Synthetic biology is the convergence of advances in chemistry, biology, computer science, and engineering to design, build and test biological systems to solve real-world problems. Synthetic biology is a $7.5 billion biotech industry projected to reach a $34.5 billion market size by 2026 (Brandescence Market Research, 2019).
The international genetic engineered machine (iGEM) competition provides a unique research experience for 5-6 Pitt undergraduate work as a multi-disciplinary team to solve real-world problems in synthetic biology. Team design and implement their project idea coupled with their designed outreach projects over the summer. Then presented their research project at the Giant Jamboree in Paris with more than 200 teams worldwide. After progress towards a proof-of-concept with their iGEM project, select teams have established their own start-up companies. These start-ups include Gingko Bioworks, PVP Biologics, and OpenTrons.(https://igem.org/Startups). The experience with iGEM thus gives students chances to enter and consider careers in this burgeoning research field in academia and industry.
Past Pitt iGEM students have gone on to medical school at Stanford University, Ohio State University and Rosalind Franklin University. In addition, past students are now in Graduate studies in computer science at CMU, molecular biophysics and structural biology at Pitt/CMU, and microbiology at UNC.
The international genetic engineered machine (iGEM) competition provides a unique research experience for 5-6 Pitt undergraduate work as a multi-disciplinary team to solve real-world problems in synthetic biology. Team design and implement their project idea coupled with their designed outreach projects over the summer. Then presented their research project at the Giant Jamboree in Paris with more than 200 teams worldwide. After progress towards a proof-of-concept with their iGEM project, select teams have established their own start-up companies. These start-ups include Gingko Bioworks, PVP Biologics, and OpenTrons.(https://igem.org/Startups). The experience with iGEM thus gives students chances to enter and consider careers in this burgeoning research field in academia and industry.
Past Pitt iGEM students have gone on to medical school at Stanford University, Ohio State University and Rosalind Franklin University. In addition, past students are now in Graduate studies in computer science at CMU, molecular biophysics and structural biology at Pitt/CMU, and microbiology at UNC.
Undergraduate students design their own synthetic biology project
Pitt iGEM teams have developed their own diverse projects. This includes detection of heavy metals in water, detection of colorectal cancer, light control of chemotaxis, magnetogentic control gene expression in E. coli, the design of intein-based Boolean logic circuits.
2021 Colon Detective Bluetooth Bacteria (2020 Gold Medal Team): Pitteins (2019 Gold Medal Team): Cutscene (2018 Silver Medal Team): Droving with Dropna (2017 Silver Medal Team): Hot Metal Switch (2016 Gold Medal team): What will your idea be? Apply to join Pitt's iGEM program! E-mail Seth Childers for information on how to apply to the |
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Join an REU program or iGEM? How is iGEM different?
The iGEM program shares similar goals to a NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in preparing students for graduate and professional schools. The iGEM program is distinct in that it provides a highly independent research experience. Participating students themselves design the research project and run their own laboratory, in contrast to a primary investigator directing the project. Second, iGEM creates an interdisciplinary, team-driven environment (similar to industry or large academic effort setting). Third, the experience provides weekly advising by a team of Pitt professors from engineering, medicine, and chemistry. Fourth, iGEM provides an opportunity for creative science communication to the local community and for presenting results to the international scientific community at the annual iGEM Giant Jamboree. Unlike other REU programs, students in the iGEM experience also develop and implement outreach activities to expose middle and high school students to synthetic biology.
iGEM 2021
Meet the Pitt iGEM advisory board
The iGEM team presents their weekly progress on the iGEM program to a diverse team of Pitt professors from bioengineering (Shroff 2015-2021), chemical engineering (Shoemaker 2019-2021), medicine (Lohmueller 2015-2021), chemical biology (Deiters 2015-2021) and chemical biology (Childers 2019-2021) . The faculty advising team provides critiques and suggestions as the students develop their own ideas. In addition, during weekly technical meetings advisors help students design, troubleshoot, interpret and critique experiments.