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Solving big problems by treating real diseases is the ultimate goal of a team of
U of C students competing in the prestigious iGEM competition at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT). Vlad Lavrovsky and a team of undergraduate students
participated in this international competition with an amazing entry: the group
created a bacteria that glows in the dark and then built a computer-controlled laser
“plotter” that crafts a piece of biological art with the light-sensitive bugs.
“The goal of the competition is to inspire discussion about the potential of synthetic
biology in hopes of creating standardized genetic pieces for use by scientists in their
work,” says Lavrovsky, a fourth-year Bachelor of Health Sciences student. “The needs
and technology are outpacing the current genome programming and hindering our ability
to find ways to prevent and treat major illnesses. So this type of competition is meant
to inject some innovation and thinking to speed up this work.
“I volunteered for this project because I believe the most interesting work often happens
during competitions and I wanted to take part in research that creates innovation.
I believe we need new ideas in order to find cures for some of society’s most prevalent
diseases – like creating synthetic insulin or affordable antibiotics or more available drugs.”
he strong entry involved students from engineering, computer science and biology to
create the resulting genetic engineering and complex computer software and hardware.
“The most exciting science is happening at the intersection of different disciplines,”
says Lavrovsky. “As you bring people from these disciplines together, you get to
experience new synergies. I learnt a lot from working with people from a wide range of
disciplines and know that I will seek out similar opportunities throughout my career.
“When I graduate, I want to be an applied researcher because I really believe synthetic
biology will provide novel solutions to current health issues,” says Lavrovsky. “It’s a
burgeoning field and I want to be part of it – and participating in this competition will
certainly help me get there.” www.obriencentre.org/iGEM
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