The Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) iGEM 2024 team has once again achieved remarkable success at the Bioinformatics and Synthetic Biology (BIOS) 2024 competition, organized by Synbio.id. Competing virtually from August to December 2024, two of UGM’s leading teams Phytovac and Gamanthrax brought home an impressive array of accolades, including Best Presentation, Best Website, Best Poster, the prestigious Gold Medal, and the ultimate Grand Prize.
The UGM iGEM team consists of 19 interdisciplinary students, including eight talented members from the Faculty of Biology: Anandita Amalia Dewi (2021), Salma Rohmaniah (2021), Erwinda Dwi Chofifah (2022), Tan Rendy (2022), Angga Firza Pratama (2023), Geraldine Yara Amritasahmi (2023), Nauval Rajwaa Raysendria (2023), and Tsaqifa Zuhayra Emery Bagus (2023). The synergy among students from diverse academic backgrounds was key to the team’s success, fostering creativity and innovation to address real-world societal challenges.
Under the guidance of Dr. Yekti Asih Purwestri, M.Si., the UGM iGEM team adopted molecular farming as an innovative approach to develop therapeutic solutions for pressing health issues in Indonesia. Team Phytovac, led by Farrel Alfaza Marsetyo (Faculty of Medicine, 2021), introduced a project titled “Immunoinformatics Design of Virus-Like Particle-linked Dengue Vaccine for Expression in Nicotiana benthamiana System”, targeting the prevalent issue of dengue fever. Team Gamanthrax, led by Fahmi Ihsanuddin Jauhari (Faculty of Pharmacy, 2021), presented a project titled “In Silico Design of Plant-Based Anthrax Vaccine using Recombinant DNA Method”, focusing on the development of a plant-based anthrax vaccine.
Both projects successfully leveraged computational modeling and mathematical simulation technologies to design plant-based vaccines—groundbreaking advancements in biotechnology.
The BIOS 2024 competition featured a rigorous selection process, beginning with abstract submissions, proposal videos, website showcases, posters, and presentation videos from August 24 to November 10, 2024. Both UGM teams advanced to the final round on November 29, 2024, where they engaged in interactive judging sessions.
The BIOS 2024 competition featured a rigorous selection process, beginning with abstract submissions, proposal videos, website showcases, posters, and presentation videos from August 24 to November 10, 2024. Both UGM teams advanced to the final round on November 29, 2024, where they engaged in interactive judging sessions.
The journey culminated in the Grand Final on November 30, 2024, where Phytovac emerged as a grand finalist alongside two other top teams. In the final round, the teams presented their projects to judges and audiences. The competition’s pinnacle was marked by the Awarding Ceremony on December 1, 2024, where both Phytovac and Gamanthrax were crowned champions, earning multiple prestigious awards.
This outstanding achievement highlights the competitive excellence of UGM’s Faculty of Biology students on the national stage. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, relentless hard work, and a passion for innovation, the UGM iGEM team has proven that science and technology hold the key to driving sustainable and positive societal change.
Written by: iGEM UGM Team