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Seven questions with UCL iGEM

20 October 2016

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UCL iGEM

This week meet the UCL iGEM team, made up of UCL Biomedical Engineering, Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Master's degree students. Team representative Abbie Rogan gives us the lowdown on behalf of iGEM.

Tell us more about your research project.

iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition (made up of more than 300 teams) for university students who are passionate about synthetic biology and molecular biotechnology. UCL has an impressive track record of success in the past, having won numerous gold medals as well as the Best Supporting Entrepreneurship, Best Supporting Art and Design, Best Policy and Practice Advance, and Best Supporting Software awards.

UCL Biochemical Engineering has hosted UCL iGEM teams since 2009, harnessing the department's position as a centre of excellence in industrial application of synthetic biology. This year the UCL Faculty of Engineering Science and Department of Biochemical Engineering is again supporting UCL participation in iGEM. Dr Darren N. Nesbeth (UCL Biochemical Engineering) coordinates the team's efforts.

So what is synthetic biology? Synthetic biology is the study of using a living organism like bacteria, to carry out a desired function. For example, we can change the DNA of a bacterial cell to produce light or even get bacteria to make electricity (a genetically modified organism).

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you could live your later years of life healthier and not restricted by age-related diseases? The 2016 UCL iGEM team is hoping to make this a reality by exploring how we can use synthetic biology to promote healthy ageing - not necessary increasing length of life, but increasing the healthy human lifespan. 

Ageing imposes permanent damage to cells in response to various forms of biological stress. The effect of free radicals has emerged as a major factor in molecular ageing of mammalian cells. We are developing a bacterial oxidative stress sensitive probiotic that releases a lycopene antioxidant in the presence of oxidative stress in the gut. We are also taking forward a gene therapy approach to boost expression of the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the presence of oxidative stress signals. 

SOD therapy has the potential to act as a treatment against lung disease and has been proven in some studies to extend healthy lifespan. Hypertension increases rapidly with ageing and we have explored the potential of an antihypertensive dental device consisting of oral bacteria designed to produce nitric oxide precursors in saliva. Nitrite is swallowed and processed to produce nitric oxide, which causes vascular relaxation, reducing blood pressure.

What makes it so important (and interesting)?

An ageing-themed project has never been explored before on iGEM and we are really excited to build new systems that solve the issues of the ageing population. We hope that our solutions can act as a preventative way of prolonging the negative side effects of ageing such as tooth loss, lung disease, muscle loss and more.

Ageing is a world challenge that is recognised by the World Health Organization and is an issue that we need to do something about.

What has been a personal highlight so far?

A personal highlight was meeting one of the most prominent figures of ageing research - Aubrey de Grey. Also getting to meet lots of experts, high profile politicians, people from the media, policy makers and to really see how our project can make a real impact!

Explain some of the challenges involved in working on a research project.

There's so much we want to do in such little time. An ageing project will affect the whole global population, therefore we can potentially do so much without human practices - talk to politicians, policy makers, farmers, and students etc. 

What advice would you give to an undergraduate student hoping to pursue a research career?

My advice is that you need to be really organised to make sure you keep on top of things: keeping a diary is our best advice and is something we've learnt through iGEM. One week you may have nothing happening and another you may have three-four meetings every day (that actually happened!). Also, definitely apply for iGEM next year - it's open to students from all disciplines.

What's next after the project finishes?

iGEM has already given us a lot of transferrable skills - we've become more confident when we present, we can communicate to different audiences, we've learnt how to code a website and design logos and graphics (things we never thought we would do!). 

Describe your perfect evening (or weekend) after a long week.

Watching a movie with lots of junk food or going trekking in central London.

The UCL iGEM team consists of: Amandeep Varia, Abbie Rogan, Hana Janebdar, Dale Stibbs, Kami Zmijewskil, Kuba Domaradzki, Chichi Ihuegbu, Neythan Treloar, Michelle Ammann and Yuqiao Liu.

Follow UCL iGEM on Twitter.