Synthetic Biology i GEM What is i GEM

Synthetic Biology, i. GEM

What is i. GEM? • An international competition in the field of synthetic biology • Produce a genetically engineered machine that addresses a real world problem • Student-driven research project: programming, human practices, hardware design, wet lab work, fundraising, business strategy development, public outreach, art & design, product development • Finals in Boston, October • Aalto-Helsinki - the only team representing Finland, 300 teams, 5400 participants

Aalto-Helsinki i. GEM 2016 Team • 10 students from Aalto and HY collaborated over the summer • Interdisciplinary team: molecular biology, bioinformatics, mathematics, biotechnology, computer science • Supervisors from Aalto and VTT

i. GEM

Drew Endy

What is synthetic biology? • Biology meets engineering • Aim – make biology engineerable: designable, easy to modify • Building new genes, metabolic pathways and biological systems • The (genetic) modification of biological systems for practical purposes

Engineering in Synthetic Biology • Use biological materials as building blocks • Transition from the lab environment to real world conditions • Design the hardware and infrastructure that utilizes biology • Create tools that aid biological research

Continuous flow filter to remove heavy metals from factory waste pipes with engineered microbes (Cornell 2014)

The “Bio. Pad” touch-screen interface using microfluidics and e. coli (EPFL 2014)

Microfluidics device with integrated electrodes (TU-Delft Leiden 2014)

A quad-copter made of biomaterials, including bacterial cellulose PCBs (Stanford/Brown/Spelman 2014)

bio(t)INK - a synthetic biology approach to bioprinting (LMU-TUM_Munich 2016)

Apply for 2017 Aalto-Helsinki i. GEM Team • Deadline - 29 th January • CV, Transcript, Application to rekry@aaltohelsinki. com • More information and instructions for application http: //www. aaltohelsinki. com/