Recently, the global “cloud” closing ceremony of the 17th International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) was held in Boston, the United States. NEU’s team achieved great results again in the competition, winning the Gold Award and the Best Diagnostics Project Nomination Award (only four teams around the world won this award).
NEU’s NEU-CHINA Team was composed of Zheng Peixuan, Li Jinze, Liu Changxiaofeng, Li Huili, Zhang Guozhuang and Li Wen from the College of Life Science and Health, who are the undergraduates of 2018 and 2019, with Prof. Ding Chen and teacher Huang Yongye from the same college as the instructors. The research project of the NEU-CHINA Team in the iGEM is Engineered Bacteria-Based SARS-CoV-2 Detection Device. It uses engineering bacteria to realize the detection of novel coronavirus, and is supplemented with Cascade Amplifier to improve the sensitivity of the detection device and reduce the false positive phenomenon of the detection device. A reliable PVA/SA double-cross-linked biosafety hydrogel carrier is also designed to prevent the leakage of engineering bacteria. The device can get virus detection results within one hour, which can greatly reduce the detection time and cost compared with the traditional detection technology, and thus puts forward a new solution to fight against the epidemic and improve the efficiency of virus detection.
The iGEM, initiated by MIT, is the world's top science and technology competition in the field of synthetic biology. It requires the participating teams to use standard biological modules to build genetic circuits and establish effective mathematical models to realize prediction, control and measurement of sophisticated and complex artificial biological systems in the competition.
The NEU-CHINA Team is an innovation team set up in the College of Life Science and Health of NEU for the Scientific Research Elite Cultivation Program under the undergraduate tutorial system. With strong support and cultivation of the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the NEU-China Team now has become a model student innovation team of NEU. With constant accumulation and innovation, the team won 4 gold awards, one silver award, one bronze award and 2 nomination awards in the iGEM. It learned, competed and made common progress with more than 200 teams from the world's top universities such as MIT, Harvard University, Yale University, Oxford University, Stanford University, and Tsinghua University, trying to spread the voice and present the wisdom of NEU.
