iGEM

The International Genetically Engineered Machine foundation has been advancing the worldwide capacity for genetic engineering by engaging students in a collaborative and friendly competition to design, build, test, and measure a system of their own design using interchangeable biological parts and standard molecular biology techniques. Biotech Without Borders has organized teams in the past. We think this is an amazing opportunity to have a practical experince in synthetic biology.

Past Teams

See what our past teams have done by expanding their sections below
2019: Countering Huanglongbing Disease
Huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening disease, has decimated citrus crops worldwide. Farmers have responded by using more pesticides in an effort to kill the psyllids which are the vectors for this bacterial disease. The team wanted to find a more ecologically-friendly solution. They were exploring the use of whole bacteria carrying siRNA to silence critical psyllid development genes.
Team banner  featuring citrus
2018: Brooklyn Bluebloods
The Brooklyn BlueBloods iGEM team members were a group of diverse students from local public high schools and colleges who came from groups traditionally underrepresented in the scientific community. Their project focused on to finding an alternative to a biomedical test that uses the blue blood of horseshoe crabs, endangering that 350 million-year-old species.