BEIJING and PARIS, Dec. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2023 International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM), the global synthetic biology competition, concluded on November 5, 2023. Over 7,000 students from high schools and universities, organized into more than 400 teams worldwide, participated in this prestigious event. Among them, the Sun Yat-sen University Software Team (iGEM 2023 SYSU-Software), sponsored by Tsingke, achieved the IGEM GOLD MEDAL for their project "BioRocket: Systematic Discovery of Novel Protein Delivery Systems in Massive Prokaryotic Genomes."
The project focused on extracellular Contractile Injection Systems (eCISs), syringe-like protein complexes capable of injecting proteins into cells. Despite their potential as programmable protein delivery tools, only a limited number of eCISs have been characterized to date.
The iGEM 2023 SYSU-Software team developed the BioRocket platform to systematically explore eCISs within prokaryotic genomes using machine learning and structural computation. They also conducted high-throughput predictions of programmable targeting regions within eCISs. The project yielded impressive results, as BioRocket explored over 80,000 prokaryotic organisms, identifying 5,524 novel eCISs. Subsequent wet lab experiments were conducted to validate these novel eCISs identified by BioRocket.
Tsingke played a crucial role by leveraging its technical expertise, providing support, and assisting the team in completing related research on potential EATs genes. The company also verified the identified genes' role as eCIS effector genes.
We aspire that our backing of iGEM 2023 SYSU-Software will inspire more individuals to commit themselves to the research of synthetic biology, contributing to the advancement of this industry.
About iGEM
The iGEM competition is an internationally renowned academic competition in the field of synthetic biology. It was initiated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States in 2003. It is a comprehensive international competition that revolves around synthetic biology and integrates various disciplines such as life sciences, mathematics, engineering, information science, and art design. The competition has gained widespread attention and special coverage from academic journals such as Nature, Science, Scientific American, The Economist, as well as media outlets like the BBC.
About Tsingke
Tsingke's Gene Factory integrates in-house production of synthetic raw materials and related equipment, and establishes an independent factory-style service model covering the entire nucleic acid synthesis industrial chain.
By continuously researching and upgrading our synthesizers and synthetic materials for oligo production, our gene factory ensures the production of highly accurate oligos. This, in turn, guarantees stable and efficient gene synthesis with timely delivery. The plasmids Tsingke construct undergo NGS and Sanger sequencing validation to ensure 100% sequence accuracy.
