Achievements
Best New Composite Part
StgRNA-barcode-cassette 1 (BBa_K4630100) is the building block of our cassette recording device. Using the concept of self-targeting editing and self-recombination, the cassette can be knocked out and fulfill the recording event. We nominate it as our best new composite part, as it demonstrates a novel DNA memory pattern embodying the principle of biobrick assembly.
We made efforts to collect as much measurement data as we could in the limited time. We performed two concentration matrices and time-gradient tests on the composite part and got expected outcomes. Also, the detailed measurement helps us understand the working pattern of the recorder better. Moreover, from the statistical data, we have more confidence that the cassette change is sequential.
To sum up, stgRNA-barcode-cassette 1 (BBa_K4630100) is well-designed and capable of recording. The statistical analysis on the part gives us insights into readout methods, induction factors, and pattern of the homologous recombination.
Best Education
Our educational motto at WHU-China is: "Work Hard for Unlimited Potential in Synthetic Biology!" Our aim was to introduce as many people as possible to synthetic biology and its applications. This audience included students, researchers, and the general public.
In terms of education, we didn't just deliver top-down lectures. Instead, we invited everyone to participate in synthetic biology work and experience its allure. We tailored our approach to each audience to encourage mutual learning. For students, we merged physical exercise with plasmid construction through a unique 'plasmid marathon'. We also traveled across various regions of the country to address the issue of educational imbalance in China. For researchers, we organized the WHU-iGEMarathon. This event invited senior members of WHU-iGEM and alumni engaged in synthetic biology to share their valuable experiences and insights with us. For the general public, we designed a special Franklin metal badge and distributed it to participants to promote Franklin’s spirit and inspire people to seek truth from facts. We also made use of social media for education, creating comics and podcasts, truly achieving the goal of combining education and entertainment.
By engaging with so many different actors, we had the opportunity not only to promote public values and the science behind synthetic biology but also to be influenced by these actors. We hope that these interventions encouraged people to contribute to the synthetic biology sector, as we have learned so much from these interventions. We hope that the work we documented on our wiki will inspire future teams.
Best Model
Our model part this year provided support for the entire project from design to result analysis.
During the design phase of the project, we worked closely with wet lab members to jointly propose the overall vision and analyze feasibility. In the preparation stage of the experiment, we considered both editing efficiency and off-target rate, provided a method to design, generate and evaluate sgRNA protospacer, and provided the experimental group with 50 candidate N20s for experimentation. In addition, we also designed methods for timing sampling and avoiding erroneous recording by building an oscillator model. Finally, we analyze the methods and effectiveness of inferring the number of stimulations from edited data.
All in all, our model provides complete support for project design, implementation and evaluation, and makes innovative exploration of these modules. This experience provides valuable inspiration for our future work.