1. iGEM Slovenia
@ Bio:Fiction
Tina Lebar and Jernej Turnšek
National Institute of Chemistry
University of Ljubljana
Vienna, 13th May 2011

2. What is Synthetic Biology?
Genetic engineering “on steroids”

3. What is Synthetic Biology?

4. What is Synthetic Biology?
Opportunity for collaboration and dialogue
(COMMUNICATING SCIENCE TO THE PUBLIC)

5. What is iGEM?
• “international Genetically Engineered Machines”
• competition in synthetic biology for undergraduate
students
– @ MIT, Cambridge, USA
Can simple biological systems
– 2004 - present
159
160
140 be built from standard
112
130
no. of teams
120
100
80
interchangeable parts?
84
54
60
40 32
13
20 5
0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
year
international regional

6. BioBrick standard
• BioBricks - DNA sequences of defined
structure and function
• introduces engineering principles of
abstraction and standardisation to
synthetic biology
• each reaction leaves the key structural
elements of the component the same

7. cutting DNA using restriction enzymes
= cutting step
ligation using DNA ligase
= pasting step

8. BioBrick example
created by team MIT, iGEM 2006

9. Registry of Standard
Biological Parts
• a growing collection of genetic parts
• for iGEM teams and registered academic
labs
• “get some, give some” philosophy
Kit plates
• distributed in spring to all iGEM teams
• best quality parts from the Registry
• creating new biological systems

10. DNA guided assembly line
biological system for
improving biosyntetic pathways
improved existing parts
added new parts and devices

11. Our experience
Pros Cons
• cloning simplicity • laborious work
• interchangeability • quality of parts
• short parts • long parts
• for amateur biologists • better alternatives on
the way (Gibson assembly)
BioBrick standard: a good entry point for
understanding and doing synthetic biology.

12. SynBio future
BioBricks general
• number of parts and • whole genome
devices synthesis and genome
engineering
• characterisation and
quality • tabletop DNA
synthesisers
• more complex devices
• microorganisms à la
• Registry open to carte
amateur biologists?
• …

13. dry lab > wet lab
1 cent per base
pair = soon

14. Our ability to rationally engineer
biology is still limited by the
lack of basic understanding of the
nature itself.

15. “What I cannot create, I do not
understand.”
- Richard P. Feynman