This team manipulates genes to create LIFE from SCRATCH!?

[00:01:16] The Basics: What is iGEM and synthetic biology?

[00:02:44] Past Projects: What has the team worked on?

[00:03:55] The iGEM Orientation: What is it for and what can students do there?

[00:07:48] iGEM Lab Tour: What does it look like and what does the team do here?

[00:09:15] Current Projects: What is the team working on this year?

[00:13:27] Putting DNA into Bacteria: How does the team actually do this -  a walkthrough

[00:19:51] The Daily Grind: What does the team’s daily routine look like?

[00:24:58] Ethics in Synthetic Biology: Fine line between innovation and manipulating life

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[00:00:30] IIT Madras

[00:08:55] Professor Meiyappan Lakshmanan and Professor Arumugam Rajavelu are the professors in charge of the current iGEM project.

[00:13:43] Skandaagraja Sundhar is a part of the lab head of the iGEM competition team.

[00:21:02] AstraZeneca is the title sponsor for the iGEM team this year

[00:25:43] Intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI are present at the competitions that the iGEM teams participate in to conduct awareness on concepts like bioterrorism

[00:01:18] iGEM [International Genetically Engineered Machine] is an annual synthetic biology competition held in Paris for undergraduate and graduate students to solve real-world problems.

[00:01:41] The fundamental principle of Genetic Engineering is the deliberate manipulation of an organism’s genetic material, primarily DNA, to alter its characteristics or introduce new desirable traits. Primarily achieved through recombinant DNA technology, a process that allows DNA from different sources to be combined and inserted into a host organism

[00:09:22] Gene Regulation is the process of controlling the timing, location, and amount of a gene’s expression to turn genes on or off. It allows cells to respond to their environment, differentiate into specialised types like a liver or brain cell, and carry out special functions. 

[00:10:05] Epigenetics is the study of how behaviors and the environment can cause changes that affect how your genes work without changing the underlying DNA sequence. 

[00:10:51] CRISPR dCas9 (dead Cas9) is a modified CRISPR tool that lacks the “molecular scissors” cutting ability of standard Cas9. It is used as a programmable guide to locate a specific target DNA sequence in the genome, allowing proteins like DAM to act and methylate that site.

[00:23:44] Organ-on-a-chip [OoC] technology is a micro-scale system that uses microfluidics and human cells to mimic the structure and function of human organs. They are used for disease research, drug development, and toxicity testing, offering a more accurate, ethical alternative to traditional cell cultures and animal testing.