2018

A N N UA L
R E P O RT
i G E M L u n d
At iGEM Lund, the wide-reaching
needs of society lays at the heart
of our decision making…
The purpose of the Lund university iGEM team is to awake students’ passion for
science and bioengineering. It gives them the opportunity to participate in the
international Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition which takes
place every autumn in Boston, Massachusetts. iGEM Lund gathers students from
various disciplines and offers them the chance to excel in their academic careers.
Through planning, fundraising, managing, and materializing a project the team aims
to solve real-world challenges related, but not limited, to climate change, world
hunger, and diseases.

By applying engineering principles of synthetic biology, which converges gene

technology, molecular biology and mathematical modeling, the students construct
novel biological systems that have a specific and beneficial function. This could be
for instance biodegradation of pollutants, production of food products, or synthesis
of biopharmaceuticals.

At iGEM Lund, the wide-reaching needs of society lay at the heart of our decision
making. To properly address them, we constantly engage with the world through
field studies, public events, establishing collaboration with industry and
international partners throughout the project’s lifetime. All insights gained from
these efforts shape our organization and are integrated into our work ethics.
Through these endeavors, iGEM Lund changes the world by changing with the
world and consequently bridges the gap between education, interdisciplinary
research, industry and society.
L
ooking back, the accomplishments of iGEM 2018
really set us apart from our first year, iGEM 2017.
The maturity, complexity and ambition of iGEM
Lund has grown immensely. From being a simple
research project to an incubator, where students can
realize their ideas, deepen their knowledge and connect
with students from all over the world. 2018 really
proved what we as students are capable of when being
given the right tools and opportunities.
The core of the iGEM competition is to solve real-world
problems using synthetic biology, and in the last couple
of years what has really been brought up by media,
politicians, companies, colleagues and even my mother
is climate change, a real-world challenge. A shift in
attitude towards the environment is finally starting to
emerge to the point that drastic measures and policy
changes are being implemented. It is no surprise that
biotechnology has caught the eyes of many
entrepreneurs and companies looking for alternative
green solutions. Industrial chemicals, enzymes,
biopharmaceuticals, bioethanol, and biomaterials are all
fundamental for the global shift towards renewable
and sustainable human commodities. Companies can
today successfully biomanufacture these compounds
using genetically engineered yeast or bacteria.
However, for the industry to successfully meet these
demands, more efficient microorganisms that can
produce them in higher yields are needed. This is what
this year’s iGEM project aimed to do.
In June we hosted the Nordic iGEM Conference for all
the Nordic iGEM teams. The event gathered 90
students and gave them the opportunity to participate
in team-building workshops, lectures and networking
opportunities. The participating teams also got the
opportunity to present and get their iGEM project
evaluated by invited researchers from Lund University
and companies such as Novo Nordisk and NASA.
In September, we took part in a conference at the
European Parliament hosted by the Brussels iGEM
team. We got to present our project to politicians,
entrepreneurs, and researchers. We also participated in
a round-table discussion about the future regulations
of technologies such as CRISPR and AI. We hope our
presentation and the participation in the discussion
may help to provide new insights into the vital role of
synthetic biology will have in the future.
The biotech industry is estimated to grow annually by
7.4 %, reaching approximately $730 billion in net worth
by 20251. We believe that iGEM initiative will serve as
one of many important mediators in positioning Lund
University and its students in this rapidly growing field.
To turn this into a reality, we must continue broadening
iGEM Lund as an organization by increasing the
complexity and usefulness of our projects, initiate
further international collaborations and work closer
with industry.

When visiting and consulting with AstraZeneca and I wish all the luck to the leaders and members of the
Novo Nordisk, the companies told us about oxygen 2019 team. May your endeavors outshine those of
limitations when manufacturing their products. previous generations, for an even brighter tomorrow
Therefore, our project this year investigated the use of
hemoglobin to enhance the productivity in bacteria.
This was done by inserting the gene of hemoglobin into
the bacterium and observing its effects on growth
through measurements. Our results concluded that
supplementing the organism with hemoglobin
increased its productivity significantly due to additional
oxygen being delivered to the cell. These results were
appreciated in Boston by the scientific jury judging the
competition, earning us a shared gold medal. As happy
as this made us our results need to be validated in the
future and then tested at larger scale.
In parallel with our research, we’re continuously
working trying to engage society and universities for
two reasons:
• To spread the word about our work and the
societal benefits of synthetic biology

• To strengthen the academic profile of Lund

University and its faculty of engineering, LTH.

Two activities worth mentioning are the Nordic Albert Anis

conference and our participation at the European Head of Management and Human Practices
Parliament. 4th year Engineering, Biotechnology

1 https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-biotechnology-market
 Meet the Team

Adham Sakhnini Nurul Izzati Sara Palo

Head of Mathematical Modelling Head of Laboratory Laboratory Technician & Human Practices
5th year Engineering, Mathematics MSc, Biotechnology 5th year Engineering, Biotechnology

Martin Jönsson Julián David Rivera Nikol Labecka

Laboratory Technician Laboratory Technician Laboratory Technician
4th year Engineering, Biotechnology 2nd year MSc, Biotechnology 2nd year MSc, Chemistry

Peter Cornelis Skog Emma Jönsson Jonny Tran

Human Practices Laboratory Technician Photograpgy & Web Design
4th year Chemical Engineering 4th year Engineering, Biotechnology BSc, Digital Design
Significant Events 2018

June
May iGEM Lund hosts the Nordic iGEM
February
iGEM Lund agrees on final conference, inviting 8 iGEM teams from
New iGEM team is assigned with
April project idea, to improve cell the Nordic universities. A smaller
students from biotechnology,
iGEM Lund participates in efficiency using Vitreoscilla competition was hosted along with
chemical engineering, chemistry,
the annaul iGEM biobrick hemoglobin workshops and lectures from
mathematics, and digital design
meet-up at Denmark Kunskapspartner AB, Bluepha Labs
Technical University. The May from China, and iGEM representatives
event offered educational LMK Stiftelsen and Bluepha from Boston. The conference was a
workshops from iGEM Labs sponsors the project great opportunity to solder the
representatives and with 100 000 and 17 500 relationships between the teams and
previous participants SEK respectively form new collaborations.
 September
iGEM Lund visits AstraZeneca and
Novo Nordisk to discuss how the
project could potentially be applied October
in an industrial setting Presentation of the project at
the European Parliament in
Brussels

August
iGEM Lund participates in the
biohackathon hosted by the
iGEM team from Vilnius,
Lithuania. Lund secured third
place, winning €300
September
iGEM Lund teams up with iGEM
Uppsala and iGEM Stockholm to
host ”Limits of Life” in Uppsala. The
event was open for the public to
participate and learn more about
the ethical implications of genetic
engineering and biohacking
October
Final presentation of the project
in Boston at the iGEM Giant
Jamboree along with 340 other
teams. The Lund team scored a
shared gold medal, a major
improvement from last year’s
bronze medal

November
Start of recruitment process for next
year’s iGEM team at ARKAD, the
biggest career fair in the Nordics. It
was a great opportunity for us to brief
the students about iGEM and how
they can participate
 E co n o m y
We want to start of by thanking our sponsors, mainly The Faculty of
Engineering LTH and LMK-stiftelsen, for making our project possible.
Your investment has enabled us to get hold of vital and expensive
equipment for our research and the hosting of one of the biggest
iGEM meetups in Europe. We also send our gratitude to
Kunskapspartner for the generous discount on the feedback
workshop, Bluepha Lab for sponsoring the conference, Gant for
sponsoring us with office attire and IDT for the free genetic
components (worth approximately 15 000 SEK). A final big thank you
to Nélida Leiva Eriksson and Leif Bülow from The Department of
Pure and Applied Biochemistry for the supervision and permission to
use their lab facility.

Dr. Nélida Leiva Eriksson Prof. Leif Bülow

The Division of Pure and Applied Biochemistry The Division of Pure and Applied Biochemistry
Head of department at Department of Chemistry
 Assets
Assets from 2018 Amount (SEK)
Bank account 41 000

Sponsoring
LTH 244 000
LMK-stiftelsen 100 000
Bluepha Labs 17 500
Additional contributions
Nordic iGEM Conference participant 8 200
donations
Travel cost reimbursement 5 500
biohackathon
Biohackathon prize money 3 000
Sum 419 200

Expenses
Miscellaneous
team fees; 20200 Team registration
fee; 44200

Team member fee

(10 members);
65000
Nordic iGEM
Conference;
132300

Lab materials;
25600

Housing in Boston; Flight Boston;

47300 47000
Synthetic Biology and iGEM
Biotechnology has emerged as arguably one of the key disciplines advancing science and
technology in the 21st century. Since its emergence during the 1970s, it has demonstrated
its innovative prowess by contributing with tools to address some of the greatest challenges
faced by present-day society. It is integral to the progress towards realizing the UN
Sustainable Developmental Goals by providing a platform that reconciles economic growth
with ecological and social stability. Thus, the major impact biotechnology will have on the
economy will not go unnoticed. Representatives from both the public and the private sector
have started to discuss the phenomenon in terms of a transition toward a global bio-based
economy. Thus, any organization, in particular STEM research institutions, that wishes to be
a knowledge-creator and maintain its competitive advantage needs to pay close attention to
the trends in biotechnology.

One of the most promising strides toward harnessing the potential of living organisms has
been made at the intersection of systems engineering and biotechnology. Synthetic biology
stands out as the epitome of success in contemporary research and development, with
seemingly endless applications and a remarkable ability to both aid and utilize
advancements made in other fields. In addition, it is making considerable social impact by
demonstrating that significant economic return can be possible in the framework of Open
Innovation. This has encouraged inter-organizational collaboration, bolstering synergistic
operations and accelerating innovation. In particular, it is successfully facilitating new
connections and strengthening existing ties between industry and academia.

No consensus has been reached in regards to a rigid definition of synthetic biology and what
it should encapsulate, as it is generally context-dependent. However, in the most general
sense, synthetic biologists concern themselves with the design and synthesis of living
organisms for useful purposes. The genesis of synthetic biology as a rigorous engineering
discipline in its own right can be traced back to a team of computer scientists at MIT in the
first half of the 1990s. A series of open-ended inquiries into the nature of information
storage in genetic material prompted a decade of systematic probing of the extent to which
the complexity of biological systems could be reduced. The team theorized that if biological
function could be delineated by abstraction hierarchies and its behavior considered in terms
of interdependent and interrelated reacting to its environment so could it be subject to
classic tools of engineering. Making sense of the information flow would allow for
characterization, decoupling and standardization and was envisioned to ultimately create a
framework for quick "plug-and-play" assembly of biological parts.

iGEM, or the International Genetically Engineered Machine, is an international

undergraduate competition within the field of synthetic biology. It provides a medium for
thousands of the most ambitious students all around the world to showcase their academic
talent and contribute to the advancement of bio-engineering. The competition materialized
out from a summer project course hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) and has since grown to host more than 300 teams. Multidisciplinary teams work all
year long to build genetically engineered systems using standardized biological parts called
BioBricks. iGEM teams work inside and outside the lab to create sophisticated projects that
seek to create a positive contribution to their communities and the world. The participants
then meet to celebrate their achievements and compete for prizes at the so-called Giant
Jamboree in Boston, Massachusetts.
2018.igem.org/Team:Lund igemlund@gmail.com