January ​
From January 6th to 15th, we held the ten-day winter training on synthetic biology and the iGEM competition.
The training was structured into three components:
- Sharing experiences from Fudan iGEM 2024 members to prepare new members with essential skills and knowledge while allowing them to select their own focuses based on interest.
- Ice-breaking among new members to build effective communication.
- Through brainstorming and three rounds of idea competitions, we conceptualized potential project proposals and ultimately defined the research direction for iGEM 2025, with further refinements in subsequent phases.
Through these training programs, we ensured seamless transfer of knowledge and experience between alumni and new members, maintained team continuity, and fostered team growth. We also actively sought valuable feedback from faculty, inviting their suggestions on our brainstorming initiatives. Ultimately, inspired by the insights of alumnus Kai Tong and under the mentorship of Professor Ratcliff, a leading figure in experimental evolution, we selected multicellular yeast as our chassis organism and developed the initial concept for our subsequent project, DR.sTraTeGY (Drug Resistance mutation Tracking Technology based on Grape Yeast).
February ​
During the Spring Festival, we organized into groups based on individual skills and interests to conduct modular research. We thoroughly studied previous iGEM projects and compiled our findings by the end of February, which significantly enhanced our understanding of the iGEM Judging Handbook. Concurrently, we clarified each team member's tasks and roles to advance the project through further literature investigation.
March ​
We held regular meetings to refine the design of both dry and wet-lab experiments based on our winter break preparations. These collaborative sessions helped clarify team responsibilities and establish workflows for various experimental tasks. During the meetings, each team member reported on the progress of their assigned tasks. We developed fluorescent molecular clock as a real-time tracker to monitor the evolutionary history of multicellular yeast and uploaded clothing designs featuring our project logo to the Animal Crossing platform.
Additionally, we corresponded with Professor Ratcliff via email and received valuable suggestions for organizing education initiatives. Based on practical considerations, we identified butterfly children (patients with Epidermolysis Bullosa)as the target group for our inclusivity efforts. We subsequently hosted Garden Party, using interactive games to popularize synthetic biology knowledge in an engaging format.
April ​
On April 15th, we conducted an interview with Professor Huang to advance our investigation into fungal drug resistance mechanisms. Our discussion focused on the primary evolutionary pathways of fungal resistance and explored the application of multicellular systems in resistance monitoring.
This discussion clarified the crucial role of chromosomal aneuploidization in the development of drug resistance, providing key theoretical support for constructing our multicellular yeast monitoring platform.
May ​
On May 11th, our team secured the second prize at the Shanghai Stock Exchange Cup Haiju Yingcai Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
On May 13th, we attended the lecture "The Art of Interviewing: From Research Questions to Profound Dialogue" and subsequently integrated enhanced interviewing techniques into our Human Practices initiatives. Concurrently, through an interview with Professor Zhu from Huashan Hospital, we received valuable guidance to transition our research focus from "strain screening" to "drug screening," while validating the correlation between our multicellular yeast system and clinical strains to ensure its practical applicability.
On May 16th, we collaborated with CJUH-JLU-China to refine our educational outreach strategies, implementing personalized science communication approaches tailored to the audience's age and educational background.
On May 17th, we connected with middle school students in Henan Province through letter exchanges, effectively promoting iGEM and our project's vision.
June ​
On June 27th - 28th, we attended The Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association (CBA-China) Annual Conference 2025 and engaged in project discussions with teams including Nanjing-China, ZJU-China, ShanghaiTech-China, and SJTU-BioX-Shanghai.
On June 30th, we partnered with CSU-China to co-organize an online lecture focusing on synthetic biology as a cutting-edge interdisciplinary field, introducing high school students to career development paths and prospects in life sciences.
We also jointly produced the children's picture book "My Microbe Friends" with AFMU-China.
July ​
On July 7th, we named our multicellular yeast "Grape Yeast" based on its morphological characteristics and officially designated the project as "DR.sTraTeGY". During the summer vacation, we conducted a series of wet-lab experiments including yeast culturing, competent cell preparation, plasmid extraction, and NotI enzyme digestion followed by yeast transformation.
Furthermore, we collaborated with USTC, Nanjing-China, SJTU-BioX-Shanghai, and ZJU-China to organize educational initiatives, producing instructional videos on microbial painting. Throughout mid-to-late July, we conducted multiple microbial science outreach activities in various communities, successfully inspiring children's interest in scientific exploration.
August ​
From August 6th to 8th, we participated in the Conference of China iGEM Community (CCiC), where we engaged with over 100 teams in focused discussions on Human Practices and exchanged valuable project insights, witnessing firsthand the dynamic progress of synthetic biology in China.
During this period, our conversation with Ms. Su revealed that Human Practices should fundamentally employ "oneself as methodology" to design reflexive activities through examining our relationship to the project theme. This approach ensures profound integration of engagement with research objectives while maintaining methodological rigor to reduce bias.
Meanwhile, we collaborated with 33 iGEM teams to compile the "Debunking Synthetic Biology Myths" handbook. This guide clarifies common misconceptions and aims to help the public identify and avoid misinformation related to synthetic biology.
September ​
On September 3rd, we took part in the Star Forum and listened to Professor Jianpeng Ma's presentation on the deep integration of AI and life sciences. He analyzed how algorithms create value in biological fields and explored future trends and potential challenges.
On September 11th, we organized a joint project sharing session with CSU-China, SZU-China, SUSTech-China, SCAU-China and ULink Education Group. Through these exchanges, we introduced synthetic biology concepts and presented our project in detail, while collecting valuable feedback and diverse perspectives.
In late September, we implemented targeted outreach initiatives for communities affected by fungal diseases. We conducted photovoice workshops and healthcare accessibility mapping for patients, organized collaborative art exhibitions and handicraft charity sales for Butterfly Children, and delivered elderly-focused seminars exposing "high-tech scams" while educating about legitimate synthetic biology-based drug development.
Over the course of one month, we jointly developed an educational mini-game with USTC that visualizes gene editing processes through intuitive gameplay mechanics.
Our laboratory team proceeded with wet-lab experiments and analyzed the results using fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and deep sequencing.
October ​
We finalized the authorship for different web pages and divided the tasks to start writing the pages and summarizing previous work. Meanwhile, all members worked 24x7, analyzing wet-lab results, refining dry-lab work and optimizing the project presentation video until the final deadline.
And, Paris - we are coming!
