Undergraduate students from the School of Biosciences have been awarded a Gold Medal at the 2015 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Giant Jamboree held in Boston. Initiated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), iGEM is the world’s premier synthetic biology competition, encouraging students the develop and test innovative solutions to global problems.
Kent iGEM students developed a research project entitled “Envirowire” to investigate the feasibility of generating functional amyloid nanowires, under the guidance of Dr. Wei-Feng Xue and other academic and research staff within the School. Nano-wires formed from proteins by bacteria provide a potential solution in the fabrication of biologically- and clinically-applied circuitry, with benefits including miniaturisation, improved efficiency, biocompatibility and use of renewable sources of energy and materials. Working with students from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts and the School of Physical Sciences, the students were able to combine biological experiments and analysis with computing-based modeling approaches.
Team Kent iGEM presented their cross-disciplinary research at the Annual Jamboree in Boston alongside over 2,700 participants and 280 teams from Universities all around the world. They were awarded a Gold Medal for their project, alongside teams from world-leading institutions including the universities of Cambridge, Cornell, Heidelberg, Tokyo and Sydney.
The Stacey Fund – generously supported by School of Biosciences alumni – provided bursary support and travel costs for Team Kent iGEM. The Fund ensures that talented students can gain financial support to gain valuable experience for future career development. Students were, in addition, supported by bursaries from the BBSRC, Wellcome Trust, The Society for Applied Microbiology, The Society for Experimental Biology and The Society for General Microbiology.