Team:SZTA RMG Szeged/Collaborations
Collaboration
Inter-team collaboration is one of many exciting things about the iGEM community. The iGEM competition stresses the importance of collaborations between scientists and encourages teams to significantly collaborate with one or more iGEM teams. Collaboration is an important component of scientific research, as it teaches will-be scientists to exchange ideas and assist others in their innovations. Throughout our project, we have collaborated with an iGEM team. With this in mind, we would like to thank the NOUS iGEM team who has collaborated and shared ideas with us.
Team NOUS IGEM
When we started searching, we were looking for projects working with micro RNAs. After going through a number of pages and videos, we found team NOUS.
Then our team read Nous team’s project objective we found a great potential in collaborating with them due to similar objectives.
Moreover, because of the common research and interests, we made a contact with them.
We would discuss our projects in-depth and potential collaboration ideas by using the zoom app.
The first zoom meeting was made on 8th, October, local time 5 pm, on which we presented our project and
they gave us tips on how we could continue and what we should change about it.
We managed to make another meeting on the 12th of October, local time 4 p.m. where their project was presented.
Project summary
In their project the goal is to repair the cartilage issue of the problematic joint. This will be achieved by constructing a biological circuit, which will then be inserted in cells, extracted from the patient, enabling the secretion of a number of factors. These factors serve 3 main purposes: one, is to stop the inflammation and thus stopping the cartilage degradation. Second, is to enhance the anabolic pathways, aiming to repair the joint and returning it to its initial, healthy, state. And third, to relieve the patient from the pain. Of course, the modified cells need to be inserted in the targeted area.
Collaboration
The Nous team also works with miRNA. With our software, they can prove cheaply that their RNA which is produced by bacteria is really present.
Our team managed to evolve a software which can sequence the appropriate DNA for our miRNA. We would like to help and contribute their work with this software.
When we got the miRNA sequences via e-mail we immediately started to work on it.
These pictures present the sequenced DNS by our software :
Apart from these points, for their asking we spend them artistic pictures which are made by us. We painted bacteria with green dye and illuminated with a UV lamp.
In return for the sequencing, we asked for them a presentation where they could present their own project and shared their experiences.
Furthermore, they gave us some useful advices on our further work.
Their presentation was successful October 12 at local time 4 p.m., when they presented their project to us in a good mood.
They introduced their project for nearly 2 hours.
After the immensely exciting introducing, we asked some question about their project.
