Through this year’s iGEM journey, our project “Coliguard: the New Era of UC Treatment” allowed us to experience both the challenges of scientific research and the excitement of achieving meaningful breakthroughs. Although the performance of Lactobacillus did not fully meet our initial expectations, we successfully demonstrated scFv secretion and antigen-binding capability, and established a preliminary framework for a scalable oral antibody platform. These achievements laid the foundation for our Silver Medal and provide valuable references for future researchers exploring oral therapeutics for ulcerative colitis.

We hope our work can inspire new directions for treating chronic intestinal inflammation—moving toward safer, more affordable, and patient-centered UC therapies.

Finally, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our advisors, lab mentors, collaborating experts, and the iGEM judges. Their guidance and feedback shaped our project and made this competition an unforgettable and deeply meaningful experience.