Team:Calgary/Collaborations



OVERVIEW

The collaborative nature of iGEM

Even though iGEM is a competition, the iGEM community is a very collaborative one. Teams across the world are united by the single goal of using synthetic biology to help society. Our team was committed to making lasting relationships with other iGEMers. While we were unable to meet teams in-person, COVID-19 provided a unique opportunity to connect with more teams internationally by hosting virtual events and/or meetings. We were very excited to partake in a wide variety of collaborations this year!


PROJECT COLLABORATIONS

Working together on our goals

iGEM Toulouse 

iGEM Toulouse’s project this year had many similarities with our own, so it was natural that we found many useful and beneficial overlaps. They inspired us to think harder about the flavour of our yeast and how it might affect consumer acceptance as a food additive. As a result, we reviewed literature to make predictions about the flavour of our yeast, and developed the cookbook as examples of how it could be integrated. In return, we found a biology teacher at Renert High School in Calgary on their behalf to review their synthetic biology educational game. 


EDUCATION AND MENTORING

Helping iGEM teams

In order to provide a sustainable, community-based solution, we plan to genetically modify Rhodosporidium toruloides, an oleaginous yeast that naturally produces beta-carotene and lipids, to be more robust and resource-efficient. By modifying the yeast to produce cellulase, it can then use common agricultural waste products as an energy source for synthesizing its oil. It can then be eaten as a vitamin A supplement. The yeast strain, while naturally safe and non-pathogenic, will also be genetically modified to include a kill switch for bio-containment, and optimized for oil production.


MEET-UPS AND FRIENDLY COMPETITIONS

Meeting other teams and evaluating our projects

In order to provide a sustainable, community-based solution, we plan to genetically modify Rhodosporidium toruloides, an oleaginous yeast that naturally produces beta-carotene and lipids, to be more robust and resource-efficient. By modifying the yeast to produce cellulase, it can then use common agricultural waste products as an energy source for synthesizing its oil. It can then be eaten as a vitamin A supplement. The yeast strain, while naturally safe and non-pathogenic, will also be genetically modified to include a kill switch for bio-containment, and optimized for oil production.


cGEM

Hosting a Pre-iGEM Competition

cGEM is first and foremost a conference that aims to highlight the future of synthetic biology in Canada. cGEM strives to foster collaboration between Canadian teams and improve student-led innovation in synthetic biology to solve real world problems. cGEM 2020 included a competition where teams could get feedback on their project, as well as technical workshops and panels that discussed the future of synthetic biology in Canada. COVID-19 presented this year’s conference with new challenges, but these were no match for Canadian tenacity! The conference was held online to accommodate social distancing and other COVID-19 restrictions. iGEM Calgary has been one of the many Canadian iGEM teams who have participated in organizing this conference and in creating an online presence for cGEM. Our members have played an active role on the Operations and Outreach teams for cGEM, helping to create safety forms, organize registration, and select conference and competition structure. iGEM Calgary also helped recruit international teams to speak at cGEM, and get feedback on the conference from attending teams.

Our involved members valued their time planning cGEM, and were excited to collaborate with people from across the nation, where we fostered new friendships and participated in the promotion of synthetic biology in Canada!

We virtually attended the cGEM conference in early October, and were inspired by the passion that we saw in the Canadian synthetic biology industry. We left with great feedback on our project, a sense of community, and a little more motivation to represent Canada well at iGEM.


OTHER

Other small and fun collaborations

In order to provide a sustainable, community-based solution, we plan to genetically modify Rhodosporidium toruloides, an oleaginous yeast that naturally produces beta-carotene and lipids, to be more robust and resource-efficient. By modifying the yeast to produce cellulase, it can then use common agricultural waste products as an energy source for synthesizing its oil. It can then be eaten as a vitamin A supplement. The yeast strain, while naturally safe and non-pathogenic, will also be genetically modified to include a kill switch for bio-containment, and optimized for oil production.