CCiC

The iGEM Tianjin 2023 team participated in the 10th CCiC Conference. CCiC, which stands for Conference of China iGEMer Community, is initiated by iGEM participating teams in China. It attracts over a hundred teams and thousands of participants every year. This year, iGEM teams from all over China gathered at Hainan University to exchange project design progress and explore the future of synthetic biology.

Figure 1. Certificate of Participation.

Presentation

During the CCiC Conference, we showcased our project. We brought original educational card game designed specifically for education purposes. We introduced the game to other teams during the CCiC Conference. Our card game received widespread acclaim. The integration of scientific principles into the game design and the exquisite artwork on the cards were highly praised by everyone.

Figure 2. Presentation of the project at CCiC.

Furthermore, during our free time, we invited other teams to experience the game together. This not only helped us test the balance of the cards but also strengthened the friendships among the teams.

Figure 3. Invite other teams to play the card game.

Lectures

We attended a lecture by iGEM Human Practices Program Officer, Bao Yu-Han, which deepened our understanding of Human Practice and provided useful guidance for our subsequent Human Practice activities. We also attended Alonso's online lecture, through which we gained a lot of in-depth knowledge about biosafety. It also strengthened our understanding of the importance of biosafety, which provided strong support for the smooth implementation of our project. These learning experiences not only broadened our knowledge, but also provided us with more in-depth thinking and guidance for our project.

Figure 4. Participation in Human Practice Lecture.

Communication

During the conference, we had the privilege of meeting numerous iGEM team members from various regions of China, all passionate about synthetic biology. Through the presentations of other teams, we gained profound insights into the diverse applications of synthetic biology in different fields. The in-depth discussions with other teams provided invaluable experiences for our project.

Our project aims to construct a substance detection pathway within cell. Through discussions with the Nanjing-BioXstem team, we learned about their focus on a copper detection promoter. We delved into the advantages and disadvantages of this copper detection promoter and discovered that its baseline expression level was relatively high, which might not be suitable for our desired flexible detection requirements. This exchange not only helped us avoid potential technical obstacles but also led us to meticulously select appropriate promoters, ensuring the accuracy and feasibility of our experimental direction.

The dry experiment discussions with students from China Pharmaceutical University were highly successful. We found that our ideas coincided, suggesting that modeling based on growth curves could be a fruitful approach. This exchange provided us with new modeling perspectives, making our project design more systematic and comprehensive.

These invaluable exchange experiences offered new perspectives and insights for our project, enabling its enhanced development.

Figure 5. Communication with other teams.

Collaboration

Through the CCiC conference, we engaged in exchanges with other teams and participated in the synthetic biology historical popular science activity called "SynBio Hourstory," jointly initiated by UCAS, LZU-China, BNU-China, WHU, GXU-China, HainanU-China, and OUC. This activity aims to popularize significant events in the development of synthetic biology to the public through simple and visually appealing comic strips.

Figure 6. SynBio Hourstory.

End

Through the CCiC conference, we gained a clearer understanding of our own project and established strong friendships with iGEM teams from various universities and high schools in China. We hope to maintain these connections in the future, collaborate together, and collectively drive further advancements in the field of synthetic biology.

Figure 7. CCiC closure.

CUG-China

We engaged in in-depth discussions with the CUG-China team, sharing details about our projects, human practices, and webpage designs. The CUG-China team showcased their Shewanella oneidensis biosensor designed to detect arsenic, and in return, we introduced our Wind-up cell. Understanding their sensor design inspired new applications for our Wind-up cell. Additionally, our kill switch provided valuable insights into the safety aspects of their sensor use.

We mutually exchanged experiences in webpage layout and style design. In the realm of human practices, both teams shared their completed activities and future plans. The CUG-China team expressed keen interest in our card game, noting, "The beautiful cards enhance the game's appeal." Our exchange provided fresh perspectives and inspiration for both projects in various aspects.

Figure 8. Communication with CUG-China.

DUT-China

We had an in-depth exchange with DUT-China. Both of our projects use Escherichia coli as chassis cells for substance detection and present the results through fluorescent signals. During our discussions, we delved into issues related to fluorescent immunoassays, aiming to find a method for quantitative detection. Moreover, we discussed the feasibility and design strategies of microfluidic chips and shared pertinent literature. This dialogue inspired methods to amplify the fluorescent signal, with aspirations to achieve high-precision quantitative detection in the future.