About iGEM

International Genetically Engineered Machine, iGEM, is an international synthetic biology competition originating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA. The iGEM competition challenges students to design and implement a project within a short time frame (around 10 months) 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 often 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.