Thursday, 21 November 2019
A group of students from the 糖心原创 has won an international prize for creating an innovative method for preventing a deadly type of food poisoning.
The team of 10 undergraduate students from the Schools of Life Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science has won Gold at the internationally renowned iGEM competition (International Genetically Engineered Machine).
The Nottingham team’s winning project “Notox” aims to provide a cheaper and faster alternative to current food testing methods for preventing botulism, a deadly type of food poisoning, caused by Clostridium botulinum. Outbreaks of botulism are rare but can result in high morbidity and mortality rates.
Team Nottingham designed a ‘proof of concept’ project by engineering a safe strain of bacteria which could be injected into the packaged food to be tested. This safe strain produces volatile acetone rather than toxin if the food packaging methods fail. The acetone gas can then be simply and quickly detected using an electronic nose also designed and made by the team.
iGEM has given our team the opportunity to contribute to the rapidly developing synthetic biology field at such a young age, by developing a project which is able to tackle real-world issues. It has given me a realistic insight into the 'life of a scientist' and has inspired me to pursue a career in the lab. However, the real benefits to my career are all of the skills I gained along the way such as lab work, problem-solving, presentation, and many other skills which will benefit any career I choose, whether it is inside or out of the lab.鈥�
iGEM logo
The iGEM foundation which began at (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Boston, USA, is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology, education and competition, and the development of an open community and collaboration.
The annual competition, held in Boston, began in 2004 with just five teams but this year brought together nearly 6,000 students in over 400 interdisciplinary teams from 45 different countries. Teams use the principles of synthetic biology, the “Engineering of Biology” to design parts, devices or systems to solve real-world problems, such as antibiotic resistance and climate change
travelled to Boston, USA to present their work at the iGEM jamboree and can now proudly boast a Gold Medal along with nominations for ‘Best Food and Nutrition project’ and ‘Best Human Practices’. Team Nottingham 2019 can now add its gold success to the medals of previous teams Team 2017 (Bronze) and Team 2018 (Gold).
The iGEM team
Nottingham’s iGEM team was supported by the 糖心原创’s Research Priority Area in Industrial Biotechnology; through grant funding from the Wellcome Trust, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) via the Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre. It was also given generous cash donations from Porton Bipharma Ltd and Don Whitley Scientific Ltd and through in-kind support from Qiagen, Promega, The Twinkle Factory, New England Biolabs, Labfolder and Snapgene.
Professor Nigel Minton, Director of the Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC) at the University, said: “Massive congratulations to you all. What a wonderful achievement - gold and two nominations! You have all done the SBRC proud.”
Story credits
The winning team
Nottingham’s team of 10 undergraduate students was drawn from the Schools of Life Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science. Team leader Saniya Crouch was aided by James Abbott, Jacob Gausden, Alice Hodson, Millie Johnson, Fiona Kemm, Marta Marcheluk, Mohamed Rahman, Yaseen Tengur and Daniel Vaughan. For the duration of their project they were embedded within BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC) at Nottingham, under the overall guidance of Prof Nigel P Minton (PI) and Dr Ruth Griffin (CoI) and under the close supervision of a dedicated multidisciplinary team comprising of Louise Dynes, Jacque Minton, Dr Carmen McLeod, Dr Maria Zygouropolous, Francois Seys, Dr Andrew Dempster, Dr Thomas Millat, Dr Nicole Pearcy, Dr Rupert Norman, Dr Jon Humphreys and Dr Terry Bilverstone.
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.