iGEM

1
iGEM Synthetic BiologyInternational
Genetically Engineered Machine Competition
SB 3.0 Zurich 6/24/07

• Randy Rettberg
• igem2007.com
• parts.mit.edu

2
An Engineering Question
Can simple biological systems be built from
standard, interchangable parts and operated in
living cells? Or, is biology so complex that each
case is unique?
3
Education Driving Research
4
International Genetically Engineered Machine
Competition 2005

• 13 Schools
• Caltech MIT UC Berkeley
• Cambridge, UK Oklahoma UCSF
• Davidson Penn State UT Austin
• ETH, Zurich Princeton
• Harvard Toronto, Canada
• Sponsored by Microsoft/MIT iCampus

5
iGEM 2006

• 40 Schools, 33 Teams
• 450 participants
• Europe, Canada, Asia, Latin America, US
• Some EU funding in place
• iGEM ambassadors for US, Asia, and Europe
• Jamboree November 4 5
• www.iGEM2006.com
• Supported by Microsoft Research and iCampus

6
iGEM 2006
Ege University, Turkey
7
www.iGEM2006.com
8
Meet the Teams
9
Valencia iGEM Site
10
iGEM 2006 Results
11
Sample iGEM Projects

• Berkeley Controlled Communications
• Davidson Flipping DNA
• Harvard DNA Boxes
• ETH Zurich Pattern Matching
• Ljubljana Controlling Sepsis
• Chiba Japan Light-Directed Chemotaxis
• Mississippi Hydrogen Gas Detector
• MIT Banana and Wintergreen Smells
• Edinburgh Arsenic Detector

12
MIT iGEM 2006
eau de coli mit igem 2006
13
The field test device

• A test tube could contain all the necessary
• components Freeze dried bacteria, growth
  medium,
• indicator powder, Ampicillin salt, etc

• These tubes could then be given to local
  villagers to monitor their own water quality
  themselves
• A good alternative to the widely used Gutzeit
  method

www.Macteria.co.uk
14
Some Engineering Answers
Can simple biological systems be built from
standard, interchangable parts and operated in
living cells? - YES, SOMETIMES Or, is biology so
complex that each case is unique? - NOT ALWAYS
15
www.igem2007.com
16
Financial Resources

• Small Sample
• 20K 8
• 30K 8
• 40K 1
• 50K 4
• gt50K 2

17
iGEM 2007 and Beyond

• 2008 100 Schools -gt Partition?
• Geographic Competitions
• Tracts
• Health and Medicine
• Energy and the Environment
• Parts and Devices
• Fun and Games
• Sensors
• Other

18
The Impact of iGEM

• Students
• Making future synthetic biologists
• Teaching graceful competition
• Instructors
• Opportunities for junior faculty
• New programs - new ideas
• A task worth the effort
• Schools
• Synthetic biology entering curriculum
• Energize research programs
• Synthetic Biology
• Examples, parts, successes, testamonials

19
Registry of Standard Biological Parts
An industry based on standard parts requires
catalogues and suppliers of those parts.
20
Registry Parts Catalog
http//parts.mit.edu
21
Registry Contents 7/2007
1400 Parts Available as DNA

• Promoters
• Protein Coding
• Reporters
• RNA
• Terminators
• Signaling
• Many project parts

22
Constitutive Promoters - Berkeley
Part Characterization
23
DNA Repository
24
DNA Repository

• All parts sent to teams
• Parts are from previous teams

25
Robotic Assembly
26
DNA Synthesis Offer
GENEART synthetic DNA offer for iGEM teams

• All you want at 0.70 per base
• 100,000 bases total at 0.25 per base
• About 2000 bases per team for 500
• GENEART is a primary sponsor of iGEM 2007

http//www.geneart.com/index.php?id252
27
New Programs

• BioBrick Part Program
• iGEM in Europe
• Registry in Europe
• New Registry Workshop
• Standards Workshop
• iGEM Steering Committee

28
Standards

• Device Families
• Protein DNA logic
• Post-translational control
• RNA-based control
• Localization
• Measurement
• Input and Outputs
• (PoPS - Polymerase Per Second)
• Genetic stability
• Cross-lab consistency
• Operating Environment
• Load on the cell
• Environmental impact on performance
• Models

29
Sponsors

• National Science Foundation
• SynBERC
• CSBi
• GENEART
• Microsoft Research
• Biological Engineering - MIT

30
Teachers Workshops

• MIT May 26th
• China June 16-17
• Zurich June 27th

• Hands-on training
• Future instructors welcome

31
How can I participate?

• Organize a team for 2008
• Volunteer for the BioBrick parts program.
• Join the Awards committee
• Be a judge
• Have your lab join the Registry
• Contribute parts to the Registry
• Use BioBrick part standards
• Help raise money for teams and ambassadors
  in your area.
• Join iGEM committees (see the wiki)
• Join iGEM in Europe