New Parts for liposome engineering

The CALIPSO project developed this year by the iGEM team from Toulouse has created new parts, most of them validated, for genetic engineering of liposomes. Notably, we characterized two parts (BBa_K4768000 and BBa_K4768002) to functionalize liposomes and make them responsive to their environment. These parts can be improved by the next iGEM teams for their own purposes. We have also participated in improving the following part: BBa_K4046100.

Best Measurement

We have designed a new measurement method to evaluate the interaction between liposomes containing PURE system and living cancer cells. As explained on our Best Measurement page, using genetically engineered liposomes as a chassis for synthetic biology applications offers numerous advantages, creating new opportunities that go beyond cancer treatment. We invite future iGEMers to build upon CALIPSO and bring this new technology even further.

Cell culture safety guide

We decided, in collaboration with iGEM team Patras Medecine, to create a safety guide to help future iGEM teams to safely manipulate cancerous cells. This safety guide retraces the importance of precautions when performing cell culture, the risks involved and prevention implemented in laboratories.

Best model

First we applied in silico protein design methods to evaluate and optimize the anchoring and sensing of cancer cells by our synthetic liposomes. The methods are simple and cheap, hence they are accessible and can be reused by future igem teams to model molecular interactions of protein complexes in a short period of time compatible with the duration of the competition (see our In silico protein design).

Then, we used kinetic modeling to predict and boost the targeted production of anticancer drug. This strategy was helpful to design our therapeutic liposomes and to understand and optimize their functioning, thereby guiding the development of a version 2 of our liposomes. We provide the model in a standard format that can be used by COPASI, one of the main software in the fields of systems and synthetic biology. This first model of a smart liposome can be reused by future teams (see our Global kinetic model page).

Entrepreneurship approach

We have developed the entrepreneurial aspect of our project as far as we could, first, to ensure that the 8-months iGEM project leads to the creation of our startup, then to provide comprehensive insights to future iGEM teams regarding the challenges posed to bring a new therapeutic on the market. See our Entrepreneurship page.

Our Integrated Human Practice

Our IHP approach consisted in engaging all cancer stakeholders, with a particular focus on patients, not only to enhance treatment efficiency but also to improve their quality of life. For future iGEM teams, we strongly recommend early contact with key stakeholders, as it leads to enriching discussions. See our IHP page.

Education workshop

We have designed a card game to be used during our workshop with patients from the Etincelle association, aiming to help them understand their disease at a biological level. As it was well-received, we encourage future iGEMers working on therapeutic projects to engage in conversations with patients and provide them with the tools to actively participate in their treatment plans, if they are willing. When constructing the game, we strongly recommend consulting with experts in science communication and healthcare professionals to choose words thoughtfully and enhance the game's effectiveness. You can find more information on our Education page.