Two Univ students, Glen Gowers and Philipp Lorenz, have founded Oxford University’s first ever iGEM (international Genetically Engineered Machine) team.

Endorsed by BBSRC, The Wellcome Trust, The Biochemical Society, and The Society for General Microbiology, the team will compete in the 2014 iGEM synthetic biology competition.

Along with support from the Biochemistry Department, the team of 12, including 3 other University College students; Sian McGibbon, Oliver Vince, and Shahbano Soomro, will undergo a student led eight week project this summer to investigate how they might implement synthetic biology to solve a world problem. The team will develop a safe strategy for the safe disposal of the ubiquitous chemical solvent DCM (dichloro methane) through manipulating bacterial metabolism.

This project not only involves fascinating research but encourages students to participate in outreach programmes which offer opportunities for their research to impact society. This sociological impact will be at the heart of the team’s project design and will shape its outcome.
The iGEM competition culminates in a conference in Boston in November where the 12 team members will present their work in a presentation and poster as well as submitting a “wiki” webpage in the hope of being awarded a prestigious prize amongst competition from over 400 other Universities from around the world.

Published: 7 July 2014

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