Making history! Undergraduate team from HKUST(GZ) wins the Gold Award at iGEM
On October 26th, the 2024 International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM), known as the "World Championship" in the field of synthetic biology, concluded in Paris, France. The team Coral Cola from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), comprised of 15 undergraduate students from the inaugural class (currently in their second year), participated voluntarily. They stood out in the competition with their project titled "Utilising Chromoprotein Expression to Counteract Coral Bleaching: An Innovative Light and Temperature Approach," winning a Gold Medal and receiving a nomination for the Best New Basic Part award.
Founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2003, the iGEM competition is an annual top-tier international scientific event in the field of synthetic biology. It primarily focuses on life sciences while integrating various interdisciplinary fields such as mathematics, chemistry, engineering, and big data. The competition encourages participants to use synthetic biology and engineering principles to address real-world issues. The competition's progress and research outcomes are annually highlighted in top academic journals like "Science" and "Nature," contributing to its broad international influence.
This year, the prestigious event attracted over 400 teams from more than 50 countries and regions worldwide. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) team Coral Cola excelled in the project presentation and poster display segments, achieving a remarkable feat by winning gold in their debut year, marking a significant milestone for the university's participation in iGEM from inception to success.
The Coral Cola team is dedicated to addressing coral bleaching issues by harnessing cutting-edge synthetic biology technologies to develop an innovative solution to enhance coral resilience. Team members have highlighted that coral reefs globally are facing the risk of bleaching due to rising sea temperatures and increased light intensity. However, current methods are either challenging to implement on a large scale or may disrupt the natural physiological processes of corals.
To overcome these challenges, the team plans to genetically modify a symbiotic bacterium with corals called Endozoicomonas. They aim to enable this bacterium to produce a light-shielding chromoprotein when exposed to specific environmental stresses. This protein can reduce excessive light reaching the coral's internal photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae), thereby mitigating oxidative damage without interfering with the basic functions of coral cells, effectively acting as a "sunscreen" for the corals.
Through a carefully designed heat- and light-sensitive genetic regulatory circuit, the team ensures that the chromoprotein is activated only under environmental stress conditions. At other times, corals and bacteria can maintain normal physiological activities. This innovative approach cleverly mimics the natural protection of corals in turbid waters, where lower light intensity reduces the occurrence of bleaching events.
This project offers a sustainable and scalable strategy specifically targeting coral bleaching caused by high temperatures and strong light, providing new hope for the long-term health and stability of coral ecosystems.
The Coral Cola team is composed of 15 undergraduate students from HKUST(GZ). They are:
Hua XU, Bowen LIU, Jingyi LI, Bowen SHI, Ziyu LIANG, Danchen LIU, Yingwen PENG, Yimin WANG, Yilin LIU, Zhouan SHEN, Si LAI, Jiaqi LI, Jianhao RUAN, Wenhan XU, Jingfeng LUO.
HKUST(GZ) provides students with abundant innovative resources and a supportive environment, greatly stimulating the innovative vitality and thinking of undergraduate students. The team's competition project was initiated and coordinated under the guidance of Assistant Professor Qiaojin LIN from the Systems Hub, Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust. Ms. Qi ZHANG from College of Education Sciences, UG Teaching Labs, Mr. Zhenchao QI from College of Future Technology assisted in the guidance. Students Yongjian DENG, Shijie YUAN, Yi DUAN, Xingchen ZENG, Zhaoyang CHEN, Shuaihan HE, Mingrui WANG, Yixi DUAN, Jing YU, Xiaoyi FU served as student advisors for the project, which received support from multiple research teams both within and outside the university.
The competition also received strong support from the Office of Vice-President (Teaching & Learning), Office of Student Affairs, Residential College, Research Department of HKUST(GZ). Professor Peiyuan QIAN, Chair Professor of the Department of Ocean Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, provided valuable scientific guidance to the project team.
Since March of this year, after seven months of team building, personnel selection, experiment design, social practice, exchange learning, modeling analysis, website construction, and on-site defense, team members have significantly enhanced their interdisciplinary collaboration skills and understanding of integrated disciplines. From the second semester of their freshman year to the first semester of their sophomore year, team members, with full support from the university, spontaneously organized to participate in the competition. They demonstrated a spirit of innovation, rigorous scientific research, and teamwork, receiving unanimous praise from judges, organizers, and teachers and students at home and abroad, showcasing the charm of students from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) to the world.
Furthermore, this year, some members of the Coral Cola team also participated in the school-organized Guizhou volunteer teaching project, combining knowledge of marine biology with real-life scenarios. Through education, they helped students better appreciate the allure of the marine world. After completing the volunteer teaching project, the team continued to promote and deepen their project in schools around the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.
