Importance of Collaboration
iGEM is a competition where we work together as a team to achieve a goal. It’s not a one man show, rather it’s a culmination of hard work from a lot of people. Besides working as a team in iGEM, we believe a collaboration with other iGEM teams are also crucial as we compete in iGEM. We could share our knowledge, ability, resource, and many more with other team to strive and learn as we move toward our goal.
This year, we collaborated with two extraordinary iGEM teams:
NUS_Singapore 2019
What did we give?
In collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS), Elvan Wiyarta, a member of Dry Lab, modelled a 3D protein structure of RES Toxin and Xre Antitoxin. As known, structural protein modelling is a predictive modelling based on biological database that could assemble the real biological structure of the protein itself. On this project, he conducted a protein modelling through homology modelling. Then, he checked the results of the modelling and did some tests to make sure that the modelled protein has high reliability. The test included PROCHECK, RAMPAGE, and Ramachandran Plot. As requested from NUS Dry Lab Team, the modelled structure will then be tested for its stability which will be measured by Gibbs Free Energy (ΔG°).
Aside from that, NUS also wanted us to model their HicA protein in order to compare it with RES Toxin. Elvan also use homology modelling to predict the structure. The modelled structure will then be tested for its stability which will be measured by Gibbs Free Energy (ΔG°).
The result of the models have already been accepted by NUS team and they are pretty happy with it.
What did we ask?
As we were working and assemble our parts, we find it difficult to assemble our chimeric receptor which is the HB-EGF/EnvZ receptor into plasmid containing the OmpC-GFP. We also had problem in assembling our part DT19 in the plasmid. So we contacted IGEM NUS 2019 and request for help in assembling these 2 parts into each respective plasmid as part of the collaboration with our team. IGEM NUS 2019 gladly accepted our request. They assembled HB-EGF/EnvZ by Gibson Assembly and it successfully worked! They also helped to sequenced it for us. Unfortunately, the part DT19 did not work out, but they also help us to sequenced it.
Our team members, Eko Ngadiono and Aditya Parawangsa went to Singapore to meet team IGEM NUS 2019. They explain about how our project is going to work as well as asking about their opinion about our project. Their input was very helpful regarding the transport and storage of the bacteria. Their input triggered us to seek information about transportation and storages in local and rural area healthcare facilities.
Surprisingly, team iGEM NUS 2019 was designing a part which can control bacterial dormant activities. Their part will be very helpful if it were to be combined with our system ! We hope to have further collaboration with team iGEM NUS in the future.
We learned a lot from their team and it was a lot of fun. Thank you team iGEM NUS 2019!
Sriwijaya 2019
We collaborated with iGEM Sriwijaya 2019, the iGEM team of Universitas Sriwijaya, Indonesia. In our collaboration with iGEM UNSRI 2019, we gave them various Escherichia coli bacterial strain (TOP10, DH5a, BL21). In addition, we also gave them TOP10 which has been transformed with plasmid pSB1C3 containing Red Fluorescent Protein (RFP), along with the isolated dried plasmid. Here is a picture of our team member, Eko Ngadiono, passing the materials to iGEM Sriwijaya’s team member.
Our team member, Eko Ngadiono, was also having a regular video call and voice call with iGEM Sriwijaya 2019 to discuss about the progress of their labworks as well as giving advice in bacterial transformation and steps for parts characterization. In return, iGEM Sriwijaya 2019 helped us in answering questions regarding our project’s human practices.
