For the bronze medal, we completed the Wiki, Presentation Video (posted after Wiki freeze on the iGEM Video Universe), Judging Form and Judging Session (to be assessed during the Grand Jamboree).
On our attributions page, we acknowledged internal and external attributions to our project.
We made several meaningful contributions to the iGEM community spanning wet lab, dry lab, and documentation efforts. These include:
Full documentations are available on our contributions page.
In our project Oncoligo, we went through multiple iterations of the Design, Build, Test, Learn Engineering Cycle with nearly every aspect of our project. For more information, visit the engineering page.
Our project was shaped through ongoing engagement with stakeholders including cancer researchers, clinicians, industry professionals, and patients. These interactions guided our design, delivery approach, and therapeutic focus, ensuring that our work remains grounded in clinical and societal needs. Our Human Practices efforts include:
Learn more on our human practices page.
Our iGEM team demonstrated excellence in synthetic biology by combining innovative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and impactful community engagement. From the very beginning, we carefully studied the iGEM judging criteria to ensure that our project adhered to the highest scientific standards. Our project, Oncoligo, pioneers a novel cancer therapy by a modular solution for robust and specific cancer cell death.
Our efforts demonstrate how excellence in synthetic biology goes beyond lab work-it includes building connections between science and society, ensuring that our work is not only innovative but also meaningful and impactful for the world.
On our Model page, you can explore the engineering process behind our computational model for the antibody–ASO–epitope conjugate platform in cancer therapy.
Our computational model integrates novel predictive features and methods not considered in earlier approaches. It provides a ranking framework to select the most promising ASO sequences for a given target.
Key innovations include:
Beyond ASO design, we combined insights from the literature with computational methods — including large-scale data analysis and graph networks — to explore synthetic lethality for cancer-specific target prioritization.
In parallel, we applied established models to optimize antibodies for stable expression, precise targeting, and efficient epitope incorporation, ensuring effective delivery and immune engagement.
We approached entrepreneurship as an integral part of our project, developing a full commercialization strategy for our modular ASO-based cancer therapy. Our work included:
This work is detailed on our Entrepreneurship page.
To support the rational design of gene silencing with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)- for both therapeutic applications and research - we developed a dedicated ASO design software tool called TAUSO (TAU ASO Generator). The platform enables gene knockdown design in human cell lines, yeast, or E. coli. Users simply select an organism and target gene through an intuitive interface, and the software automatically generates multiple ASO designs ranked by predicted efficacy and safety. Once computation is complete, users receive a structured report directly to their email, including all designed sequences, predicted off-targets, and detailed thermodynamic scores. By creating this software resource, we aim to empower future iGEM teams and researchers working on RNA-based therapeutics and beyond. Full information is available on our Software page.
