With CAU-China: Project Design

In an interview with Prof. Yan Li, we explored organic acids' role in Earth's weathering. We plan to engineer E. coli for oxalic acid production, seeking solutions for altering metabolic pathways while safeguarding E. coli's survival. Therefore, we had extensive online discussions with CAU-China, who won the BEST BIOMANUFACTURING PROJECT in 2022 (opens new window), regarding the feasibility and operational details of the oxalate module. They suggested heterologous expression of obcA and obcB genes under a single promoter and the addition of FpOAR to enhance E. coli's viability in the presence of oxalic acid. In collaboration with CAU iGEM 2023 (opens new window), we've employed their oxalic acid production genetic circuit (see more details in Decription).

Collaboration with CAU-China

With ShanghaiTech-China & XMU-China: Wet Lab

Team ShanghaiTech iGEM 2023 (opens new window) provided us with plasmids containing the SacC and CscB genes, as well as a strain of cyanobacteria. This greatly facilitated our molecular cloning experiments and bacterial cultures. What's more, XMU iGEM 2022 (opens new window) sent us the plasmids and the sequence for INPNC. We are very grateful for their assistance in our wet lab experiments.

Visit ShanghaiTech-China's lab space

Wechat communication with XMU-China, regarding their plasmids

With SCUT-China & Nanjing-China: Software Discussion

Our software aims to help people to use ribozyme assisted protein expression and optimizing their sequence design. We have engaged in online discussions with several universities. We collaborated with Nanjing iGEM 2023 (opens new window) to improve the user interface, making it more user-friendly. Furthermore, we discussed with SCUT iGEM 2023 (opens new window) about using our software for their wet lab experimental design, and got their feedback to improve our software. We also exchanged project ideas.

Introduction to potential users in SCUT-China

Collaboration with Nanjing-China

With FDIS & THIS DL: Passing on our experience

Fudan International School (opens new window) (FDIS) and Tsinghua International School, Daoxiang Lake (opens new window) (THIS DL) have shown great enthusiasm for the iGEM competition and are in the process to establish teams for 2024 (opens new window). We have engaged in several online and offline activities with junior students from these two schools who are interested in synthetic biology. We introduced them to the basics of synthetic biology and provided them with suggestions for team establishment and training.

FDIS students listen to our lecture

THIS DL students listen to our project presentation

With ShanghaiTech-China & Tongji-China & NUDT-China: Education Activities

To expand the reach and quality of our educational initiatives, we have collaborated with multiple universities on several picture book projects, including ShanghaiTech iGEM 2023 (opens new window), Tongji iGEM 2023 (opens new window), and NUDT iGEM 2023 (opens new window). In those projects, our shared goal is to make synthetic biology more accessible to a broader audience through engaging visual storytelling and simplifying complex concepts. Each university has made significant contributions to the design, illustration, and printing of several picture books.

In addition, we have partnered with ShanghaiTech iGEM 2023 (opens new window) for further educational activities, such as exchange programs with FDIS (see more details on our Education page).

Showcase the picture books from the oollaboration

With Shanghai Natural History Museum & Shanghai Astronomy Museum: Event Organizer

During the summer vacation, we organized a series of high-quality educational activities, which would not have been possible without the invaluable support of the Shanghai Natural History Museum (opens new window) (annually welcomes 800,000 to 1,200,000 visitors) and the Shanghai Astronomy Museum (opens new window) (daily visitor 6,000) as our activity partners. We have established an Internship Researcher Program for high school students, and the Shanghai Natural History Museum provided us with photographers and assisted in recruiting participants for our activities. In collaboration with the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, we conducted lectures and family-friendly events, introducing elementary school students aged 6 to 9 to the realms of biology and astronomy. What's more, we ignited their interest in science through do-it-yourself (DIY) games (see more details on our Education page).

Advertisement for one lecture in the Shanghai Astronomy Museum

One slide from the introduction on Internship Researcher Program

With clubs and associations on Fudan campus

We extend our sincere gratitude to the clubs and student associations that have collaborated with us in education, visualization, human practices, and many other areas.

Logos of the clubs and associations that we have collaborated