The 22nd International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) global finals concluded in Paris, France, on October 31. This year’s iGEM featured 421 participating teams globally. Amid fierce competition, the ShanghaiTech team “ShanghaiTech-China” excelled with outstanding innovation, rigorous scientific attitude, and seamless teamwork, ultimately clinching the Gold Medal and three individual award nominations (Best Foundational Advance Project, Best Measurement, and Best Presentation) with their innovative project called DOCTOR.
Group photo of the iGEM team at the competition site in Paris
Rhinosinusitis is a common and recurrent inflammatory disease in humans, but its diagnostic and treatment methods still have many shortcomings. Addressing this situation, the ShanghaiTech team launched the DOCTOR project, Diagnostic Optimization & Chemical Treatment of Rhinosinusitis, centered on a novel target Granzyme K, for early diagnosis and precision treatment of rhinosinusitis.
In terms of diagnosis, the team designed a new colloidal gold test strip that enables early and rapid detection of rhinosinusitis. Leveraging AI technology, the team designed small binding proteins, achieving the replacement of traditional antibodies for the first time, which reduced the time and cost of test strip development. For treatment, the team obtained small-molecule drug precursors with excellent properties through high-throughput screening, realizing “old drugs for new uses” and providing new ideas and possibilities for targeted therapy of rhinosinusitis.
Traditional protein design methods have limitations such as low hit rates and the need for extensive wet lab validation. To address these issues, the team developed a de novo protein design software toolkit that effectively reduces experimental throughput while increasing the wet lab hit rate to four times that of traditional methods. The team also created a hardware platform for high-throughput protein affinity measurement, integrating master-slave microfluidic chips, two pumps, and a software system.
The ShanghaiTech team consisted of undergraduates in different grades from the School of Life Science and Technology (SLST), the School of Information Science and Technology (SIST), the School of Physical Science and Technology (SPST), the School of Biomedical Engineering (BME), and the School of Creativity and Art (SCA). It was this interdisciplinary collision of ideas and fusion of knowledge that ignited the spark of innovation, allowing the team to stand out in the intense competition.
The ShanghaiTech iGEM team has always adhered to the “student-led” principle, from initial topic selection and scheme design, to mid-stage experimental operations and modeling analysis, to final result presentation—all driven by the students themselves through autonomous exploration and advancement. This fully stimulates students’ subjective initiative and encourages free exploration, not only allowing students to gain knowledge and honors but also to hone their teamwork skills and spirit of scientific innovation.
Team members list
Class of 2026
SPST: Chen Quanyu
Class of 2027
SLST: Chen Moran, Xu Muyuan, Chang Yafei, Wang Tianyi, Hao Yuchen, Zhu Jialin, Liu Junhong, Yang Bingxin, Shan Chaoxin, Lin Wuyi, Ding Bohan
SIST: Zhang Bohan
SCA: Dong Runlin, Zhou Zihan
SPST: Wen Chuhe
Class of 2028
SLST: Dong Fangran, Sun Lanrui, Teng Yunzhan, Lu Zhiyao, Liu Yuanqi, Sheng Qianxi, Gong-Su Weiyi, Su Jiali, Liu Fusheng
BME: Shang Linxu, Zhu Qingyang, Wang Tiao, Li Chengyi
SIST: Huang Ziyan
SCA: Zhang Jinshu
Faculty advisors
Professor Shen Wei, SLST
Research Associate Professor Wang Zhizhi, SLST
Research Associate Professor Gao Yan, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies
Professor Xu Wenqing, SLST
Associate Professor Li Jian, SPST
Director and Chief Physician Li Zhiling, Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center
Student advisors
Team members for the 2024 competition: Liu Qizhen, Xu Liang, Li Weihang, Yan Qihang
Team member for the 2022 competition: Wang Kaijun