SIS Student Co-Captains iGEM Team’s
‘Joy-Filled Drink’ Project
SIS student Zita from Grade 11 co-captained a recent annual global event, The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) in Synthetic Biology, an event open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), iGEM challenges participants to push the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling real-world issues. Each year, teams receive a standard DNA library from the organisers, enabling them to select a unique research focus and introduce the required samples into biological systems through carefully designed models and analysis, ultimately engineering new bio-systems.
The team contributed to this effort with the ‘Joy-filled Drink’ project, an innovative solution for stress relief and depression management. The team engineered E. coli Nissle 1917 to produce two mood-enhancing compounds, kaempferol and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), both recognised for their beneficial effects on mental health. To optimise kaempferol production, the team explored fusion enzymes, testing a range of linkers (GGGS, GGGS2, TPTP, TPTP2), and successfully identified linkers that significantly improved yield. The research also investigated the impact of multi-copy genes, discovering that the F3H gene enhances production while the FLS gene has the opposite effect.
The team aims to bring a natural, accessible option for emotional well-being to the market by integrating these compounds into a fruit tea product. The project exemplifies the power of synthetic biology in addressing mental health challenges, showcasing its potential to create practical solutions for complex, everyday problems.
To find more details of the team’s project:
https://2024.igem.wiki/jiashu-southchina/
