Knight Campus-based iGem Team Wins Silver Medal

The UO iGEM team, advised by Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering assistant professor Calin Plesa, competed at the iGEM Grand Jamboree in Paris in October and brought home a silver medal in the Infectious Diseases category. ClearMark Bio, a student startup founded by Keane Deas and Oliver Loreto and inspired by the project of the 2022 UO iGEM team, won the 2024 Startup Showcase at the Jamboree. The iGEM Grand Jamboree attracts hundreds of student teams from around the world to compete and collaborate to advance the field of synthetic biology. 

Knight Campus-based iGEM team standing before green iGEM logo statue in a conference hall
Members of the UO iGEM team competing in Paris at the 2024 iGEM Grand Jamboree (left to right): Favour Foday, Maggie Trail, Jacob Villa, Bella Albiani, Emily Sverdrup, Ari Periche, Katelyn Anderson, Luca Lippert 

"It was bittersweet because we were really aiming for gold, but a silver medal is such a huge achievement and I'm so proud of my team for all their hard work," said team leader Emily Sverdrup, a student researcher based in the Willett Lab who was a returning member of the 2023 silver medal UO iGEM Team. 

Teams were judged on their ability to design, build, and test projects using cutting edge synthetic biology. The UO team’s presentation, "A Bacterial Approach to Gastrointestinal Pathogen Treatment," introduced the development of a probiotic therapeutic to replace antibiotics in the treatment of gastrointestinal (Gl) tract infections as aiming to combat the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance.

"The team did an exceptional job with their presentation, and their responses to the judges’ questions were outstanding," Plesa said. 

The group's proposed solution, a genetically modified strain of the bacterium E. coli known as E.coli Nissle 1917 (EcN), has the potential to selectively identify and destroy targeted gastrointestinal pathogens.

"Bacterial antimicrobial resistance is a silent pandemic that is responsible for the deaths of millions of people annually and is a threat that continues to magnify," Sverdrup said. "As antibiotics decrease in efficacy over time, the development of a comprehensive treatment for bacterial infections is crucial and our probiotic seeks to fill this growing need."

Knight Campus-based iGEM team members on a rooftop with the Paris skyline in the background
Members of the UO iGEM team pose for a photo against the Paris skyline in between sessions at the 2024 iGEM Grand Jamboree (left to right): Ari Periche, Katelyn Anderson, Luca Lippert, Maggie Trail, Jacob Villa, Emily Sverdrup, Bella Albiani, Favour Foday 

The student team included wet lab co-leads Luca Lippert from the Plesa Lab and Ari Periche from the Hosseinzadeh Lab, returning member Katelyn Anderson, Favour Foday, Jacob Villa from the Deku Lab, Maggie Trail from the Guldberg Lab, Bella Albiani, Yanapat Janthana from the Hosseinzadeh Lab, Eloy Vetto, and Enoch Elumba. Mentors with Knight Campus connections included Ph.D. candidates Andrew Holston, Anissa Benabbas and Natanya Villegas, Plesa Lab Manager Samuel Rowe Hinton and Knight Campus Undergraduate Scholar  and UO iGEM alum, Keane Deas.

The trip was funded by UO academic programs and departments, including the Knight Campus, the Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement (CURE), the Associated Students of the University of Oregon. 

Plesa and Sverdrup both expressed gratitude to the Knight Campus for its continued financial support, as well as administrative support from Assistant Director of Academic Administration Khaila Carlstrom, Operations Project Manager Theresa Hoffer, and Senior Academic Business Coordinator, Jodi Myers.

 

For explainer reels, team member bios and more information, follow the UO iGEM team on Instagram and TikTok.