Florida State University’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team has received a gold medal for the second consecutive year at the iGEM Grand Jamboree, an annual global synthetic biology competition. The event took place from October 28 to 31 at the Paris Convention Centre in France and included 420 teams from universities worldwide, such as Stanford University, Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and Tsinghua University.
The FSU team’s project focused on developing microplastic-binding proteins designed to be taken orally. These proteins are intended to operate within the human gastrointestinal tract to safely remove microplastics from the body and prevent their accumulation in organs like the brain or placenta. Recent studies have linked microplastics to health issues including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancers, and other illnesses.
“The gold medal proved that we’ve established ourselves as a very competitive iGEM program in the United States,” said iGEM team leader and exercise physiology student Jordan Schwartz. “We were also humbled seeing the other teams’ projects knowing that there is no limit to what can be accomplished in any field with synthetic biology. Interacting with teams from across the U.S. and the world helped us cultivate new ideas, network with others in the field and identify opportunities for growth.”
FSU remains Florida’s most successful iGEM team, now holding back-to-back gold medals—the first for any team in the state. Since 2017, FSU iGEM teams have earned one bronze, four silver, and three gold medals.
The current team includes students from six different colleges at FSU along with faculty advisers Cesar A. Rodriguez—primary principal investigator and research faculty member in the College of Medicine—and David Montez—secondary principal investigator and associate director at FSU’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement.
“We are incredibly proud of our hardworking and talented iGEM team,” Montez said. “FSU’s sustained success at the Jamboree shows our university’s impressive strength in the health and innovation spaces. These are students who think creatively, harness interdisciplinary research and work together to pursue complex solutions to real-world problems that affect real people in Florida and beyond.”
In addition to their main award, some members of FSU’s 2024 team won recognition at the Grand Jamboree’s BioInnovation Summit event by earning a Community Impact Award. Three former iGEM members presented their work on a rare metabolic disorder through their startup company Esperance Healthcare. They developed a patent-pending diagnostic breathalyzer device called EsperSense for use in treating trimethylaminuria (TMAU), a condition causing strong body odor due to metabolic issues. Their cell-based therapeutic E. esperance was also highlighted; its development has been supported by funding from FSU College of Medicine’s Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases.
“Since 2017, the FSU iGEM program has nurtured leadership skills that our alumni are using to successfully complete medical and graduate programs, and maintain research positions in the private sector,” Rodriguez said. “The commitment that FSU has made each year ensures the team’s success and supports the future of bio-innovation in the state of Florida.”
More information about FSU iGEM can be found at med.fsu.edu/igem or cre.fsu.edu/undergraduate-research/fsu-igem.
