Competition/New/Type IIS

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Type IIS

On this page you will find: What does this mean for me and my team?, and Why is this important?.

iGEM is excited to announce that starting in 2019 we are fully supporting the submission of Type IIS compatible parts for the Competition.

The BioBrick RFC[10] Standard, developed by Tom Knight in 2003, has been incredibly successful for well over a decade. With BioBrick RFC[10] parts and 3A Assembly, a synthetic biologist could reliably assemble basic parts into a composite part without having to do a separate experiment each time. Simplified assembly allowed users to focus on the design of their system, enabled sharing, and prevented fragmentation of the community. With iGEM teams participating with different experience levels and access to infrastructure, the assumption that every part you made could be used by anyone around the world in the exact same way was incredibly powerful for the success of the Competition.

Now, 16 years after the implementation of BioBrick RFC[10], many newer assembly methods have been developed. While BioBricks are still widely used, some iGEM teams have already moved away from 3A Assembly. With technology like DNA synthesis at their fingertips, teams have been employing more advanced assembly methods like Gibson and Type IIS. Even so, with the spirit of sharing in mind, we still required that parts and samples submitted for the competition be BioBrick RFC[10] compatible.

Because of these advancements, requirements for the competition will be changing in 2019. For the first time, iGEM will fully support Type IIS parts that adhere to the MoClo/PhytoBricks and Loop Type IIS assembly standards for single-pot multipart assembly in the 2019 Competition.

What does this mean for me and my team?

Teams will now be able to add and document their Type IIS parts on the Registry, and assemble their composite parts in a single reaction using methods like MoClo/PhytoBricks and Loop Type IIS, without having to worry about BioBrick RFC[10] compatibility. All part documentation, including the part sequence and all characterization data obtained during your research, must be on the relevant Part Pages on the Registry by the Registry Freeze on October 21, 2019.

Checklist for teams:

• Your parts must still be either BioBrick RFC[10] or Type IIS compatible. New Type IIS parts must adhere to the specifications described on this page.
• Parts must be well documented on the relevant Part Pages on the Registry of Standard Biological Parts by the Registry Freeze: October 21, 2019
• The Registry will have software updates throughout 2019 to support adding and assembling Type IIS parts.
• The 2019 Distribution will include a collection of Type IIS part samples, located in Kit Plate 6
• You don't have to send any physical shipments in the mail to iGEM Headquarters

We will have updates and announcements in the near future as we work on software and documentation for this change. If you have any questions or comments, please send an email to hq [AT] igem [DOT] org.

Why is this important?

As synthetic biology grows and evolves, teams are taking on increasingly more complex problems. iGEM wants to ensure that all of our teams succeed in their projects by enabling access to good quality parts, well-supported assembly technologies, and DNA synthesis.

Learn more about iGEM's vision for the future of synthetic biology:

iGEM's VISION