The team "SDU-CHINA" from Shandong University won a gold medal at the 2023 International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) on November 5 (French time).

Over 400 teams from universities around the globe participated in this competition. SDU-CHINA presented the project "Cell Intelligence (CI) for PHB Production", which employed synthetic biology to develop an intelligent Escherichia coli cell.

This engineered cell can autonomously regulate its transition from the growth phase to the production phase under various conditions and physiological stages and ultimately self-lyse to release the produced substance. The team also successfully applied this system in the synthesis of the biodegradable plastic PHB, achieving remarkable results.

The SDU-CHINA was guided by Professor Liang Quanfeng and Professor Wang Shuning from the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology at Shandong University. This is the third time that Professor Liang has led students in the competition.

The iGEM competition was established in 2003 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Recognized as the World Championship of Synthetic Biology, this cross-disciplinary competition holds immense global significance.

The SDU-CHINA team members introduce their entry project at the competition. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]

A group photo of SDU-CHINA at the competition site. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]

A group photo of SDU-CHINA. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]