Groningen iGEM team best in Europe
A team of 11 University of Groningen students won the European iGEM competition last Sunday in Amsterdam. This victory qualifies them for the finals of the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) in Boston. One hundred and seventy teams from across the world take part in the competition, which aims to convert bacteria to a practical goal using biotechnology.
In the iGEM competition, student teams try to use synthetic biology to construct the best biological ‘machine’. Team Groningen thought up a detection system for rotting meat.
The Groningen students have designed a bacterium that changes colour as meat starts to go off. They have developed a sticker that you can put on meat at home to check whether it is still fresh. It is a complete system with the colour-change bacteria safely packaged in a special film which allows volatile substances from the meat to permeate but is completely sealed for liquids and other bacteria. The system is very sensitive and reacts long before a person could smell anything suspicious.
Forty-seven teams participated in the European preliminary rounds, of which 5 were Dutch. The University of Groningen students were selected as the best in Europe, beating teams from Cambridge and the former world champion Slovenia, among others. Teams from Wageningen and Delft will be going to Boston in four weeks too. The Groningen team will be participating in the final from 2 to 5 November.
| Last modified: | 01 February 2017 11.44 a.m. |
More news
-
17 April 2019
Why lightning often strikes twice
In contrast to popular belief, lightning often does strike twice, but the reason why a lightning channel is ‘reused’ has remained a mystery. Now, an international research team led by the University of Groningen has used the LOFAR radio telescope to...
-
16 April 2019
Still going strong after four decades
On March 29th professor of Applied Physics Jeff de Hosson was offered a farewell symposium, a few months after his official retirement date near the close of 2018. ‘But 29 March was the 100th birthday of Jan Francken, my predecessor.’ Besides, De Hosson...
-
11 April 2019
Ben Feringa in orbit around the Sun
Dozens of minor planets that used to orbit the Sun anonymously were named by the International Astronomical Union on 6 April 2019. The asteroid that used to be known as ‘minor planet 12655’ was named after Prof. Ben Feringa, winner of the 2016 Nobel...