Bordeaux IGEM 2017. Introducing the Genetic engineering competition, the team, and our project !

Hi, today I'll be introducing the Bordeaux University Team's project for IGEM 2017.

First of all, I am a member of said team, mainly in charge of publications to the general public and, once they !#§"#§ get me access to the wiki, the Team wiki's content.

We're a group of about 20 people, though we've had some... friction... lately (a few of my fellow bioinformaticians tried to get everyone on board with changing the project mid-way through the competition, because they didn't like the current project).

But enough of our internal discord !

1.International Genetically Modified Machines competition

First of all, let’s explain what IGEM is :

IGEM is a competition based on modifying living organisms using the newest tools in molecular biology.

Now, before you run away screaming, thinking that we are about to usher in the zombie apocalypse or make everyone glow green, let me reassure you.

IGEM takes morality and ethics VERY seriously. There’s no messing around with human cells, no unethical practices, and no intentional cruelty. IGEM is about using molecular biology to advance scientific knowledge, or help others. To put it simply, that make the world a better place !

Everything from making plastic-eating bacteria to clean up the oceans (or placing in recycling centers to break it down into reusable components), modifying algae to become a more nutritious food source, to using the competition to work on more long-term projects, step by step, like ultimately being able to regrow an arm !

2. Our project

Logo Credits: IGEM bordeaux team 2017

Talking about re-growing limbs, that’s a possible long-term benefit of our team’s project for IGEM 2017 !

Our project involves a model organism (an organism that scientist have studied a lot) called Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans, to it’s friends). It’s a small non-parasitic roundworm that we’ve chosen because it’s nearly transparent, and very well known on a genetic level, which makes modifying it much easier. (it's also much easier to rear than mice, obviously !).

Now isn't that the cutest round-worm you've ever seen ? isn't it ?!?

The main aim of our project is to modify C.elegans to be make certain muscular tissues in different parts of it’s body, depending on what combination of different wavelengths of light the different body-parts receive.

To be able to test if this is happening, we will also make our C.elegans worms glow in different colors depending on the combination of wavelengths of light it receives.
How does this fit in with limb regeneration or, more specifically, with cellular regeneration ?

Well, to regenerate a limb, or any kind of complex tissue for that matter, we need to be able to control what kind of cells are regenerated very precisely.

Seeing as something like an arm is composed of hundreds of different types of cells, and that these cells are organized in a very special way, to regenerate an arm we would need to not only make the cells where the amputated arm was begin dividing into new cells again (which in itself is a challenge many scientists are working on) but also control exactly what kind of cells their descendants become.

Seeing as we’ll need to, at some point, get the cells responsible for skin or muscle to differentiate into the cells responsible for growing your new nails, we need some way to control exactly when this happens.

3. IGEM fundraising

IGEM, as a competition, is... costly.

There's all the components needed for the experiments, travel costs, registration costs, etc...

In the past few weeks, we've FINALLY begun getting responses from labs and the French embassy in America (the project presentations take place in Boston) on our applications for financing, and they've given us 2-3 thousands in total for now.

Which means we only lack...let's see... 10-20 thousand XO

The average cost to participate in IGEM is in the 30,000 $, so money is kind of a problem. (and that's an average for a 10 people team XS)

Of course, that supposes everyone goes to Boston, and we've already realized that's not really practical.

We're planning to send 5-10 people off to Boston to present our project, but our university Labs are supporting us material-wise, so the cost is probably more around 15,000 - 20,000$ for us.

We're still negotiating with a few labs and local businesses for financing, but we're also planning a Crowdfunding campaign (Which I will, of course, share here when it starts !).

In any case, I wish you a good day !

And I'm sure the team wishes you one too !