Our team organized a Bioinformatics and Molecular Docking Workshop as part of our commitment to knowledge sharing and community engagement. During this workshop, we provided participants with a solid foundation in fundamental biological principles and introduced them to essential Bioinformatics software, accompanied by real-world examples. We also showcased the seamless integration of Bioinformatics and molecular docking techniques into our iGEM project. Following our presentation, attendees had the opportunity to walk through a comprehensive molecular docking pipeline, using a user-friendly Jupyter notebook that we crafted. We guided them through each step, ensuring a clear understanding, and participants were thrilled to witness the visualization of their final results. For those eager to delve deeper, our notebook is readily accessible for download through this link.
PanSimPy is a practical Python library tailored for biopanning and molecular docking research. It streamlines fundamental processes, including peptide generation, molecular file conversions, and the preparation of ligands and receptors. It offers two key docking methods: AutoDock Vina and a genetic algorithm, both designed for systematic exploration of docking spaces. This tool provides researchers with a robust and straightforward means to enhance efficiency and precision in their biopanning and molecular docking studies, making a valuable contribution to the scientific community. For in-depth information and usage guidelines, please visit the Software page on our wiki.
PepDB is a database we created after conducting numerous docking simulations. It includes more than 290,000 unique peptides and their binding affinities to four different VOCs. This resource offers researchers valuable data on peptide-VOC interactions. You can find further details and access PepDB on our iGEM project's Software page.
For our 1st National Competition of Riddles in Synthetic Biology, we teamed up with biology and math teachers from high schools. They know their students well and helped us create riddles fit for the knowledge they have so far. We also got input from college professors to make sure the science concepts in the riddles are accurate. You can find these riddles in the Human Practices "Education" section, where anyone interested in synthetic biology can have fun and learn. If you wish to learn the answers, feel free to email us. We're excited to help and share knowledge with anyone who's interested and we hope that the next iGEM Athens team will continue this idea of a Panhellenic Contest.
We've taken the educational elements from our Biosafety theater seminar-workshop and turned them into a helpful reading guide. This guide is for anyone looking to learn about teaching theater. Theater is a complex subject, and it takes time and structured education to master it. However, we've put together a concise guide with exercises and insights to help beginners and the next teams incorporate theater in their educational events and use it to communicate science in an efficient way. You can find it in the attached PDF.
We shot a series of videos that introduces the viewer in Combinatorial Analysis. Through these videos, future iGEM Teams will be able to learn the fundamentals of Combinatorics and its implementation on Synthetic Biology, in order to be able to use it in the modeling process of their future projects.
Our modified card games, inspired by classics like TABOO, Pictionary, and Pantomime, bring a unique twist to these traditional games. By changing these games they will include scientific concepts, particularly in the field of biology, we've created a fun and educational experience for players of all ages. These custom card games concern various fields of science, including cellular biology, molecular biology, synthetic biology, anatomy, zoology, phytology, and general science. We've designed two sets of cards for each game addressed to different age groups, making them accessible for both children (aged 7-12) and older individuals (aged 12 and up). Now, the next teams can use them in their educational events to combine entertainment and education.