iGEM

iGEM, International Genetically Engineered Machine, is an international annual competition in which multidisciplinary teams of students are using the latest Synthetic Biology techniques to build a biological machine. The students conceive, design and build a bacteria with an useful and/or interesting application. This year there are more than 300 teams from universities around the world who participate in the contest. In Boston they present their results and compete for the world title. Every year a team from the University of Groningen participates as well to show that the faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is one of the best of the world. Students are enthusiastically supported by several research groups within the university. In 2012, the team of Groningen has even become world champion!

iGEM team of Groningen 2016: Biocryptographie

From 27th until 31st of October the 12th edition of the iGEM competition took place. This year the University team will use the DNA of bacteria as a storage medium for data and use the encryption method on the bacteria. Bio-encryption is increasingly seen as a future way to safely store and exchange millions of gigabytes of data.

Participation in the iGEM competition costs the team a lot of money, including the costs of the laboratory, the materials to build a prototype and participation in the contest. The faculty supports the iGEM team, but that is not sufficient to cover all the costs. Therefore, the alumni desk of the Ubbo Emmius Fund of the University held a calling campaign to raise funds for the iGEM team. On the crowdfundingwebsite www.rugsteunt.nl there is more information about the project and you can follow the fundraising campaign.

iGEM team of Groningen 2015: Blue Bio-energy

The Groningen iGEM team from last year could also count on the support of fellow students and alumni. Through the crowdfunding site www.rugsteunt.nl the team raised € 1890, - for the costs which where not covered by the faculty. The team developed a special membrane for the generation of 'blue energy'. This energy is generated by the 'clash' of salt and sweet water. The biggest problem with the current technique is the use of plastic membranes (a sort of filters) to create blue energy. These are expensive and easily damaged. The iGEM team used bacteria to design a living membrane that can be used as a filter and which is able to repair itself in case of damage. In the movie below, the team explains their project a bit more.