ConQ-r Mi! Team which is affiliated with iGEM UGM, succeeded in making achievements at the national level by winning 1st place and receiving the Gold Medal award in the 2022 Bioinformatics and Synthetic Biology Competition (BIOS). This achievement was achieved by Ulfah Nur Azizah and Adhelia Intan Sabhira who are Biology students class of 2020 and I Made Rhamandana Putra (Faculty of Pharmacy, 2019), Nadya Lela Ainika (Faculty of Pharmacy, 2019), and Farrell Alfaza Marsetyo (KKMK Faculty, 2021) under the guidance of Dr.rer.nat. Abdul Rahman Siregar, S.Si., M.Biotech. In addition, the team also received guidance from Dr. med. dr. Indwiani Astuti, Imam Bagus Nugroho, M.Sc., and Pamungkas Bagus Satriyo, Ph.D.

BIOS Competition is a bioinformatics and synthetic biology competition organized by Synbio.id. This competition aims to provide solutions to various local problems through Bioinformatics and Synthetic Biology approaches. Tracks/sub-themes that can be raised in this competition include diagnostics, energy, environment, food and nutrition, as well as medicine/health therapy. There are a series of selection stages in this competition, including abstract submission, administrative selection, elevator pitch submission, research and filling in JOGL, research report and poster submission, final round selection, project presentation, and ending with a final showcase in the form of team presentations that pass in the top 3. This competition took place from 22 May 2022 to 11 December 2022 which was closed with Synbio Tech Fest activities.

Through this BIOS Competition, the ConQ-r Mi! team raised the title “Drug Delivery System Design of Qβ Bacteriophage in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Therapy Using Anti-miRNA 105/93-3p”. This research is motivated by the fact that breast cancer in Indonesia occupies the first position with the highest incidence rate (16.6%), the second position with the highest mortality (9.6%), and the highest five-year prevalence of 148.11/100,000 cases. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) was chosen because it does not have an estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR), as well as excess negative HER-2 expression. Until now, treatment of TNBC is done by surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, TNBC does not have a clear therapeutic target and is resistant to chemotherapy, so it has a very poor prognosis. Therefore, to increase therapeutic effectiveness and optimize current TNBC treatment, a targeted drug delivery system is used which delivers therapeutic agents to the TNBC site. Therefore, in this study a recombinant Qβ bacteriophage was designed as a drug delivery system capable of targeting miRNA 105/93-3p as a TNBC biomarker and expressing the desired antibody to increase target specificity. The results of this in silico study showed that recombinant Qβ bacteriophage with the anti-EGFR linker cetuximab has the potential to be developed into TNBC therapy. However, in vitro and in vivo studies are also needed to ensure therapeutic efficacy and yield.

With this competition, the team hopes to contribute to the development of science, especially in the discovery of TNBC drugs. In addition, all the team members also hope that participating in this competition can provide encouragement and motivation for students who are interested in the fields of bioinformatics and synthetic biology to develop their ideas and ideas to answer the issues around them.

Biology undergraduate students at Gadjah Mada University made another achievement at the national level by winning 3rd place in the National Scientific Writing Competition. This achievement was achieved by students Susy Wijayanti and Umi Salamah from Biology Class of 2018 under the guidance of Dr. Ardaning Nuriliani, S. Si., M. Kes. This competition is a competition held by the University of North Sumatra with the theme “Gen Z Innovation and Strategy in the Environmentally Friendly Living Movement”. This activity aims to be a forum for channeling student creations & innovations for a healthy generation.

This final activity took place on November 25 2022 online at the University of North Sumatra which was attended by students from universities throughout Indonesia. This competition was carried out in four stages, which were abstract submission, assessment of scientific papers, announcement of the top 10, and the culmination of which was the presentation of the paper in front of the judges.

In this competition the team raised the title “Phytoremediation of Domestic, Industrial and Agricultural Liquid Waste by Photobioreactor-Based Microalgae”. According to the team, the idea was motivated by the high increase in global population, industrialization, and economic progress which had an impact on increasing waste and decreasing water quality. This prompted the team to conduct research to find an efficient method of managing this waste. One of the biological agents that can act as a natural bioremediator for managing waste is microalgae. Hence, the waste becomes safer for the environment.

Team preparation was carried out a week before the online presentation activities by preparing presentation materials and materials. The team regularly practices so that they are able to provide clear and firm explanations of the papers being presented. The team was able to convey ideas and answer all the jury’s questions straightforwardly. They said that this was none other than the result of the team’s hard work and the support of all parties.

With this competition, they really hope to be able to provide encouragement and support for students who are interested in the field of scientific work to convey their best ideas through their intelligence in thinking. In addition, the team also hopes that through this competition it can bring and make the Faculty of Biology and Gadjah Mada University proud in the future.

On Wednesday, 30 November 2022 to 4 December 2022, the 35th National Student Science Week (PIMNAS) was held. The implementation of the 35th year PIMNAS is carried out offline with strict health protocols that take place at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), East Java. PIMNAS is the culmination of a series of Student Creativity Program (PKM) activities that will be held from June to September 2022. Through this program, the PKM Biology Team chaired by Eri Dwi Suyanti (Biology 2020) with members Siti Mudrikah (Biology 2020), Nafatia Zulfa (Pharmacy 2020), Muhammad Fityatul Haq (Biology 2020), and Sabrina Novia Ramadani (Pharmacy 2020) are under assisted by Lisna Hidayati, S.Si. M. Biotech. carried out a research entitled “Induction of Apoptosis of Chitosan Nanoparticles Alkaloid Fraction of Tapak Dara Leaves (Catharanthus roseus L.) against MCF-7 Breast Cancer Linear Cells.”

Cases of breast cancer are one of the highest causes of death in the world. Until 2020, an estimated 2.3 million women worldwide were diagnosed with breast cancer and as many as 6 million died from breast cancer. Common treatments that are often performed on breast cancer patients such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, generally cause many side effects, hence alternative uses of safer anticancer agents are needed. This prompted the PKM Biology Team to conduct a research to search for anticancer agents from potential natural ingredients that could be used in alternative treatments for breast cancer with minimal side effects compared to anticancer drugs made from chemicals.

From these problems, the PKM Biology Team studied alkaloid compounds in Tapak Dara Leaves (Catharanthus roseus L.) which have antitumor activity and have the potential to induce apoptosis of cancer cells. The alkaloid compounds from tapak dara leaves are then combined with chitosan nanoparticle technology to increase drug efficacy in reaching targeted areas thereby increasing the effectiveness of alkaloid compounds in targeting cancer cells. This research won 2nd place or a silver equivalent award in the PKM-RE 1 presentation class at the closing of PIMNAS 35. In the future, the PKM Biology Team hopes that research development related to anti-cancer agents from other natural ingredients with a combination of nanoparticles will continue to be developed in order to find alternative breast cancer treatments that are more effective and with minimal side effects.