Team:Kyoto/Gift from Synthetic Biology
Gifts from Synthetic Biology
As we know, synthetic biology is one of the academic fields which enables us to create brand-new things
through the integration of science and technology, pioneering our future. By participating in iGEM
competitions, we have encountered many aspects of synthetic biology and learned a lot from them. This
summer, in between busy hours of experiments and human practice activities, we visited a small building
where the previous members of iGEM Kyoto are gathering. As they gave us advice on our current projects and
told us about their current work or about their memories of iGEM, we became aware of different aspects of
synthetic biology that we had never noticed before.
The Interview to Alumni
Start-up
In May 2020, xFOREST Therapeutics Co., Ltd. was founded by Dr. Shunnichi Kashida
and Dr. Kaoru R. Komatsu, alumni of iGEM Kyoto. xFOREST engages in discovering
small molecule drugs based on an RNA discovery platform called "FOREST technologies". Shunnichi,
CEO, also founded iGEM Kyoto in 2008. Kaoru, CTO, is a member of iGEM Kyoto 2011 and 2012. Mr.
Ken Tajiri, CSO, and Ms. Sayaka Dantsuji, scientists, are members of iGEM Kyoto
2012 and 2013. As you can see, xFOREST is a group which reunited the members who supported the
early days of iGEM Kyoto after more than 10 years, each of them having experienced their own years
before joining the company. Currently, xFOREST has 11 members, including people outside of iGEM
Kyoto, in the start-up company.
We visited xFOREST to talk with these members and we learned a lot of useful tips for iGEM,
synthetic biology, and start-ups. This page was written to share these valuable experiences with
iGEMers around the world.
Now, let's take a look at the very interesting stories about the potential of synthetic biology
and iGEM. First, we introduce an interview with Shunnichi, founder of iGEM Kyoto and
Co-founder/CEO of xFOREST.
xFOREST
iGEM Kyoto 2021
First of all, please tell us about the history of your involvement in synthetic biology.
Shunnichi
In the Science faculty at Kyoto University, we are supposed to choose and join a lab as a
4th-year undergrad research course. I chose the RNA biology lab where Professor Tan Inoue and
Assistant professor Hirohide Saito had just started synthetic biology projects working on
artificial systems to control RNA functions. At the time, synthetic biology was not as popular
as it is today, and no one knew whether this new academic discipline would grow or disappear.
After two years of research in the same lab, being a master's student, I had a desire to
contribute to expanding the synthetic biology field. It was that time when I first heard about
iGEM, which made me think that this movement would be a great opportunity to increase the
recognition of synthetic biology.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
How was iGEM at that time?
Shunnichi
At that time, iGEM was not as sophisticated as it is today. We noticed many problems; some
of the shared genetic-circuit parts did not work well, for example. That gave me many
difficulties, but perhaps because of those hardships, I have been able to keep working to
improve the performance and quality of the basic parts of synthetic biology afterwards. My
dissertation was on the three-dimensional design of protein-responsive genetic switches using
RNA. In that thesis, I showed switches that work with several trigger proteins -the switch
design required specific RNA-protein binding sets as the parts. Then I continued my research to
create RNA switches with various functions that would work in more general cases.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
How did you find so many switches?
Shunnichi
When I became a postdoc in 2012, there was no comprehensive system to search for RNA binding
functions. Then I developed a novel system to analyze the binding affinities of the RNA
structure library vs. trigger protein. I collected diverse RNA and designed an RNA structure
library. Then I mixed the library with proteins to form complexes in a single tube and
parallelly quantified the whole binding affinities with the Microarray system. Among the
results, I could select the RNA structure that met the same properties as the desired switch for
evaluation. As a first milestone, among various RNA structure libraries, I searched for the
switches that would play a certain role in iPS cells. Later, Kaoru joined us and we were able to
improve the more generalized system. Moreover, we evolved the screening system so that it can be
used not only for protein selection but for compound selection. Thanks to this development, we
succeeded in building a system for drug discovery. This has led us to the current xFOREST.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
So your experience at iGEM has led you to your current job.
Shunnichi
The original idea came from the demand to make the synthetic biology parts more validated and
to select the necessary parts from a large and comprehensive collection. In this sense, our
business is based on the philosophy of synthetic biology and the concept of iGEM.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
Was the iGEM experience helpful in founding the company?
Shunnichi
Absolutely. iGEM has a lot of unique concepts and a culture that everyone shares. I'm sure
you've all noticed this during the iGEM activity. We shared such a culture in the same team when
we were students. There is no doubt that strengthened the solidarity among the members. This has
been so helpful, especially since our projects are related to the iGEM experiences.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
So it is true that people with the same background coming together is a great advantage.
Shunnichi
That's right. But you have to keep in mind that even though we are on the same page, each of
us have experienced differently before we reunited in this company. One member has studied
neurobiology. I worked on biophysics after working on iPS cells. On the other hand, one of my
colleagues worked as a business consultant. As a result, we have a quite diversified team.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
I believe that xFOREST was able to consolidate diverse talents into one team because of their
shared background.
Shunnichi
Yes, I think so. It is regrettable that I cannot go into details about our business yet, but
I mainly talked about how iGEM has to do with the founding of our company.
Departure and Voyage of iGEM Kyoto
iGEM Kyoto 2021
Please tell us about iGEM Kyoto when you started. Did you expect that it would last until
today?
Shunnichi
Sadly, I had to leave iGEM activities a while after the founding of iGEM Kyoto because I was
told by my PI, Professor Inoue to focus on my own research as a Ph.D. student. Therefore, I did
not sufficiently support the team that I founded with affection. My contribution was focused on
the establishment and the early activities of iGEM Kyoto (of course the founding and leading 1st
year is always one of the toughest roles), and the team has been able to carry on its activities
thanks to the help of other faculty members. Among the teachers who supported our early
activities, professor Inoue and professor Saito from the Faculty of Science especially provided
us with a great deal of support.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
I came to understand that iGEM Kyoto has existed to this day thanks to the help of many
faculty members. The relationship between you and iGEM Kyoto has been off for a while, hasn't
it?
Shunnichi
Yes, it has. At that time, I had no idea that our relationship would be brought back in the
future. This was a pleasant surprise.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
Although you have left iGEM Kyoto, you have stayed in the world of synthetic biology. What is
it about synthetic biology that appeals to you?
Shunnichi
In general biology, researchers try to understand the mechanisms of biological phenomena by
analyzing them and reducing them to their elements. In contrast, in synthetic biology, we
attempt to understand biological phenomena by combining elements and reconstructing systems. The
latter concept has always fascinated me. When I was involved in artificial cell biophysics
research, the concept of synthetic biology provided the basis of a research scheme in that
field.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
“Understanding by creating” seems to be an exciting concept to us too.
Shunnichi
The concept itself is interesting, and it is also interesting that such a new concept was
born as an alternative to molecular biology and developed to become a new trend of the times. I
believe that the development of synthetic biology has greatly contributed to the growth and
expansion of science and technology companies.
As you may know, Ginkgo bioworks, whose founders were all involved in iGEM, has gone public on
NYSE. Our company was born in the same trend.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
I realized that your encounter with iGEM, the start-up of xFOREST, and the development of
synthetic biology in the world are deeply connected to each other in the context of history.
Shunnichi
I was concerned with iGEM only for the first few years, but those years played a crucial role
in changing my life.
What We Recieve from iGEM
iGEM Kyoto 2021
Can you tell us about your experience with iGEM?
Shunnichi
I started iGEM Kyoto in 2008 when I was a second year master's student. There were many
highly motivated first and second year undergraduate students in the team. I met them and had a
good time interacting with them.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
On the other hand, what hardships did you experience while working on iGEM?
Shunnichi
The experiments were mainly conducted by first year undergraduate students, but they were
untrained and with little knowledge. Hence, it was difficult to organize them. I was even told
by a faculty member in a neighboring laboratory that it was annoying to have such students doing
experiments around him.
However, after I had been away from iGEM for a while, around 2015-2016, I started to hear that things were changing. Professors in Kyoto University often talk about how excellent students are these days, and that if they listen to excellent students, a lot of them have experienced iGEM. The students who grew up at iGEM began to achieve success in their fields.
However, after I had been away from iGEM for a while, around 2015-2016, I started to hear that things were changing. Professors in Kyoto University often talk about how excellent students are these days, and that if they listen to excellent students, a lot of them have experienced iGEM. The students who grew up at iGEM began to achieve success in their fields.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
Was the environment different from that when you founded iGEM Kyoto?
Shunnichi
I did not anticipate that the environment would go through such a change. Of course, I was
aware of the educational implications of participating in iGEM. In fact, we were just having fun
working on something new with exciting and interesting people. However, I guess the reason why
our members have matured in their respective ways is because the iGEM experience, especially in
the early years of undergrad, still has played an educational role in their lives. This was a
tremendous experience for me and for the other members.
Message to Current iGEMers
iGEM Kyoto 2021
Finally, is there anything you would like to tell to the current iGEMers?
Shunnichi
The theme of our first project in 2008 was "Lifting the Titanic with E. coli.” It was a
project in which all the members decided to try something exciting and interesting rather than
something scientifically meaningful. I think this experience of designing actual actions with
our own passions is worthy. New ideas can originate from such crazy ideas that depart from the
traditional norms. I would like to strongly encourage iGEMers to build projects based on such
crazy ideas.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
How do those crazy ideas influence you now?
Shunnichi
When I was a lab student, I was encouraged to develop my own research theme freely and make
decisions by myself. This contributed to the fact that I was advising iGEM Kyoto students to
plan bold and crazy ideas for projects. Furthermore, the research started with crazy ideas tends
to end up contributing to the benefit of the laboratory. From these experiences, I believe that
when individuals extend their “craziness”, it leads to making many people happy.
iGEM Kyoto 2021
As a young advisor, is there anything you would like to share with students today as to the
way of leading a group?
Shunnichi
In some iGEM teams at other universities, advisors frequently assisted students with their
experiments. Even the advisors performed the experiments by themselves to win the prize. As an
advisor, I provided safety and technical training, but I let the students perform the
experiments by themselves. I did not give advice on how to succeed with the project, but let the
students figure out how to do it on their own. That will be the important thing as an education
program.
Proceed to the next part ...
Talks of members
In the previous chapter, we interviewed Dr. Shunnichi Kashida, the founder/first PI of iGEM Kyoto
and CEO of xFOREST Therapeutics Co., Ltd. (xFOREST). He told us about the founding of iGEM Kyoto,
the founding of xFOREST, and his involvement with synthetic biology. On another day, we visited
xFOREST again to talk to three other iGEM Kyoto alumni. The purpose of the interview was to ask
them how useful it was afterwards to participate in iGEM as students.
Participating members
iGEM Kyoto 2021
First of all, could you please introduce yourselves?
Sayaka
I participated in iGEM Kyoto for two seasons in 2012-2013. After graduating from university,
I joined a Ph.D. program at Humboldt University in Germany. I have been working as a researcher
at xFOREST since this August.
Kaoru
I joined iGEM during the 2011/2012 seasons and was mainly in charge of Human Practice. After
that, I worked on RNA research as a Ph.D. student at Kyoto University, and then I launched
xFOREST as CTO.
Ken
I participated in iGEM in the 2012/2013 seasons at the same time as Sayaka. For iGEM, I acted
as a presenter and created the slides for the presentation, summarizing the experimental
results. After graduating from the Master's program at Kyoto University, I worked at Roland
Berger (a consulting firm) for two years, before joining xFOREST at its inception.
Attractive force
iGEM Kyoto2021
All of you joined the iGEM Kyoto team at the same time 10 years ago. Since then, each of you
has followed a completely different and diverse career path. What was the attractive force that
led you to reunite 10 years later?
Ken
The first thing that led me to join xFOREST was when I was still in graduate school and Kaoru
told me about his plan to his plan for an enterprise. I found the plan attractive and thought it
would be fun to work with him. From then on, I began to think that I would like to be involved
in this project in the future.
iGEM Kyoto2021
Ken and Kaoru continued to keep in touch with each other even after leaving
iGEM?
Ken
I originally joined iGEM Kyoto because Kaoru invited me. Since then, we were
catching up with each other on a regular basis, both during and after iGEM.
Sayaka
In my case, the reason Ken invited me to join both iGEM Kyoto and then xFOREST.
Kaoru
The three of us are close in age and we often went for eating out together. It was
easy for us to communicate as teammates.
Ken
I think it's because Kaoru recruited people with diverse expertise as his strategy. In our
generation, iGEM Kyoto had an even more diverse member group than before. Each member
had different strengths. To start a company, it is necessary to gather people with diverse
expertise, and iGEM Kyoto exactly had such a variety of people.
Kaoru
The diversity of human resources required for iGEM activities was very similar to the
diversity required in business. I think it was natural that we, friends from iGEM, teamed up
again when we started our business.
Sayaka
After graduating from university, each of us worked in different labs/companies.
In the meantime, we kept in touch with each other. It was always very
stimulating for me to discuss with former iGEM teammates. At one of such online meet-ups, Ken
invited me to join xFOREST.
Experience of hardship
iGEM Kyoto2021
We have faced many difficulties as we work for iGEM projects. I guess all of you also had
such difficulties back then. Do those experiences help you in your current career?
Ken
Of course. They totally do. There is one big difference between iGEM and a university
class. At iGEM, students are never forced to do tasks. Rather, students by themselves work on
the tasks with willingness. There is no way to force someone else to do something, as there are
no rewards or penalties. Under such circumstances,we realized a serious issue; how can we create
an organization that could manage a large project as in iGEM projects? Keeping this question in
my mind, I chose my first career.
iGEM Kyoto2021
Ken, you worked for a consulting firm, didn't you?
Ken
Yes, that's right. Consulting is the job to discover problems of an organization and improve
them. Through my experience at iGEM Kyoto, I realized the importance of management skills and
decided to join a company where I could acquire such skills. I think that is the part of my
experience at iGEM that has had the greatest impact on who I am today.
Sayaka
When I was a member of iGEM Kyoto, we often had serious discussions, insisting on each
individual's opinion. The experience of such discussions may have contributed to maintaining the
unity of the members afterward.
Competition with international students of the same generation
iGEM Kyoto2021
In iGEM, you compete against other student teams from around the world. I imagine that you
learned a lot from this experience.
Ken
As you know, when we pass a university entrance exam, we mistakenly think that we are the
smartest students in the world. I was one of them. But my participation in iGEM Kyoto woke me up
at once. I found that my classmates and seniors were clearly more talented than me. And I was
further inspired by the fact that there were so many competent students from different countries
and regions at the competition.
iGEM Kyoto2021
How has Ken-san's life changed as a result of the many inspirations you have received from
participating in the competition?
Ken
First and foremost, I aimed to improve my English speaking skills as quickly as possible. Of
course, language skills are crucial, but more importantly, I realized that I needed to have
"valuable content" that I could share with others. This strong motivation drove me to study hard
for years afterward.
Kaoru
I had a similar experience. I was also inspired by the competition experience, and I strongly
wanted to achieve higher quality research results. Compared to our own projects, the projects
that won the competition were more mature. In particular, there was a big difference in the
quality of the science. Seeing the various excellent presentations at the competition made me
realize my desire to close this gap. With this motivation, I have continued to work hard on my
research in my life.
Sayaka
As both of them said, the conference gave me a lot of opportunities to interact with students
from other countries. I accidentally encountered former iGEMers in Germany when I studied at a
graduate school there. We talked about our common experiences at iGEM. It was a lot of fun.
Ken
iGEM's high profile and the large number of iGEMers encourage us to interact with each other
even after the competition ends.
People with diverse skills
iGEM Kyoto2021
What part of your experience at iGEM has had the greatest impact on you today?
Kaoru
The concept of synthetic biology is to deepen our understanding of life through the process
of constructing a whole system by combining individual parts. I learned this way of thinking
through my experience with iGEM. At xFOREST, the bottom-up approach that is characteristic of
synthetic biology is also present in the core technology of the business.
Ken
For me, understanding the significance of diversity in human resources was the biggest
benefit that I learned from my activities at iGEM. The iGEM team is made up of many people.
Their areas of expertise are very different from each other. Some people can easily accomplish
the tasks I just can't do. On the other hand, there are times that I can handle what someone
else can't in a short time. From such experiences, I have learned that it is necessary for the
success of a project to divide the roles of people with different personalities and cooperate
with one another.
iGEM Kyoto2021
Do you think that the experience you gained at iGEM has been applied to this startup?
Ken
Yes, I think so. I realized through the activities of iGEM that the combination of diverse
human resources can have a great effect, so I was able to make a quick decision to quit the firm
and join a startup. I decided to make use of my strengths instead of trying to add values as a
consultant.
Sayaka
I had a time when I was pretty bored sometime after enrolling in university. No matter what I
did, I was never really satisfied. I wanted to do something more stimulating. When I joined
iGEM, my life changed completely. I was drawn to a new and unexpected world. It inspired me more
than anything to create our own project, discussing with other students with various ideas and
opinions. When I was invited to participate in xFOREST, I immediately said yes. I was sure that
taking part in developing a new company with such exciting members would make my life much more
exciting, just like when I joined iGEM Kyoto.
Kaoru
People who participate in iGEM receive a variety of stimulation from the competition. People
who like such activities may often prefer the stimulation that comes from a challenge like a
startup.
What we learned from the iGEM Criteria
iGEM Kyoto2021
In the iGEM competition, we are required to integrate not only experiments but also
mathematical modeling and human practice to build the whole project. What have you gained from
such experiences?
Ken
In the competitions we participated in, modeling was not obligatory. Is the situation
different now?
iGEM Kyoto2021
It is almost unavoidable in order to win gold.
Ken, Kaoru, Sayaka
Really!?
Ken
We did not do any serious modeling. I was in charge of presentations and summarizing
experimental results. In iGEM, we have to read papers from various fields that we are not
familiar with and compile experimental results. This kind of work led me to be interested in
interdisciplinary fields.
Kaoru
Human Practice was an educational and enlightening activity that included science outreach in
our time. Has this changed now?
iGEM Kyoto2021
Nowadays, I think it is recommended to interview the stakeholders of the project. In this
year's project, we visited related companies and interviewed farmers and people in the
distribution industry.
Ken, Kaoru, Sayaka
Really!?
Sayaka
I think it is an important activity to actually meet the stakeholders and exchange opinions.
When I did questionnaires on biological research as a human practice activity, I was surprised
to meet many people with completely different views from those of researchers. I think it is
important for researchers to actually be exposed to such gaps early on in their careers on
issues that divide opinions, such as attitudes toward animal testing.
Kaoru
Although the form is different from our own time, I think that the current criteria such as
human practice and modeling that you just described are very significant criteria. Students tend
to think of synthetic biology research as a fantasy world and stay satisfied with that. I think
these two criteria are very effective in getting students to imagine the real-world applications
of their work and make their projects more realistic. I understood that these criteria were set
with such educational value in mind. In order to complete a project that combines not only
experiments but also many of these elements, you have to discuss and reconcile interests with
people who have different expertise from yours. Having such experiences at a young age will help
students grow a lot.
The Concept of iGEM in a Startup
iGEM Kyoto2021
We have learned that you have learned a lot from your experience with iGEM so far. Are the
lessons from these iGEM experiences useful in your current work?
Kaoru
The concept of synthetic biology has had a great impact on my current work. In particular,
our team is focusing on building a mathematical model and information analysis platform as well
as experimental data, just like the current criteria for iGEM. We have set up a system so that
all of our members can do both types of analysis. If one is away from experiments and only works
with a PC, it can be difficult to gain deep insights from the experimental data. On the other
hand, if you are only doing experiments without analysis, you will not be able to interpret the
experimental results correctly and design the next experiment efficiently.
The dreamtime continues
iGEM Kyoto2021
I have heard many interesting things today. Thank you very much. Lastly, could you tell us
about the most memorable event in your research together with the iGEM Kyoto team?
Kaoru
What impressed me the most was that there were many very talented people on the team.
Whenever I expressed an opinion based on vague speculation, even when it was almost
unnoticeable, they were quick to point it out to me. From these experiences, I learned that it
is important in science to study properly, gather the right knowledge, and explain it with the
right logic. These experiences ignited my ambition.
Ken
Not only the members, but also many iGEM Kyoto alumni visited the meeting and criticized us
mercilessly for our juvenile ideas. It was a hard time, but it was a good experience for me, and
it became the source of my future efforts.
Sayaka
I agree with you. However, what I would like the current members of iGEM Kyoto to understand
is that we did not only have a hard time, but we also enjoyed the activity. Even though we
exchanged harsh criticism in the meetings, we enjoyed interacting with each other as friends
once we left the classroom. We even made fun of senior members when we interacted with them as
individuals.
Ken
I remember after the Jamboree was over, the younger members of the group would smear cake on
the faces of the senior members to relieve the stress to be under them. Kaoru was one of the
victims at that time.
Kaoru
I still remember it clearly.
As they showed us the photos of the good old days as iGEM members, the fun conversation went on
and on. Finally, we went outside the building and took pictures together.
Proceed to the next part ...
Thoughts of iGEM Kyoto
Over two days, we had an interview with xFOREST, a start-up company that was
founded in Kyoto in May 2020. The purpose of this interview was to understand why those who worked
together as iGEM members gathered again for the first time in ten years and how the experience of
participating in iGEM influenced their way of thinking. By understanding this, we hoped to gain
deeper insights about what we should learn from iGEM activity and how our efforts will connect to
our later life.
In the interview, a variety of topics was discussed. In the interview, we realized that what we acquire from iGEM is much more than what we expected. Here, we will note down what we noticed from the session.
In the interview, a variety of topics was discussed. In the interview, we realized that what we acquire from iGEM is much more than what we expected. Here, we will note down what we noticed from the session.
Lessons from Synthetic biology
From the previous two interviews, we first learned the important concept of synthetic biology;
“Assembling parts, making a system and understanding nature” Attracted to this concept, Shunnichi
established iGEM Kyoto to provide opportunities for young students to get in touch with synthetic
biology. and joined this research area. This concept still affects the technology of xFOREST.
We also realized that the concept of synthetic biology; "assembling the parts you have" is also applicable to the creation of new companies. Entrepreneurs establish a new organization by combining a variety of human resources, just like reconfiguring a genetic switch experienced through iGEM activity. Starting a business always involves a certain amount of risks, but working with colleagues who shared the same concept of synthetic biology, the motivation of devising a "new function" was more meaningful than being afraid of taking risks. The iGEM experience thus contributed to the formation of the synthetic biology startup group; xFOREST. Synthetic biology brought innovation in developing biological devices but not only that, exposure to the idea of synthetic biology itself was a valid lesson for startup entrepreneurs.
We also realized that the concept of synthetic biology; "assembling the parts you have" is also applicable to the creation of new companies. Entrepreneurs establish a new organization by combining a variety of human resources, just like reconfiguring a genetic switch experienced through iGEM activity. Starting a business always involves a certain amount of risks, but working with colleagues who shared the same concept of synthetic biology, the motivation of devising a "new function" was more meaningful than being afraid of taking risks. The iGEM experience thus contributed to the formation of the synthetic biology startup group; xFOREST. Synthetic biology brought innovation in developing biological devices but not only that, exposure to the idea of synthetic biology itself was a valid lesson for startup entrepreneurs.
Merits of being diverse
In the interview, one thing that captured our minds was the effect of diversity. To cultivate
synthetic biology, a diverse human resource is needed and this includes molecular biologists,
technical engineers, computer specialists, and experts in other fields such as chemistry and
physics. We also need the cooperation of various stakeholders in the field to use the devices we
create. This kind of cooperation with diverse people is often necessary for our participation in
iGEM competitions, and we learned that there are three main benefits that can be gained from such
cooperation.
First, engaging with people of diverse expertise, we interact with people who have knowledge and skills beyond our own. These experiences broaden our horizon and provide new motivation for our future studies. Many of the alumni said that meeting with outstanding people who had abilities they did not have helped them set goals for new challenges.
Second, working among such a diverse group of people became an opportunity to deepen their thinking about their own expertise. They verbally pointed out the importance of "doing things differently from others". Observing the members with diverse abilities directly led to the motivation to find their own unique abilities. This gave each member the incentive to develop his or her own expertise in different areas. This played a huge role in gathering the diverse human resources they needed to start their business.
Thirdly, and most importantly, in order to combine people with different expertise to complete one project, it is necessary to have management skills to bring them together. As Ken repeatedly pointed out, we sometimes face serious communication barriers as we work with a diverse team of people to participate in iGEM. We are repeatedly reminded of the importance of management to move projects forward. This experience seems to be a valuable seed for developing management skills that will be needed in business in the future.
First, engaging with people of diverse expertise, we interact with people who have knowledge and skills beyond our own. These experiences broaden our horizon and provide new motivation for our future studies. Many of the alumni said that meeting with outstanding people who had abilities they did not have helped them set goals for new challenges.
Second, working among such a diverse group of people became an opportunity to deepen their thinking about their own expertise. They verbally pointed out the importance of "doing things differently from others". Observing the members with diverse abilities directly led to the motivation to find their own unique abilities. This gave each member the incentive to develop his or her own expertise in different areas. This played a huge role in gathering the diverse human resources they needed to start their business.
Thirdly, and most importantly, in order to combine people with different expertise to complete one project, it is necessary to have management skills to bring them together. As Ken repeatedly pointed out, we sometimes face serious communication barriers as we work with a diverse team of people to participate in iGEM. We are repeatedly reminded of the importance of management to move projects forward. This experience seems to be a valuable seed for developing management skills that will be needed in business in the future.
Learning from iGEM Criteria
According to our alumni, the current criteria have changed from what they were ten years ago.
However, the basic beliefs have not changed. The competition requires not only laboratory
experiments, but also efforts to understand our products through mathematical modeling. We are
also required to interact with stakeholders to improve our projects. According to Kaoru, these
activities are highly effective in educating the participants.
The members are led by these criteria to make the project more realistic and feasible. Kaoru pointed out that this kind of activity will play a major role in building the business and enriching the studies afterwards. In fact, in xFOREST, it is strongly encouraged to proceed with individual projects through a combination of experimentation and modeling, as in iGEM, and it has been successful. Attempts to improve the meaning of the project through interaction with stakeholders are also continuously taking place. As we work towards the iGEM competition, we are realizing that these criteria will help us grow and improve our project. However, from the words of the alumni and their lives after the competition, we found out that the role of these criteria is not only for the current project. We were taught that this training is an important factor in developing for our future research and business.
The members are led by these criteria to make the project more realistic and feasible. Kaoru pointed out that this kind of activity will play a major role in building the business and enriching the studies afterwards. In fact, in xFOREST, it is strongly encouraged to proceed with individual projects through a combination of experimentation and modeling, as in iGEM, and it has been successful. Attempts to improve the meaning of the project through interaction with stakeholders are also continuously taking place. As we work towards the iGEM competition, we are realizing that these criteria will help us grow and improve our project. However, from the words of the alumni and their lives after the competition, we found out that the role of these criteria is not only for the current project. We were taught that this training is an important factor in developing for our future research and business.
iGEM is an "intersection"
Throughout this interview, what impressed us the most were Shunnichi's words, "iGEM is an
intersection". Teammates, alumni, instructors, and students from other teams, all of whom we would
never have met without iGEM, have met through iGEM and have since flourished in their respective
fields. However, even iGEMers go into different paths, we do not completely split apart. Having
the common experience of iGEM as a background, the members of xFOREST were connected by a strong
bond.
Shunnichi left iGEM a few years later after founding iGEM Kyoto. Kaoru, Ken, and Sayaka were teammates at iGEM, but after graduating from iGEM, they went separate ways. Kaoru continued his research in graduate school and made efforts to build the foundational technology for xFOREST. Ken, who realized the importance of management during his time at iGEM, went on to work for a consulting company, and Sayaka spent her time doing research at a university in Germany.
However, the power of the concept of synthetic biology and the experience of working on the project at iGEM Kyoto brought them together after they went their separate ways. The various stories that we heard this time are all ultimately connected to these two things. In particular, we feel that the experience of working on the iGEM project, exchanging opinions, and creating a unified product, has formed a strong relationship of trust between them. It was this kind of sustained trust that made it possible for them to reunite after 10 years.
What is the most important gift that synthetic biology and iGEM give to us? We think it is "encounters". Through iGEM, we met people with diverse personalities, find fields that we did not know about, and encounter a variety of ways of thinking. As an extension of these experiences, 10 years from now, we might be working cooperatively like our wonderful alumni of xFOREST, utilizing each other's different specialties and tackling more exciting challenges?
This year's iGEM will be coming to an end soon, but that doesn't mean our team is finished. Even after Jamboree is over, we want to keep in touch with the people we have met through iGEM and continue to stimulate each other to grow. We strongly hope that we will be able to reach the power to support science and technology in the future, starting from this "intersection".
Shunnichi left iGEM a few years later after founding iGEM Kyoto. Kaoru, Ken, and Sayaka were teammates at iGEM, but after graduating from iGEM, they went separate ways. Kaoru continued his research in graduate school and made efforts to build the foundational technology for xFOREST. Ken, who realized the importance of management during his time at iGEM, went on to work for a consulting company, and Sayaka spent her time doing research at a university in Germany.
However, the power of the concept of synthetic biology and the experience of working on the project at iGEM Kyoto brought them together after they went their separate ways. The various stories that we heard this time are all ultimately connected to these two things. In particular, we feel that the experience of working on the iGEM project, exchanging opinions, and creating a unified product, has formed a strong relationship of trust between them. It was this kind of sustained trust that made it possible for them to reunite after 10 years.
What is the most important gift that synthetic biology and iGEM give to us? We think it is "encounters". Through iGEM, we met people with diverse personalities, find fields that we did not know about, and encounter a variety of ways of thinking. As an extension of these experiences, 10 years from now, we might be working cooperatively like our wonderful alumni of xFOREST, utilizing each other's different specialties and tackling more exciting challenges?
This year's iGEM will be coming to an end soon, but that doesn't mean our team is finished. Even after Jamboree is over, we want to keep in touch with the people we have met through iGEM and continue to stimulate each other to grow. We strongly hope that we will be able to reach the power to support science and technology in the future, starting from this "intersection".
Proceed to the next part ...
iGEMer's Entrepreneurship from an expert's view
Finally, we asked Ms. Yukiko Nakahara, who is involved in entrepreneurship education at Kyoto
University, to take a look at the record of our exchange and give us her opinion on the
relationship between iGEM and entrepreneurship.
Here is what she said.
Here is what she said.
Diversity in startups
I was very interested in the growth process of iGEM Kyoto. In the interviews with Sayaka, Kaoru,
and Ken, the word "diversity" comes up again and again. Nowadays, people talk about the necessity
and effectiveness of diversity of human resources in various aspects, but I think it is very
dangerous in organizational management to focus on it blindly. Especially in the early stages of
business, it is easier to create an organization by seeking homogeneity rather than diversity.
However, because iGEM Kyoto gathered members who sympathized with Mr. Kashida's aspirations in its early days, were homogeneous in terms of having high motivation and understanding the significance of diversity, the organization did not suspend part way and proceeded with its growth process.
Thus, to build an organization with "diversity", it is important to identify objectives accurately, gather human resources strategically, and the ability to manage these members.
However, because iGEM Kyoto gathered members who sympathized with Mr. Kashida's aspirations in its early days, were homogeneous in terms of having high motivation and understanding the significance of diversity, the organization did not suspend part way and proceeded with its growth process.
Thus, to build an organization with "diversity", it is important to identify objectives accurately, gather human resources strategically, and the ability to manage these members.
An entrepreneurship educator's perspective on iGEM
Next, I will talk about my impressions of the iGEM competition. By participating in a global
competition with the best students from different countries and regions, Ken was strongly inspired
and thought about what he wanted to be and continued to study hard to achieve it. Kaoru strongly
wished to achieve higher quality research results and continued her hard research after
participating in the competition. Sayaka's choice to go to graduate school in Germany may have
been influenced by her experience in this competition.
I believe that broadening your horizons and improving your perspective by seeing the wide world and meeting excellent people while you are still a student, will definitely help you when you think about your career. I also think it is great that interviews with project stakeholders are encouraged on iGEM. The significance of it was mentioned by Sayaka and Kaoru.
Alumni said the activities on iGEM have led to entrepreneurship and joining startups. I think iGEM is a place where entrepreneurship education is put into practice. iGEM includes many elements necessary for entrepreneurship, such as inner interests and ideas, problem identification, team building, diverse human resources, management, and interviewing stakeholders. In fact, it has produced a start-up firm, xFOREST Therapeutics.
I believe that broadening your horizons and improving your perspective by seeing the wide world and meeting excellent people while you are still a student, will definitely help you when you think about your career. I also think it is great that interviews with project stakeholders are encouraged on iGEM. The significance of it was mentioned by Sayaka and Kaoru.
Alumni said the activities on iGEM have led to entrepreneurship and joining startups. I think iGEM is a place where entrepreneurship education is put into practice. iGEM includes many elements necessary for entrepreneurship, such as inner interests and ideas, problem identification, team building, diverse human resources, management, and interviewing stakeholders. In fact, it has produced a start-up firm, xFOREST Therapeutics.
Message from entrepreneurship educator
I think that the current students who interviewed them over the two days fully felt that the
activities of iGEM Kyoto lead to entrepreneurship and will be useful in the future. Finally, I
would like you to keep in mind that entrepreneurship education is not just for those who want to
start a business. Certainly, entrepreneurship is necessary for entrepreneurs, but it is also
important for those who aspire to be researchers, those who work in large corporations, and those
who are active in various other fields. Therefore, for students who are yet nothing and can still
be anything, and the activities of iGEM Kyoto will be a reassuring weapon in their long lives to
come.
Conclusion
Thus, she described iGEM's activities as important for entrepreneurs and the people who will be
carrying the future. With these words in mind, we would like to make the most of the wonderful
experience I gained at iGEM in our future.
It's about time this long story came to an end. Who are the "you" who have read this far? You may be a Wiki judge, a member of another team participating in the competition, or a young student who is just starting to get interested in iGEM. If you're a young student with a slight interest in science, and you're reading this to learn about synthetic biology, you might start looking for an iGEM team to join right after reading this. If so, you are already one of the next iGEMers. Why don't you join us on this challenging, exciting, and fun journey?
Finally, we are looking forward to a fruitful life ahead with the iGEM experience.
It's about time this long story came to an end. Who are the "you" who have read this far? You may be a Wiki judge, a member of another team participating in the competition, or a young student who is just starting to get interested in iGEM. If you're a young student with a slight interest in science, and you're reading this to learn about synthetic biology, you might start looking for an iGEM team to join right after reading this. If so, you are already one of the next iGEMers. Why don't you join us on this challenging, exciting, and fun journey?
Finally, we are looking forward to a fruitful life ahead with the iGEM experience.