Collaboration with BU

In June, we had the pleasure of hosting the BU Hardware iGEM team. We initially gave them a tour of our lab, the MIT Huang-Hobbs BioMakerspace. Each team was then able to introduce their project ideas to the other. While our projects differed greatly—theirs hardware, ours wet lab—each team was able to give and receive meaningful feedback on how, when and where to start their projects. We were able to give the BU team advice on optimizing their project for effortless use by the consumer. When introducing our therapeutic concept the BU team questioned us on what the actual product would look like. This activated our search for a delivery system that would be most comfortable for the patient. Additionally they inquired about how we were planning to prove our concept. We weren’t quite sure yet, so we asked for their advice. BU was able to point us to some potential baseline assays. For example, they proposed we look into assays that measure glutathione levels through luminescence. We planned to implement this in our project in the future. As neither of our teams had done iGEM previously, we also took some time to discuss iGEM deliverables with each other. It was helpful to have another team to bounce ideas off of and we brainstormed potential ways to fulfill them together.

Later in the summer, the BU team wanted to return the favor by inviting us to their campus. At this meeting each team was able to give a presentation on their full updated project. We then had a discussion on the iGEM deliverables once again. We were inspired by some of BU’s outreach efforts. They told us about their work with students to teach the younger generation about microfluidics and the field of synthetic biology. As a result, and with some further discussion with the BU team, we worked harder to integrate education and outreach into our project. That included utilizing social media, such as instagram and Tiktok, to raise awareness of oral mucositis, iGEM, and synthetic biology. We also were inspired to start storyboarding a week-long summer program for students to learn about synthetic biology in our lab space, hoping to implement it in future iGEM projects. The BU team also gave us a tour of their facilities where we got to learn more about their workspace and directly see the project they’ve been working on.

Working with the BU Hardware team was a truly positive experience that allowed both our teams to further our understanding of collaboration and the vastness of the world of synthetic biology. We look forward to continuing this connection through future iGEM projects.