Collaboration

We teamed up to organize the Swiss Synthetic Biology Meetup, which took place on the 23rd of September 2022 at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. The goal of the evening was to enable the audience to learn more about academic research shaped by synthetic biology techniques through expert talks. As the conference started, a presentation introducing synthetic biology and the iGEM competition opened the stage. We had the opportunity to hear about the exciting thesis outline by PhD candidate Emanuele Boni, which focuses on expanding the SynBio toolbox with the generation of a repressilator using the CRISPR technology. The second and final talk was given by Dr. Edward R.Ballister from New York's Columbia University, who introduced his research on engineering bacteria to deliver therapeutic antibody mimics within solid tumours. The talks were fascinating, and for us, the UZurich iGEM team, it was amazing to see our chassis E.Coli Nissle 1917 being used for further incredible applications. The talks were followed by the iGEM project presentations from each team, rounded out by Q&A sessions that helped us recognize new perspectives on our respective projects. After the presentations, we offered a networking possibility among our audience, experts and iGEM team members. Each iGEM team designed a poster displayed at their "team booth", which served as the base for further discussion among interested university students, experts, and sponsors. Our evening was a great success that enriched our knowledge, helped connect us Swiss iGEM teams, and contributed to educating the general public about the world of synthetic biology.