Important distinction of the iGEM Athens 2024 student research group with the participation of the Agricultural University of Athens in the iGEM Global Synthetic Biology Competition

The iGEM Athens 2024 student research team won a gold medal and a Nomination for Best Entrepreneurship at the iGEM Synthetic Biology World Competition.

The team consists of 11 undergraduate and postgraduate students and graduates from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Agricultural University of Athens and the National Technical University of Athens.

The team members are as follows:

• Eleni Krassa (graduate, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens)
• Alonaris Efstathios (postgraduate student, Department of Biology, NKUA)
• Christian Verdi (graduate, Department of Chemistry, NKUA)
• Griva Anna Nicoleta (undergraduate student, 4th year, Department of Biology, NKUA)
• Karausta Chariklia (graduate, Department of Chemistry, NKUA)
• Karvelas Stavros (undergraduate student, 2nd year, Department of Biology, NKUA)
• Bouzoukas Athanassios (graduate, Department of Chemistry, NKUA)
• Papadopoulos Panagiotis Vasileios (graduate, Department of Electrical Engineering, UP)
• Papakosta - Sambatakaki Kanella (undergraduate student, 4th year, School of Medicine, NKUA)
• Stamos Evangelos (postgraduate student, Department of Electrical Engineering, NTUA)
• Tzioti Maria Konstantina (undergraduate student, 5th year, Faculty of Medicine, NKUA)

The “Grand Jamboree”, the main event of the Competition, took place this year on 23-26 October 2024 in Paris, where each team was invited to present their work in front of a panel of experienced judges. More than 400 teams and 4,000 participants from all over the world took part in the Competition.

The iGEM Athens team participated in the Competition for the first time in 2018, and since then they have won five gold medals, one silver and one bronze. This year, the team has also won Gold medal, competing in the category of Bioremediation (Bioremediation Village) with the concept “e-PHAESTUS: a bioleaching project”, proposing a bioleaching method, which aims to recycle the heavy and precious metals found in electronic waste, but also in the production of glutathione-metal nanoparticles. To achieve this, the team transformed a strain of the bacterium E. coli, using recombinant plasmids, containing two genes necessary for the synthesis of the tripeptide glutathione, which can bind to metals and solubilize them.

As part of the Competition, the team participated in a number of activities, including speaking at conferences, actions at schools and science festivals, organizing a student competition, a career day and a two-day event, participating in podcasts and collaborations with other iGEM groups around the world, with the aim of the communication of science and the promotion of Synthetic Biology to the general public.

Regarding its business activity, the team is pleased to announce that it was awarded the 1st Prize in the 2nd Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition organized by the Archimedes Center of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which this year took place on November 5, 2024 .

Particularly valuable was the contribution of the Department of Biotechnology of the Agricultural University of Athens for guidance during the conception of the project idea as well as for conducting the experiments. Eleni Krassa, an honors graduate of the Department of Biotechnology (2024), became a member of iGEM Athens 2024,

assuming a role in the Wet Lab field, actively participating in the conception of the idea and the study of the research background, the design and execution of experimental processes.

The iGEM Athens 2024 team had the honor to work with Professor Mr. Lamprou Nikolaos and the Postdoctoral Researcher Mr. Nikolaos Georgakis from the Laboratory of Enzyme Technology, who contributed to the team's work as Instructor and Advisor for the project, respectively. Thanks to their valuable experience and knowledge, they supported the work of the team and contributed significantly to the guidance and success of the project.

For the planning and implementation of the project, the team members were consulted and supported by the staff of the Departments of Biology and Chemistry of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Department of Biotechnology of the Agricultural University of Athens.

The team would like to especially thank the Department of Biology for helping with the laboratory training of the team members, hosting in the Department's laboratory as well as for the loan of consumables.

More information about the project can be found on the team's website: https://2024.igem.wiki/athens/