Four Biology students have achieved three awards at the Grand Jamboree – International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition in Paris.

The UGM-Indonesia team, consisting of students from various faculties at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), has achieved remarkable succes feat by winning a gold medal, inclusivity award, and a nomination for the best diagnostic project at the Grand Jamboree – International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition 2023, held in Paris, France, from November 2 to November 5, 2023. Four out of the sixteen members of the UGM-Indonesia team are Biology students in the class of 2020 : Sofyan Maulana, Fathur Syahrian Ramadhani, Adelia Intan Sabhira, and Ulfah Nur Azizah. This moment marks the first time in the 20-year history of the iGEM competition that a team from Indonesia has successfully secured a special award and entered the nomination for the best project. Previously, in 2021, the UGM-Indonesia team led by Yustika Sari (Biology 2017) achieved a silver medal.

iGEM is a prestigious competition in the field of Synthetic Biology that originated from a summer school activity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2003. In this competition, each team is provided with an iGEM Distribution Kit containing hundreds of “BioBrick Parts,” which are DNA components that can be assembled into genetic circuits to address various real-world problems. This competition has spurred the emergence of research innovations, companies, and leading biotechnology startups such as Ginkgo Bioworks, Asimov, and Benchling. In the two-decade celebration of iGEM, this year’s competition was participated in by 400 teams from 66 countries, involving over 3000 high school students, undergraduate, and graduate students from around the world.

Under the leadership of I Made Rhamandana Putra (Pharmacy 2019), the UGM-Indonesia team adopted the theme of diagnostic technology with a project entitled “Novel Biodevice for Colorectal Cancer Screening using Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (ECN) with miRNAs as Biomarker”. The team successfully engineered the ECN bacteria to detect cancer cells and enhance the sensitivity of the Loop-Initiated RNA Activator (LIRA) through mathematical modeling and computer simulation. The hard work, innovation, and creativity of this team convinced five international judges to award a gold medal and a nomination for the best diagnostic project. In addition to conducting research in the laboratory, the iGEM team also had to approach social and inclusivity aspects within various community components. Out of the 400 competing teams, the UGM-Indonesia team was selected to win the special prize: the best Inclusive award.

This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication and guidance of various parties. Dr. Yekti Asih Purwestri from the Faculty of Biology UGM served as the main supervisor, supported by Widhi Dyah Sawitri, Ph.D (Faculty of Agriculture), M. Saifur Rohman, Ph.D (Faculty of Agriculture), and Setyowati Triastuti Utami, Ph.D (Faculty of Pharmacy). Additionally, the team was assisted by 15 mentors comprising of lecturers, alumni, and UGM students, including six lecturers from the Faculty of Biology: Dr. Yekti Asih Purwestri, S.Si., M.Si., Dr. Niken Satuti Nur Handayani, Aries Bagus Sasongko, M.Biotech, Lisna Hidayati, M.Biotech, Indra Lesmana, M.Sc., and Matin Nuhamunada, M.Sc. [Author: UGM iGEM Team]