AALTO-HELSINKI 2022

RECRUITMENT

Apply for Aalto-Helsinki 2023 iGEM Team!

Are you looking for an interesting and meaningful project for next year? Do you want a chance to create and pursue your own ideas in research?

We are now recruiting Aalto University and University of Helsinki BSc and MSc students to form a new iGEM team to represent Finland in the world’s largest synthetic biology competition iGEM held next year in Paris. The Aalto-Helsinki team will design, develop and execute their own research project from scratch and present their results in the Grand Jamboree in November 2023.



What's iGEM?

Being a part of an iGEM team allows you to plan your own research project from scratch in three phases. In spring you will get to know your team members and decide on the project you will try to develop during the summer. Team will also reach out to companies and gather funding. The summer consists of practical work and testing your design. In autumn you will present your project and compete with other iGEM teams for the Grand Prize, as well as other Track and Special Awards.

Find out more about iGEM here

To get a better idea what an iGEM project could be please take a look at the previous teams' pages and Aalto-Helsinki social media found at the bottom of the page and promotion video of Aalto-Helsinki 2022.



Who are we looking for?

iGEM is not only a science project, but includes a variety of activities the team will pursue during their year. These include for example science communication, education, web design, presentations and entrepreneurship. MSc and BSc students from different field with knowledge and interest in:



  • Arts

    Graphic design / Video-making and editing

  • Biosciences

    Molecular biosciences / (Bio)chemistry / Microbiology / Biotechnology / (Bio)medicine

  • Business

    Marketing / Product development / Startups

  • Computational methods

    Bioinformatics / Information technology / Computer Science / Web-design / Statistics

  • Education and outreach

    Pedagogics / Communication

  • Engineering

    Chemical engineering / Bioprocesses / Biomaterials / Electrical engineering / Environmental engineering

  • Science

    Environmental sciences / Physics / Psychology / Mathematics

Even if your field is not on the list but you think you would be a valuable addition to the team do not hesitate to apply!



Why should you join?

Unique summer job opportunity

  • three month contracts negotiable for team members
  • design your own workflow with your team
  • learn to work independently and manage project activities

Get study credits for the work outside the summer period

  • from 10 to 15 ECTS

Bring your own ideas to life

  • design and build a research project from scratch
  • work with an international student-based team

Gain valuable experience in

  • design and product development,
  • project planning,
  • designing laboratory experiments and practical laboratory work,
  • documentation and scientific writing,
  • modelling and programming,
  • fundraising, presentations and science communication

Become part of an international network

  • iGEM network: find new career opportunities
  • connect and collaborate with other international teams
  • participate in conferences and talks in Finland and abroad

Experience the Grand Jamboree in Paris

  • bringing together all 350 teams to celebrate their work
  • gain insights on work opportunities and advances in research


Apply before January 8th 2023 (23:59)!

Applications are now open and the deadline for submitting your application is the 8th of January 2023 (23:59) . You can find the application form here. For any questions, you can contact us at team@aaltohelsinki.com or reach out to us on our Instagram.

Aalto-Helsinki 2022 Team

WHAT IF STUDENTS RAN THEIR OWN RESEARCH PROJECT?

The Aalto-Helsinki 2022 is a multidisciplinary and international group consisting of 10 people from both the University of Helsinki and Aalto University. We have experts from various fields of biosciences, engineering and design, and together our aim is to design and prototype a synthetic biology project and participate in the world's largest synthetic biology competition, iGEM in October.

To help us reach our goals we have additionally our advising team that consists of Principal Investigators Heli Viskari, Aalto University lecturer, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, and Markus Linder, Aalto University professor of Biomolecular materials. Additionally, we have supporting project advisors Dr. Ville Paavilainen, Institute of Biotechnology, and Sesilja Aranko, staff scientist at the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University.

We will update about our project here on the website, but in addition to that we will also document our journey on our Instagram, Facebook, Blog and Podcast .
Follow us there for more!




Our Project

Chronic wounds are found in 15 % to 25 % of diabetes patients and often lead to increased morbidity, mortality in general decreasing the quality of life, and are therefore of high public health concern.

The environment of chronic wounds is usually low in oxygen (hypoxic) and thereby causes decreased immune activity. Therefore, bacteria can easily settle there, leading to the formation of biofilms. Biofilms are structural communities of bacteria that are usually tolerant to host defences and antibiotics. This is an issue for the patient, because treatment is more difficult.

The formation of biofilms in chronic wounds of diabetes patients slows the healing even more, decreases their quality of life, and marks an additional threat to their health. We aim to slow the formation of biofilms by creating a therapeutic molecule (i.e. DARPin) that can interfere with the formation of such.

DARPin stands for designed ankyrin repeat proteins. They are genetically engineered peptides that are mimicking antibodies. We want to design them to bind to the AIP1. AIP1 is a signalling peptide between bacteria contributing to their “communication” (i.e. quorum sensing) and assembly on the wound site.

Our hypothesis is that the decreased biofilm assembly will contribute to a combination therapy with antibiotics allowing faster treatment and healing of chronic wounds that are biofilm infested.

In order to prove our idea we are building a GFP biosensor for the AIP quorum sensing system in E. coli that shall be inhibited by our DARPin that we will select for binding affinity towards AIP1 via ribosome display.

To learn more about our project, please visit our Team Wiki



Melissa

Melissa Hendrén

Team Co-Leader, Wet lab

Student of Biosystems & Biomaterials MSc program at Aalto University.

Veera

Veera Kurki

Team Co-Leader, Wet lab

Student of Molecular Biosciences BSc program at University of Helsinki.

Amna

Amna Gul

Wet lab

Student of Biological & Chemical Engineering for Sustainable Bioeconomy MSc program at Aalto University.

Anniina

Anniina Könönen

Dry lab

Student of Molecular Biosciences BSc program at University of Helsinki.

Diogo

Diogo Dias

Dry lab

Student of Bioinformatics & Systems Medicine MSc program at University of Helsinki.

Hanna

Hanna Nebelung

Dry lab

Student of Bioinformatics & Systems Medicine MSc program at University of Helsinki.

Joose

Joose Lankia

Dry lab

Student of Mechanical Engineering BSc program at Aalto University.

Lilith

Lilith Heiland

Wet lab

Student of Microbiology & Microbial Biotechnology MSc program at University of Helsinki.

Mari

Mari Keskiivari

Wet lab

Student of Food Sciences BSc program at University of Helsinki and Design BSc program at Aalto University.

Zsófia

Zsófia Hesketh

Wet lab

Student of Translational Medicine MSc program at University of Helsinki.

Melissa

Melissa Hendrén

Team Co-Leader, Wet lab

Student of Biosystems & Biomaterials MSc program at Aalto University.

Veera

Veera Kurki

Team Co-Leader, Wet lab

Student of Molecular Biosciences BSc program at University of Helsinki.

Amna

Amna Gul

Wet lab

Student of Biological & Chemical Engineering for Sustainable Bioeconomy MSc program at Aalto University.

Anniina

Anniina Könönen

Dry lab

Student of Molecular Biosciences BSc program at University of Helsinki.

Diogo

Diogo Dias

Dry lab

Student of Bioinformatics & Systems Medicine MSc program at University of Helsinki.

Hanna

Hanna Nebelung

Dry lab

Student of Bioinformatics & Systems Medicine MSc program at University of Helsinki.

Joose

Joose Lankia

Dry lab

Student of Mechanical Engineering BSc program at Aalto University.

Lilith

Lilith Heiland

Wet lab

Student of Microbiology & Microbial Biotechnology MSc program at University of Helsinki.

Mari

Mari Keskiivari

Wet lab

Student of Food Sciences BSc program at University of Helsinki and Design BSc program at Aalto University.

Zsófia

Zsófia Hesketh

Wet lab

Student of Translational Medicine MSc program at University of Helsinki.

iGEM

WHAT IF SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY WAS USED TO ENGINEER A SOLUTION TO SOLVE GRAND ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE?

International Genetically Engineered Machine iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition originating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA. The iGEM competition challenges students to design and implement a project within a short time frame using innovation, design, experimental work and modelling applications.

The broader purpose of our project is to promote and increase the understanding of synthetic biology in Finland and around the world. Synthetic biology is a field of science and technology that combines biology with engineering principles. The basic principle is to design new genes, genetic devices, metabolic routes and entire organisms to create novel products and production pathways. Standardization is also a key component of this process, which is why one goal of the iGEM competition is to maintain the "BioBrick part registry" - a library of standardized genetic parts.

Synthetic biology has the potential to provide valuable solutions to many of today's problems. However, media and the general public still sometimes see genetically modified organisms rather as a threat than an opportunity. We work responsibly and take safety and ethics carefully into account in our project design and laboratory work. We conduct research that is safe for us and the environment.

SUPPORT US

We are an independent, student-driven team of passionate students, who have a strong will to create new synthetic biology solutions. However, this could not be possible without the support of our partners. If you or your organization would like to support us in any way, contact us at team@aaltohelsinki.com. All our supporters will be mentioned on this page, and in some cases also in our presentations and posters. Additionally we provide social media visibility.

CONTACT US

We are a student-driven team that will participate in a synthetic biology competition: International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM). We believe that science has great potential, if practiced responsibly and safely. We are happy to discuss our project, synthetic biology, the competition or science in general. You are welcome to reach us on Instagram or Facebook. We also intend to organize workshops and present at events, as long as current situation allows it.

If you would like to interview us or write about us in the media, feel free to contact us through our team email team@aaltohelsinki.com. We are more than happy to help.