iGEM of UBC

Bioengineers launch first open-source genetic parts production facility

This facility has the potential to really help commoditize the use of synthetic biology in biotechnological development! How could its presence affect the patenting landscape?

In a recognition for his outstanding qualities in mentoring and supporting undergraduate research, we nominated Dr. Lagally for the URO Mentorship Award. Today, we are very happy to announce that he just won the award (got the news from CHBE)! Here is a snippet from the application:

Faced with a disorganized group of undergraduates with widely varying levels of research experience, a competition in a field that was just emerging, and a desperate need for funding and resources in the middle of an economic recession, Dr. Lagally poured himself into the effort and, was able to produce a Gold-medal winning team that has been lauded in the Ubyssey and UBC Reports, as well as honoured before the Board of Governors.

Congratulations again Dr. Lagally!

Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’ Molecular Kill-Switch Included

This news article gives us a lot to think about w.r.t. ethics in synthetic biology, especially the “Science & Society” discourse.

Here are the slides from our brief workshop on Feb 3rd. Have fun researching!

Literature Research and Project Proposal

Thanks everybody who came out to the first team meeting! We hope everybody has a better feel for how things are going right now. The meeting slides from Dr. Lagally can be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

iGEM Meeting Presentation

Good luck picking ideas for your projects!

Changing the rules of the game: addressing the conflict between free access to scientific discovery and intellectual property rights

This article discusses patent law in brief, and addresses the balance that scientists need to strike between allowing free access to information vs. capitalizing on their Intellectual Property rights. It’s a very interesting article, and it’s strongly recommended for anybody who’s thinking of doing ethics work this year.

Applications to be a team member are due March 15th. Instructions are listed below:

Read the rest of this entry »

Experimentation time is fast beginning and before we can start, we need ideas! The current plan is to have people submit their project proposals by Monday, March 1st, and present their project proposals in the first journal club after reading break (Wednesday March 3rd), so start thinking about what you’d like the team to work on this summer. All kinds of ideas are welcomed – check the official iGEM website (http://2010.igem.org/) for the possible project tracks this year.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/01/29/0906501107.abstract

This is the direction of biomedical engineering, and synthetic biology can play a role in this too!

This week, Rafael Saer will be presenting a paper titled “Wiring photosystem I for direct solar hydrogen production” from Biochemistry. 2010 Jan 26;49(3):404-14. (PMID: 19947649)

If anyone wants to read the paper beforehand and has trouble getting a hold of it, please send Eric Finlay (enfinlay at gmail.com) a message with your e-mail address so he can forward it to you.

Please RSVP via doodle: http://www.doodle.com/qfm2fitvyzd9fi5t
or sign up to the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=283602903005

Topic: Photosystem I for Direct Solar Hydrogen Production
Presenter: Rafael Saer
Snacks: Simon
Time: Feb.3 @ 4:30-5:30
Location: MSL 101

See you there!!

Many thanks,
2010 iGEM of UBC Journal Club Director