Team members collaborating
Team members collaborating
During the winter holidays, we organised winter training and team practices with the aim of providing basic training on the competenciesn that will be needed for iGEM competitions, in order to help you get a quick introduction to iGEM competitions, to understand the core of the competition and to master the basic skills.
January
From 12-18 January, led by Tsinghua-M 2024 team members and advisors, we had a one-week winter training on synthetic biology and iGEM tournaments, with objectives including:
1. Share the experience of iGEM 2024 members from Tanwei College, Tsinghua University, introduce the tournament to new team members, provide basic skills and knowledge and encourage them to research past projects and think about their own interests;
2. Lead new team members to break the ice in order to enhance follow-up communication;
3. Brainstorming through analysis and discussion of outstanding projects to prepare for team training.
Schedule of Training Session
Working Flow
Deliverables (Example of 2024)
Part of Training Content Display 01
Part of Training Content Display 02
February
From 19th January to 20th February, the team was divided into six groups, each of which completed the design and initial validation of an idea on its own under the leadership of the team leader (including dry experiment validation and wet experiment design, etc.). In this way, the new team members can experience the DBTL cycle, which is the focus of the iGEM competition, in practice. During this period, we conducted the following:
1. Two rounds of excellent project research and analysis, discussing the merits of the project in terms of principle, design, aesthetics, and intergrated human practice. This enhanced our understanding of the key points of the iGEM award.
2. Each group conducts a round of brainstorming to determine the content of each group's project.
3. Each group defines and refines its own project design, designs a complete wet experiment programme and has its feasibility assessed by the ADVISOR, and constructs a corresponding dry experiment model for preliminary feasibility verification.
Research on Previous Projects
Partial Display of Content
On 20 February, we reported on the projects and successes of our team training and refined the shortcomings in communication with other team members. We then had a 1-week individual brainstorming session where each team member proposed a project with translational potential and briefly designed a feasible experimental protocol through literature research. This was a great help in formalising our project.
Winter training served as our opening chapter in the iGEM journey, while the official competition became a deep dive into the realm of synthetic biology—an ongoing expedition of discovery and innovation. The iGEM challenge reaches well past the confines of the lab, consistently introducing us to fresh obstacles and opportunities for growth. Along the way, we have been incredibly grateful for the generous and unwavering assistance offered by alumni of the team.
There is no doubt that the mentorship from our advisors and the groundwork established by Tsinghua-M 2024 were fundamental to our progress. Without them, achieving such a comprehensive project would have been impossible, as would presenting the results we share today. To all who have contributed in the past, we extend our sincere appreciation. We are committed to continuing this tradition of mentorship by providing wholehearted support to the iGEM teams that follow.
After two brainstorming sessions, the team discussed the existing programme ideas.
The team recognised the idea of translating the project from Chinese medicine and showed great interest in it. Based on the methodology of "identification and treatment" in TCM, we assumed that yeast cells are like a TCM doctor, and proposed that we can design a dynamic sensing network to capture the subtle fluctuations of environmental stress and trigger a multi-dimensional anticorrosive response, and at the same time, we can build a modular gene network to allow the cells to balance the metabolic burden and the need for survival on their own. We will also build a modular gene network to allow cells to autonomously balance metabolic burden and survival needs.
Some research content and design 01
Some research content and design 02
Our mentor and advisor recognised the feasibility of our idea. Therefore,
we combined with other existing programmes and designed from four
aspects:
1. Based on the theory of "balance of yin and
yang" in traditional Chinese medicine, we studied the gene metabolic
network of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and selected the key genes in the
stress-sensing pathway for modification, so that Saccharomyces cerevisiae
can adapt to and alleviate various stressful environments through
self-regulation.
2. Based on the diagnostic method of
Chinese medicine, we designed the specific adversity sensing and
regulating method. At the same time, we designed two strains with
different divisions of labour - the "sensing bacteria" act as doctors to
diagnose the adversity, while the "producing bacteria" accept the
prescriptions prescribed by doctors to maintain the stability of the
intracellular environment. Through the division of labour, the metabolic
burden of a single strain is reduced.
3. Based on the
diagnosis of Chinese medicine through "pulse", we design the signal
monitoring module: using dCas9 system, the yeast can edit the key gene
sequences after sensing the signal of adversity, and output the dynamic
signal of environmental changes into a specific DNA sequence formed after
editing.
4. Based on the research method of "meridian
network" in traditional Chinese medicine, we visualise the relationship
between "meridians" (main regulatory pathways) and "complexes" (auxiliary
regulatory networks) in the yeast antiretroviral network, The relationship
between "meridians" (main regulatory pathways) and "complexes" (auxiliary
regulatory networks) was visualised and described digitally, and a proper
mathematical model was established to construct a visual pulse map.
Preliminary program design 01
Preliminary program design 02
Preliminary program design 03
Based on the above ideas and purpose requirements, we chose to construct a ternary gene oscillator as the core component, using three exogenous deterrent systems to form a closed-loop negative feedback loop to sense the three purposeful stress signals, and output the environmental changes into rhythmic oscillatory signals of gene expression. On this basis, corresponding resistance networks and signal monitoring elements are added to realise our concept.
Final oscillator model
Tsinghua-M 2025 Promotion Video