Medal Criteria
| Bronze | ||
| Medal Criteria | Explanation | Link |
| Competition Deliverables | We designed the Wiki of our team and presented the Project Promotion Video and Presentation Video to describe our project. As for judging session, we have carefully prepared for the Jamboree. In addition, we submitted the Judging Form and Safety Form before the deadline, and you can understand why we deserve these medals and awards from the Judging Form. | You can find our Wiki, Project Promotion Video, Presentation Video and Judging Form by clicking the link. |
| Project Attributions | Team members and others indirectly involved in our project helped us to complete it, so we mention and thank all of them. In particular, we clearly articulated the specific tasks of our team members, and these numerous specific tasks were key to the success or failure of the project. | You can read it on Attributions. |
| Project Description | We briefly introduced our project, including the research status and context, the designs and objectives of the project, our inspirations and decisions, and prospects for future development. By reading this, you can understand why and how we chose this project as our research topic. In addition, we described the efforts which were made for the application and generalization of synthetic biology through our project. | You can find it on Description. |
| Contribution | We have created and successfully measured 24 basic parts and 6 composite parts , which have been documented on the Part's Registry page. Additionally, we have provided data files and structures that we have constructed ourselves, offering support for future research and improvements. We also documented troubleshooting that would be helpful to future teams. A well-drafted, accurate, and up-to-date handbook can benefit people in various ways. Therefore, in this year's competition, we developed the experiment handbook and a HP guide that served as an orientation tool for future iGEM teams. Moreover, we have produced a science popularization brochure of synthetic biology and shared the manual for teams in need. | You can find it on Contribution . |
| Silver | ||
| Medal Criteria | Explanation | Link |
| Engineering Success | Design:We designed small molecule blocks of two brain autoantibodies by modeling analysis. Build:Through the synthetic pathway query, we found the pathway to synthesize two small molecule blockers in the small molecule metabolic library of intestinal flora and found the corresponding synthetic strain and target gene. We designed a plasmid that can overexpress these small molecule substances in a strain by constructing an overexpression vector. Test:We examined whether small-molecule blocks could eventually be generated by transformation experiments and mass spectrometry analysis, and finally we successed. Learn:Although this is an in vitro study, it suggests that we should examine its expression in the intestinal microenvironment and whether it can be detected in the blood in the future. | You can read it on Engineering Success. |
| Human Practices | In this part, we provided information on the potential use of a technology in the treatment of autism. We discussed the concept of synthetic biology and its application in the development of autism drugs. We also introduced the project's inspiration, outlined the overall project plan, and highlighted the stakeholders involved. It further presented an interactive timeline showcasing the implementation process of the project. Additionally, the document gave an overview of the 52Hz whale, drawing parallels between its unique characteristics and the challenges faced by individuals with autism. It mentioned the prevalence of autism and the limitations of current treatment methods. Overall, we would like to emphasize the need for innovative approaches, such as synthetic biology, to address the complex nature of autism. | You can read it on Integrated Human Practices. |
| Gold | ||
| Medal Criteria | Explanation | Link |
| General Biological Engineering | Model - Finding a small molecule that can bind to and block the function of the Complementarity-Determining Region (CDR) of antibodies is extremely challenging, with very limited previous work in this area! Our pioneering approach, using molecular docking methods, enabled high-throughput virtual drug screening specifically targeting antibody proteins, and the small molecules we obtained were the central focus of the entire project. This involved processes such as modeling antibody proteins, batch molecular docking, analyzing results, and selecting compounds. Ultimately, we successfully identified small molecules with high affinity that could firmly bind to the antibody's CDR region with precision. Importantly, our compounds were metabolites of the gut microbiota and played a role in regulating bidirectional communication between the gut and the central nervous system. | You can read it on Model. |
| Specializations | Integrated Human Practices - In this part, we provided information on the potential use of a technology in the treatment of autism. We discussed the concept of synthetic biology and its application in the development of autism drugs. We also introduced the project's inspiration, outlined the overall project plan, and highlighted the stakeholders involved. It further presented an interactive timeline showcasing the implementation process of the project. Additionally, the document gave an overview of the 52Hz whale, drawing parallels between its unique characteristics and the challenges faced by individuals with autism. It mentioned the prevalence of autism and the limitations of current treatment methods. Overall, we would like to emphasize the need for innovative approaches, such as synthetic biology, to address the complex nature of autism. | You can read it on Integrated Human Practices. |
| Education - In this part, we highlighted the efforts of the NJMU-China team to provide education and development opportunities for individuals of all ages. Our team aimed to design an inclusive educational program for individuals interested in synthetic biology, ensuring that the materials and content are tailored to their age group. For preschool children, we provided volunteer services at a children's rehabilitation center and the development of educational games and activities. For middle school students, we also conducted science popularization classes and hands-on practices, introducing them to the concepts of genetics and synthetic biology. For senior high school student, Our team's Safety Education Day activity, "Debating from the Heart", integrated experimental ethics into a debate, arousing students' attention to related issues and sparking off ideas. We also carried out the "State Key Laboratory Open Day" activities to invite students to visit the instrument platform and embryo operation room of the State Key Laboratory. For college students, we organized lots of interesting activities to promote synthetic biology. What’s more, we had other science communications, including "iG20" activities, synthetic biology sitcom, and science popularization brochure. We think these educational promotion is enough to win “Best Education” for us. | You can read it on Education. | |
