CO₂llaboration represents both Collaboration and Communication, which are as constant and vital to our project as CO₂ is to life. Through active partnerships with other iGEM teams and nonprofit organizations or institutions, we aim to pool resources and ideas to advance synthetic biology and address mangrove microplastic pollution. Just as CO₂ is captured and stored in natural systems, the outcomes of our collaborations will be preserved for future research and projects to build upon.

1. Collaboration with iGEM Teams and Nonprofits

In our project, collaboration with other iGEM teams and nonprofit organizations play a crucial role in expanding our reach and impact. We have organized and participated in synthetic biology workshops, mangrove conservation initiatives and microplastic pollution awareness campaigns together with these groups. Through these joint efforts, we create an environment where knowledge and experience can be shared, enabling all parties to benefit from each other's strengths. Like CO₂ cycling through ecosystems, collaboration helps circulate new ideas and methods that improve the effectiveness of our project.

Key Collaborative Activities:

• Workshops and Knowledge Sharing: Co-hosting synthetic biology workshops with iGEM teams, where we exchange expertise on biosynthetic technologies and share project methodologies.
• Joint Environmental Campaigns: Collaborating with nonprofits to organize mangrove conservation activities and microplastic awareness programs, engaging the public and stakeholders in meaningful action.

2. Communication Across Teams and Communities

Communication is a fundamental component of CO₂llaboration. Through continuous dialogue with iGEM teams, nonprofits, and local communities, we ensure that everyone involved in the project stays aligned with its goals and direction. This constant exchange of information not only promotes transparency and trust but also fosters the exchange of new ideas and solutions that enhance our collective work. Much like CO₂ circulating in the atmosphere, communication between teams, communities, and organizations ensures that the most effective practices are disseminated and adopted by all participants.

Key Communication Channels:

• Online Platforms and Discussions: We maintain regular communication with iGEM teams and organizations through online platforms, sharing updates on project progress, technical challenges, and collaborative ideas.
• Public Engagement: Hosting community dialogues and informational sessions in collaboration with nonprofits to spread awareness about microplastic pollution and the role of synthetic biology in addressing it.

Through the collaboration and communication efforts embodied in CO₂llaboration, the knowledge, insights, and solutions we develop will not only address current environmental challenges but also will be preserved for future teams and researchers to build upon. Just as CO₂ can be stored in natural systems for future use, the outcomes of our collaborative work—whether it's research data, technological innovations, or social awareness—will remain a valuable resource for future iGEM teams, nonprofits, and environmentalists to explore and expand.

1. Introduction

On May 29, 2024, BNUZH-China representatives attended the 8th iGEM Southern China Regional Meeting at Shenzhen University's Lihu Campus, hosted by Team SZU-China. This event signified a pivotal moment in fostering regional collaboration and idea exchange within the iGEM community, setting a positive tone for 2024 engagements.

2. Project Presentation and Engagement

As our project topic was still under development, we presented two proposals: "RNAi-based Therapeutic Approach for AIDS Symptomatology" and "Deep Degradation of Mangrove Microplastics." Both presentations sparked thoughtful discussions and valuable feedback from peers, which played a key role in helping us finalize our project direction.

Alongside the presentations, we organized synthetic biology-themed games to engage participants, foster creativity, and deepen academic discussions, which helped build connections and encouraged meaningful exchanges.

3. Conclusion and Outlook

the 8th iGEM Southern China Regional Meeting is the first official and large-scale exchange activity of our team in this year. It not only forged connections with regional teams, but also established a solid foundation for friendship and academic collaboration. Importantly, the exchange significantly contributed to our final topic decision-making process. It guided our topic selection process, culminating in a well-deliberated decision through a lot of reflections and brainstorming sessions.

1. Introduction

In the summer of 2024, BNUZH-China participated in the 11th China Community iGEMer Conference (CCiC) in Suzhou, hosted by Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. This event provided a platform to showcase our research, engage in academic exchanges, and build collaborative relationships.

2. Project Presentation and Collaboration

On July 13th, we presented "PE & CO₂ Hunter: A Mangrove Microplastics Deep Degradation System" in the Bioremediation Village. By modifying Pseudomonas aeruginosa and incorporating Rhodopseudomonas palustris, we aimed to address PE microplastic pollution in mangroves. The presentation led to valuable insights and feedback from other teams, helping us refine our international presentation in Paris.

3. Conclusion and Outlook

The CCiC was a valuable learning experience for BNUZH-China. We expanded our academic horizons, built lasting connections, and are dedicated to advancing our project and contributing to synthetic biology, showcasing the talent of Chinese youth on a global stage.

Building on the success of the first forum, SUSTech_Med, SUSTech_Ocean, BNUZH-China, UM_Macau, and HKUST hosted the 2nd iGEM Greater Bay Area Synthetic Biology Industry-Academia-Research Forum from August 1st to 3rd, 2024, at the Southern University of Science and Technology. The forum aimed to promote academic exchanges, strengthen collaboration in synthetic biology, and integrate industry, academia, and research to drive innovation in biotechnology.

Over three days, participants shared research achievements, discussed sustainable development, fostered closer industry-academia partnerships, and explored new collaboration models. This event deepened the first forum's success and furthered cooperation among iGEM teams.

Day1 Workshops

The opening ceremony featured keynote addresses by Professor Yang Liang from the School of Medicine at Southern University of Science and Technology, and Professor Zhou Jingliu, an iGEM instructor from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Afterward, interactive workshops focused on "HP work" and "SDG work," with teams discussing how to improve human practices and achieve sustainable development in their projects.

We also connected with Dr. Bao Yuhan, the iGEM liaison officer, who had an in-depth exchange with iGEMers on HP-related topics. Additionally, Yang Yang, the Asian Ambassador for iGEM, led sharing sessions with various teams.

On August 24-25, 2024, members of BNUZH-China attended the "Building the Future with Unity" 2024 iGEMer Central China Regional Exchange Conference, hosted by HZAU-China at Huazhong Agricultural University.

On the 24th, we arrived at the College Students' Activity Center of Huazhong Agricultural University and participated in team presentations, where we showcased our PE & CO2 Hunter project. Our presentation covered various aspects, including the project background, experimental design, modeling, and human practices. The judges commended our project and provided valuable feedback, raising relevant questions and offering suggestions on the feasibility of the experiments and the finer details of project design. This input is crucial for refining our project and adjusting its future direction.

On the morning of the 25th, we visited Wuhan ABclonel Biotech Co., Ltd., where we attended lectures by company experts, gaining insights into the key industrial fields and research directions of the company. We also toured their molecular and immunology laboratories. This interaction with industry leaders deepened our understanding of the current landscape and future trends in synthetic biology, stimulating deeper reflections on integrating synthetic biology into academia, industry, and research.

That afternoon, we engaged in in-depth discussions with teams from HZAU-China, NUDT-China, and others, sharing project challenges and offering mutual suggestions. These exchanges not only brought fresh perspectives and inspiration to our work but also fostered valuable collaborations. We look forward to deepening our partnerships with these teams as we collectively explore the vast possibilities of synthetic biology.

Introduction:

To learn from each other and discuss various aspects of our respective projects, interact on the gains and feedback and to further discuss the insights and feedback from the previous educational topic, we held an online roundtable meeting with professors and other teams, including ZQT-Nanjing, JLU-NBBMS, CUG-China, and RDFZ-CHINA.

Meeting Proceedings:

During the meeting, we shared the philosophy and related experiences of our own Education, iHP, and many other activities; we briefly introduced the experimental design and highlighted key lessons, such as the importance of finalizing the design early to prevent delays. We exchanged ideas on hardware development and explained its role in enhancing the project's completeness.

Feedback:

During the exchange, several teams shared issues they faced in experimental and modeling aspects, and we provided relevant suggestions to help them address these challenges. They also reminded us to prioritize experimental safety and to provide detailed information about the safety of the chassis organisms on the Wiki.

The professors expressed their support for our project and encouraged us to maintain our passion for synthetic biology while continuing to refine and improve it.

BNUZH-China and BNU-China have maintained close cooperation for a long time. On the morning of June 29, 2024, the two sides successfully held an online meeting. During the meeting. BNU-China expressed its aspiration to develop a functional immune nanodisc that can block viral infections without affecting the normal metabolism of host cells. Both sides engaged in discussions on the reversible binding of protein dimers and their application in the treatment phase of HIV. Following this, BNUZH-China shared a deep degradation system for microplastics in mangrove ecosystems and is considering the construction of a dual-bacterial system to simultaneously degrade microplastics and fix CO₂,during this process, BNU-China offered perspectives and suggestions on carbon neutrality.

In the afternoon, eight iGEM teams from the Beijing region participated offline in the Beijing iGEMers Exchange organized by BNU-China, while BNUZH-China joined the event online. During the meeting, the eight teams took turns to present their projects, and after all the presentations were concluded, everyone engaged in a free and open discussion. Furthermore, BUCT-China arranged a live connection with the foreign ambassador of "Synbio for Latam", who shared his insights and experiences about iGEM with us.

Inspired by the spirit of unity and collaboration of the G20, the 'iG20 SDG Meetup', jointly hosted by UM-Macau, SCUT-China-S, BNUZH-China and NWU-China-A, was successfully held on September 7, 2024. Centering on the theme of 'Sustainable Development', the symposium brought together nine iGEM teams from across the country via the Tencent Meeting platform. The event featured two esteemed guests: Dr. Bao Yu-han, the iGEM Liaison Officer and Human Practices Committee Coordinator, and Isaac Nana Kofi Asare, a member of the MICSRGC.

During the meeting, each team actively shared their innovative practices integrating their projects with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which showcased the explorations and contributions of iGEMers in biotechnology, environmental protection innovations, and other fields. Meanwhile, Dr. Bao elaborated on the evolution of sustainable development concepts and the collaborative pathways to achieve SDGs. Mr. Kofi discussed the significance of biodiversity to SDGs, providing invaluable insights and inspiration for attendees.

This event not only fostered academic exchanges and collaborations among iGEM teams but also deepened iGEMers' understanding and commitment to SDGs. Through this inter-university and interdisciplinary dialogue and collision of ideas, we united and moved forward together, collectively advancing the realization of global sustainable development goals.

Our team collaborated with JLU_NBBMS and 16 other teams to create a comprehensive Biosafety and Bioethics Whitepaper, with our team leading the bioremediation village.

In this work, we focused on topics including biosafety, bioethics, law, and AI. We analyzed both global and domestic legal frameworks, adding our own insights. We also examined this year's project focused on addressing microplastic pollution in mangrove ecosystems. We also reviewed previous projects in the bioremediation village, which provided valuable lessons and feedback for improving our own project.

The Biosafety and Bioethics Whitepaper reflects our team's commitment to synthetic biology and its role in addressing global challenges. We aim to increase public awareness and encourage more individuals, organizations, and governments to understand the potential of synthetic biology. The whitepaper emphasizes the importance of biosafety and bioethics, promoting an ethical and sustainable approach for the future.

To embark on a journey with numerous iGEMers in exploring the fascinating realm of synthetic biology and collaboratively build a knowledge-sharing platform, BNUZH-China actively participated in establishing the ICII platform led by NAU-China. BNUZH-China actively participated in the establishment of the ICII platform led by NAU-China. BNUZH-China meticulously crafted a project poster that integrates the project's background knowledge with relevant popular science content. It is hoped that the construction of this ICII platform, a collaborative effort by five iGEM teams, will spark profound interest in synthetic biology among a wider audience.

This year, preparations for the 2nd iGBA were launched ahead of schedule with the active commitment of the organizing team. On April 27th, the four iGEM team members from SUSTech_Med, BNUZH-China, UM_Macau, and HKUST convened at Southern University of Science and Technology for their first preparatory meeting, where they discussed the format and themes of the forum and made initial assignments of duties. From May to July, the teams collaborated closely, refining preparations through numerous online meetings. Thanks to the collective efforts of the team, the 2nd iGBA forum successfully convened in early August, achieving a resounding success.

On the second day, we took iGEMers on a tour of the Shenzhen Engineering Bioindustry Innovation Center and Guangming Science City, located in Guangming District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.

The institute combines entrepreneurship, education and research, showing us the future of synthetic biology.

We also conducted an in-depth visit to two medium-sized enterprises: Beissen Biotechnology and Biaquillion.

The managers of both companies brought us wonderful presentations, which not only showed the cutting-edge technology and innovation results in the practical application of synthetic biology, but also provided intuitive reference and inspiration for the participating teams. During the session, we also tasted purine-free beer produced by Beissen Bio LTD, leaving a lasting impression on all iGEMers.

As a former member of the iGEM competition, Dr. Hu from Shenzhen Beiwan Biology Technology Co., Ltd. specially shared his experience in project design with us.

Hongxun Biology demonstrated its achievements in the practical application of synthetic biology, particularly in biological design and manufacturing.

Yinyan Technology highlighted the challenges of digital transformation in synthetic biology laboratories and introduced the "Yinyan Intelligent Research Cloud" system to enhance the efficiency of iGEM experiments.