In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, fostering scientific literacy and public engagement is more crucial than ever. Through a series of structured outreach activities, our team has sought to bridge the gap between advanced scientific research and public understanding, inspiring the next generation of innovators and building a sustainable ecosystem for synthetic biology.
School Visit: Enlightenment through Popularisation of Science, Sowing the Future
Actively developing clean energy and promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of the economy and society have become the general consensus of the international community to deal with global climate change. In this context, our NPU-CHINA iGEM team went to the Seventh High School of Xi'an High-Tech Zone and brought a vivid and inspiring science popularisation talk to the students.
In the 7th High School of Xi'an Hi-Tech Zone, NPU-CHINA iGEM team held a unique science talk with the theme of "Enzymatic Carbon Locking: New Mass Productivity and Intelligent Biomanufacturing for the Future of the Earth". In the activity, the team members introduced the cutting-edge synthetic biology, especially the research background and industrial application value of the topic of "Improving Thermal Stability of Xylanase" through well-prepared PPTs and vivid cases. Through the analysis of three typical application scenarios, such as paper industry, feed processing and bioenergy, the students deeply understood the urgency and importance of enzyme modification in industrial applications. The experimental demonstration showed the magic of xylanase as a biocatalyst, and its excellent performance in replacing chemical catalysts, enhancing resource utilisation and reducing energy costs gave the students a more intuitive and deeper understanding of green chemistry and sustainable development. Through this lively and interesting science popularisation activity, students not only understood the important role of science and technology innovation in enhancing industrial efficiency, but also deeply understood the significance of science and technology innovation on environmental protection.
NPU-CHINA iGEM team unveiled the mystery of synthetic biology to the students in a lively and interesting way. During the activity, we not only showed students the unique charm of synthetic biology, but also inspired them to think deeply about green chemistry and sustainable development. In the future, the team will continue to exert its scientific and technological power to contribute to the realisation of the "double carbon" goal and the construction of a better earth and home.
To popularize synthetic biology and ignite innovative passion on campus, our team organized a series of promotional activities centered around the iGEM competition. We systematically introduced iGEM's core philosophy and interdisciplinary nature through methods like themed seminars and interactive exhibition booths, successfully attracting numerous students to stop and engage.
As part of the outreach, the team specially designed merchandise that blended NPU's characteristic "Three Avenues" (Aviation, Aerospace, Navigation) themes with elements of life sciences. Items such as tote bags and keychains were well-received during sales on campus and in the community, serving as tangible mediums to communicate the spirit and fascination of the iGEM competition.
These initiatives effectively fostered an atmosphere of scientific inquiry and innovation on campus, significantly raising the profile and appeal of iGEM. They successfully guided more students to notice and develop an interest in participating in this cutting-edge international scientific endeavor.
Beyond engaging with young students in schools, we also recognized the importance of cultivating a robust synthetic biology community within our own university, creating a supportive environment for continuous innovation.
The establishment of NPU's Student Life Sciences Competition Association represents a strategic initiative aligned with national priorities in developing new quality productive forces and strengthening strategic talent cultivation. Embodying the university's educational philosophy of fostering "chief-engineer" capabilities, it serves as a key measure to deepen reform in life sciences education. The association provides comprehensive support for the iGEM competition through a full-chain training system encompassing "interest cultivation, skill development, project practice, and competition refinement." It introduces underclassmen to iGEM through academic seminars and lab visits, while organizing interdisciplinary teams for upper-level students to engage in the complete competition process—from project design and wet-lab work to modeling, human practices, and final presentations—systematically enhancing their innovative and practical abilities.
Furthermore, the association dedicates itself to consolidating high-quality resources across and beyond the university. By actively collaborating with the School of Life Sciences, the Academic Affairs Office, the University Youth League Committee, and external partners including biotech enterprises and research institutes, it secures multifaceted support in policy, funding, and technical expertise for iGEM participants. The establishment of joint laboratories and practice bases through these efforts provides a solid platform and resource guarantee, empowering teams to transform innovative ideas into high-impact outcomes with societal value.
This systematic support framework not only significantly boosts the university's competitiveness in iGEM and other international competitions but also creates a virtuous cycle where "education, research, competition, and industry" mutually reinforce each other, providing strong support for cultivating top-tier life sciences talents with global vision and innovative capabilities.
During the practical research conducted at the Baoji Science and Technology Museum, the team, guided by docent Zhao Qing, systematically investigated the profound connections between traditional wisdom and modern technology. In the Children's Science, members observed how interactive devices used mechanical structures to replicate the scientific principles behind traditional puzzle games, appreciating the continuity of scientific thinking across time. In the Scientific Exploration exhibition area, modern demonstrations of sound, light, and electricity resonated with the exploratory achievements of ancient artisans in fields like optics and mechanics, highlighting the historical context of technological development. Meanwhile, in the Life and Health section, the traditional philosophy of "harmony between nature and humanity" was vividly presented through modern multimedia technology, sparking the team's reflection on potential integration points between biotechnology and traditional health concepts.
Building on this investigation, the team conducted a preliminary sorting and categorization of the craft data, technical challenges, and innovative ideas gathered earlier from various locations in Shaanxi. This process not only helped identify multiple points of convergence between traditional wisdom and modern technology but also clarified the key focuses for the subsequent practical phase in Guangdong, ensuring the project's coherence and depth in its mission to "empower traditional crafts through technology."
While the exploration of traditional technological wisdom provided us with a historical perspective, to glimpse the future trends and industrial applications of biotechnology, we needed to step into a modern science museum representing the cutting edge.
The team conducted a research visit to the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum, whose exhibitions span diverse fields such as intelligent technology, life sciences, and green energy, with a distinct focus on the integration of cutting-edge technology and industrial application. In the life sciences exhibition area, members studied real-world application cases of gene editing and synthetic biology, gaining a deeper understanding of their roles in pharmaceutical development, agricultural breeding, and industrial biomanufacturing. Through interactive simulations of intelligent production processes, the team witnessed firsthand how modern technology can optimize traditional crafts, inspiring innovative thinking on applying engineering biology approaches to enhance traditional techniques.
During the visit, the team actively introduced the core philosophy and past achievements of the iGEM competition to visitors and staff, connecting the exhibition content with the unique value of synthetic biology in solving real-world problems and driving process innovation. This research not only broadened the team's perspective on the cross-disciplinary integration of biotechnology but also provided concrete technical references and public engagement experience for the iGEM project, strengthening the practical logic of "empowering tradition through technology."
While public education sows the seeds for future scientific development, active engagement with peers and industry is key to translating these ideas into tangible impact. Our competition journey and platform building are a concentrated reflection of this process.
Building an Ecological Future for Synthetic Biology
The iGEM 2025 Western Region Exchange Meeting was successfully held, providing a valuable platform for synthetic biology enthusiasts and researchers in the western region and even the whole country to showcase their achievements, exchange ideas and collide wisdom. In the exchange meeting, seven teams brought their unique research results, from the Picrosystems total biosynthesis of bosonin to the collagen biomanufacturing targeting DDRs, from the visual detection technology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the AI-assisted intelligent screening of enzyme design, and each result shone with the light of innovation. During the free discussion session, the participating teachers and students carried out in-depth and enthusiastic exchanges around the project innovations, technical difficulties and application prospects, and the atmosphere was warm and cordial. The summary speech of the instructors and the thank-you speech of the representatives of the organising committee spoke highly of the success of the conference and expressed high hopes for the development of synthetic biology in the future. "The conference not only demonstrated the innovative vitality and scientific research strength of the whole western region in the field of synthetic biology, but also promoted academic exchanges and cooperation, and provided a strong impetus to improve teamwork, innovative thinking and interdisciplinary integration, as well as building a synthetic biology ecosystem together.
Xylanase research by IGEM team of NWIT achieves multi-dimensional breakthroughs
In the 4th Synthetic Biology Competition held at Shenzhen University of Technology from 6th August to 9th August 2025, the IGEM team of Northwestern Polytechnic University demonstrated remarkable results in the research and optimisation of xylanase (Xylanase), and finally included the national silver medal, showing the team's innovation and technical strength in the field of synthetic biology.
At the beginning of the research, the team focused on the analysis of xylanase action sites and carried out in-depth work on the improvement of thermal stability, through the construction of recombinant expression vectors of xylanase with different types of mutations, and transformed them into Pichia pastoris by electroporation technology, and the positive transformants were obtained by bleomycin screening; for the thermal stability, the supernatant of different strains of fermentation broths were subjected to thermal treatment, and the activity test was combined to screen out the thermal stability and the activity of the fermentation broths. The team also successfully screened high-copy recombinant Pichia pastoris yeast for thermal stability by using a high concentration of bleomycin and high-throughput activity assay, which dramatically increased the expression of xylanase to 4,000 units per litre, which is about three times of the activity of the existing commercial enzyme. Meanwhile, the team proposed an innovative enzyme design strategy by mining the thermotolerant xylanase gene from thermophilic bacteria to construct a structure-function database, predicting the three-dimensional conformation using AlphaFold2, and then performing computer-directed evolution through the ProGen2 language model, and designing an unnatural-sequence xylanase, which is expected to have an excellent performance with a theoretical melting point of 85°C and a half-life of not less than 45 minutes at 85°C. minutes, far exceeding the benchmark of 18 hours at 70°C for existing enzymes. To enhance expression efficiency, the team constructed a pGAP + TEF1 dual promoter cassette for constitutive expression in Baker's yeast, which shortened fermentation time from 120 to 96 hours without reducing enzyme yield. In addition, the team used Box - Behnken response surface methodology to optimise the pH, dissolved oxygen level and inorganic salt ratio during Picot yeast fermentation to determine the optimal fermentation conditions to improve productivity. In terms of production process, we continued to use Baker's yeast as the core expression host, maintained the simple and efficient downstream treatment process of crude extraction and spray drying, and also performed sequence modification of the α - factor signal peptide (α - MF) to improve the secretion efficiency of the target protein. The research of IGEM team in Northwestern Polytechnic University in the field of xylanase not only highlights the great potential of synthetic biology, but also provides new ideas and methods for the development of industrial enzyme preparations. In the future, the team will continue to plough into the field of synthetic biology, and promote the transformation and application of more innovative achievements.
Building on the interdisciplinary strengths of the iGEM project, the team successfully applied for and participated in Northwestern Polytechnical University's summer "Challenge Listing" social practice initiative. Leveraging the college's resources and accumulated expertise, the team visited companies, conducted community surveys, and actively engaged in industry-academia collaboration, establishing joint social practice bases with nine organizations.
This social practice fully demonstrated the team's comprehensive strengths in cross-disciplinary collaboration and resource integration, as well as the significant role of the iGEM competition in fostering students' innovative practical abilities and promoting industry-academia synergy. In a competitive field of over 100 university teams, the team advanced through the initial screening and delivered an on-site presentation in the finals, ultimately earning third prize.
The Competition for New Liberal Arts aims to bridge the gap between academic curricula and real-world social issues, encouraging students to apply their professional knowledge to practical problem-solving and facilitate the integration of new ideas and technologies across disciplines.
Our team, grounded in the national context of integrating technological innovation with cultural heritage, actively responds to the call of the 14th Five-Year Plan regarding the inheritance of traditional culture and the innovation-driven development strategy. We focus on empowering the digital transformation of traditional crafts through biotechnology, exploring new pathways for their preservation and modern development.
During the project, the team conducted in-depth field research on representative traditional crafts and enterprises in Shaanxi, Guangdong, and other regions. By combining biotechnology with AI methods, we strive to uncover the scientific principles behind ancient techniques and formulas and promote their modern application and industrial utilization. Furthermore, we have built an open platform that aggregates traditional craft resources and modern biotechnology cases. By training lightweight AI models, we have achieved functions such as process optimization and flavor prediction, effectively fostering industry-academia-research integration and synergistic development between technology and culture.
From classrooms to competition venues, from local science museums to national platforms, the core of the multi-layered educational ecosystem we have built has always been "connection"—connecting the present with the future, academia with industry, and technology with society. These efforts collectively reinforce our core belief that true innovation occurs not only within the laboratory but wherever knowledge, passion, and societal needs intersect. We remain committed to expanding the boundaries of this ecosystem, inspiring more people to collectively shape a more sustainable future driven by biotechnology.