On October 24th and 28th, team (NEFU_China) from NEFU won gold medals in iDEC and in iGEM respectively. This is the first gold medal we have received from iDEC. NEFU also earned five individual awards such as the best speech and the best molecular evolution result, two track prizes and two nominations in iDEC.
NEFU_China took part in the iGEM competition with the topic “Standardized DNA Assembly Strategy for Saccharomyces cerevisiae.” The strategy is based on the technology of GoldenGateDNA recombination. Through rational design, it achieves the assembly of multi-component DNA, which is standardized, with high-accuracy and high-efficiency. It provides a brand-new technical solution for realizing a further standardization, automation and mechanization of DNA recombination. It is the sixth consecutive year that NEFU students have won the gold medal in iGEM.
The team took part in the iDEC with the topic “A Dual Selection System for Directed Evolution to Identify Allosteric Transcription Factor PobR Variants Responsive to Different Aromatic Compounds”. The project successfully screened out PobR mutations with high response to 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid and phenylpyruvic acid by using of two rounds of positive and negative directional evolution. With the research result, NEFU_China surpassed Indian Institute of Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Tongji University and other prestigious universities from around the world in the competition, and finally won the gold medal together with Edinburgh University.
NEFU_China is composed of students from the School of Life Sciences, Aulin college, the School of Forestry, the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, the College of Information and Computer Engineering, etc. Relying on the iGEM innovative experimental platform of the School of Life Sciences, with the support of the faculty members, venues and funds from the School of Life Sciences and Aulin College, we established an undergraduate innovation training system. NEFU_China’s outstanding performance in the two competitions has helped to better shape NEFU’s image in the world.
