We are a fan of the future, and along come future experts! This means that we always look
out to support causes and attend events. One of the non-profit organizations that we
support is iGEM Technical University of Eindhoven (TU).
For those who do not know iGEM, it is an independent and non-profit organization focused
on the advancement of synthetic biology, education and competition. iGEM TU has
organized a spin-off from the official worldwide Giant Jamboree: The Mini Jamboree. Both
jamboree competitions are organized in order to encourage students to try solving real-
world problems, using genetically engineered organisms.
During this competition on the 18 th of October 2022, several participating teams will present their project to be judged by experts. The team that we support is the iGEM team
Eindhoven. Nine ambitious members take part in this competition and have worked on
groundbreaking research for the past year. Their vision this year is to stimulate innovation in
the field of healthcare and to push the boundaries of synthetic biology. Their mission is to
create a cell-based therapy for autoimmune diseases, starting with the application on
vasculitis. Vasculitis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of small vessels.
This can impair the blood circulation and, in the most serious cases, cut off blood supply to
important organs. How they combat this, is by creating a cell that can detect disease-specific
markers (autoantibodies). Upon detection, their cell will produce an anti-inflammatory
molecule to locally reduce the inflammation. The cells can be given when the disease is first
diagnosed by doctors. Once present, the cells will be able to react to up-flares. Sounds like a
pretty smart team, right? We think so, too.
Are you also interested in cheering on this team? The Benelux’s Mini Jamboree is open to
the public, and so you are most welcome to join us.
Location: | Eindhoven Technical University, Auditorium, Senaatszaal |
Date and time: | 18 October 2022 from 10:00 AM until 16:30 PM |