Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The final of the international SynBio Challenge competition will be held in Shenzhen (Guangdong Province, China) on August 6. The competition is organized by the Shenzhen University of High Technology. A total of 1,800 students registered to participate in the competition, of which about 1,000 participants from six countries of the world – China, Russia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia – made it to the final. Our country is represented at these competitions by only two teams – from the Biological Faculty of Moscow State University and Faculty of Natural Sciences (FNS) of NSURussian teams are taking part in the competition for the first time.
The GeneMeow team included six students of the NSU Natural Sciences Department who completed their 3rd year in Biology: Valeria Romanova, Ekaterina Bolotova, Nail Bikeev, Nikita Ivanov, Ulyana Borovikova and Dmitry Kurbatsky. GeneMeow was formed from two strong teams that had previously participated in the Biotournament, won prizes in its regional stage and received a second-degree diploma at the final in 2024. Participation in the Biotournament allowed them to gain experience in solving interdisciplinary problems in biology, publicly defending ideas to experts and project work. The students joined forces to jointly solve problems at the intersection of biology and engineering.
All the guys from the NSU team regularly participate in student Olympiads and are engaged in scientific activities at the institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, combining their studies with research and educational activities.
The selection round of the competition was held in absentia in April-May; participants were offered a choice of several problems, one of which the students had to solve.
— In the SynBio Challenge, we solved the problem of developing a DNA sequence no longer than 140 bp, providing high expression of GFP (green fluorescent protein) in E. coli. It seemed familiar and interesting to us, since we had already studied molecular biology at the university, have laboratory experience and are well acquainted with the methods of genetic engineering. This gave us confidence in our abilities and the desire to apply our knowledge in practice, — said the captain of the GeneMeow team, Valeria Romanova.
— We conducted a bioinformatics analysis of regulatory elements, studied relevant literature and modern approaches to increasing gene expression. Based on this, we developed an optimized design that includes strong promoter (a region of a gene that triggers the synthesis of mRNA and then protein) and post-transcriptional (regulatory) elements and is aimed at efficient expression of GFP. Such developments are relevant for medicine, biotechnology, agriculture and fundamental research, — said GeneMeow team member Ulyana Borovikova.
The final will be held in person and will be a festival, where each team will present their solutions to the problems at the selection stage. In addition, the organizers of the competition synthesized the DNA sequences proposed by the participants, inserted them into plasmids with a fluorescent protein gene, which is used to check the DNA sequence, and during the festival they will visualize the synthesized sequences, compare which team has them glowing more strongly. The brightness of the glow will be one of the criteria for assessing the work of each team.
— NSU has historically developed leading scientific schools in synthetic biology and bioinformatics. This year, the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies is opening a Master's degree program in Industrial Pharmacy, where students will work on solving specific problems of industrial partners. At one time, the iGEM-Siberia team became the first team from outside Moscow to take part in the world's largest competition of genetically engineered machines, iGEM-2021. This year, our Chinese colleagues invited us to take part in SynBio Challenge, an international competition of comparable scale. I hope that the team will return with a victory; the guys have been working on the project for a long time and will present a poster presentation at the festival. The development of biomedical technologies is a global trend. I am very glad that we always find support for students' initiatives at our university! — commented Sergey Sedykh, PhD, Senior Lecturer at the NSU Natural Sciences Department, and judge of the SynBio Challenge competition.
The participation of the NSU team in the international competition is financed within the framework of the academic mobility project of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU Priority 2030 programs.
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