CAPS Bioscience off to the iGEM Jamboree

The CAPS Bioscience iGEM team is wrapping up their final laboratory work in preparation for traveling to participate in the iGEM Jamboree at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. iGEM stands for International Genetically Engineered Machines and the jamboree is a friendly synthetic biology competition that will be attended by hundreds of collegiate and high school teams from around the world. Synthetic biology is an emerging field in biology in which the engineering design process is applied to solving biological problems that can be addressed through the manipulation of bacterial genes.

The CAPS Bioscience iGEM team composed of members Keith Andrews, Steven Blair, Hanna Bradford, Grace Brunner, Hayden Dahm, Archiata Goyal, Joshua Jeng, Lucy Li, Tristan Meier, Nithin Saripalli, Anna Song, Archana Sundar, and Emma Van Lieshout has been working to apply the cutting-edge technology of CRISPR/Cas9 to inhibit the production of protein components of bacterial efflux pumps which are contributing factors in the emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens. As antibiotic resistant pathogens are increasingly become more common place, new perspective and avenues for combating this problem are warranted. Synthetic biology provides that new perspective.

As we take part in the competition in Boston from October 27-October 31, we’d like to thank our sponsors who have financially supported our experimental design, laboratory materials, and mitigated our travel expenses. We sincerely thank the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), GenScript, Desktop Genetics, Twist Bioscience, New England Biolabs, and the Dixon Family Foundation for their support!

If you want to be kept up-to-date on the team’s progress during our travels, please follow on Twitter @CAPSiGEM!!