold switch.
Basic Part (Riboswitch)
BBa_25CPXDO0
IL7R Δ6 Toehold Riboswitch
RNA toehold switch (5'UTR) that sequesters the RBS/AUG. Activated by the cognate trigger RNA to permit translation.
Basic Part (Trigger Oligo)
BBa_257KJT8O
IL7R Δ6 Splice Junction Trigger
RNA oligo (reverse complement of the Δ6 junction) that specifically binds the toehold to open the hairpin.
Basic Part (Coding Sequence)
BBa_25SIIXDB
sfGFP CDS (No Start Codon)
sfGFP sequence designed to rely on the upstream toehold's ATG for translation initiation.
Basic Part (Linker)
BBa_25MGETYD
8 Amino Acid Linker Peptide
A short coding linker (8 aa) placed in-frame after the toehold's ATG to provide spacing before GFP.
Basic Part (5' Insulator)
BBa_25F7N9EO
5' Leader/Upstream Insulator
A sequence placed 5' of the promoter to minimize context-dependent secondary structure effects.
Basic Part (5'UTR Buffer)
BBa_25NHXE3I
5'UTR "GG" Buffer (Enhancer)
A short "GG" buffer placed after the promoter to improve initiation and insulate the toehold.
Basic Part (3' Insulator)
BBa_25EAUO3A
3' Trailer/Downstream Insulator
Sequence placed 3' of the terminator to buffer the cassette from downstream backbone or adjacent elements.
Basic Part (Control Oligo)
BBa_2563P5EX
Negative Control Trigger Oligo
Scrambled RNA oligo (28 nt) used as a non-activating control for toehold-switch experiments.
All 9 parts are fully documented with functional data, sequence verification (Sanger Sequencing), and detailed usage information on the iGEM Part Registry, ensuring their utility and reliability for the synthetic biology community.
3. Open-Access Educational Materials
Teaching Brain Health to Students and the Community
Beyond the lab, we wanted to share science in ways that connect with everyday life. Our team created educational materials that teach children about the brain—how it works, why healthy habits keep it strong, and how people can support those living with brain conditions:
- A children’s book that uses stories and illustrations to explain the brain’s functions, the importance of caring for it, and showing kindness to people with brain diseases.
- Interactive Presentation that introduced students to brain health through simple explanations, visuals, and discussions on healthy habits like sleep, nutrition, and curiosity.
All of these materials are open-access and designed for use in classrooms, community events, or outreach programs.