“We don’t just grow cool bacteria; we make a difference,” says Huiru Huang (12) as she stretches adhesives over a set of test tubes. “Lunchtime” is a distant dream for Huiru and other students in the Honors Advanced Synthetic Biology class as they hunch over lab benches, giving up their free periods for the sake of building molecular machines. Like athletes, the team spends three to four hours working in the lab to refine their skills, even during “off seasons” when there are no large projects looming ahead. “I basically live in the lab now,” jokes Justin Yang (11). “It’s very convenient. It even has a microwave.”
This year, Huiru Huang and Fiona Tsai (12) led the synthetic biology class in their project for the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Giant Jamboree in Boston, where they presented their findings on treating cataracts, or clouding in the eye. Cataracts, the leading cause of blindness today, typically require expensive procedures and qualified surgeons. However, the class pored through scientific papers to find biological compounds that dissolve damaged clumps of proteins called crystallins. They then applied that knowledge to create functional eye drops that showed prevention and treatment effects in animal lenses.
The Giant Jamboree honored them with medals such as the Best Education and Engagement Awards, along with a gold medal. “The judges are looking something that’s complete, creative. And I think that we’ve accomplished that even better than we have in past years,” faculty advisor Mr. Clapper says.
The team hopes to pursue its project far beyond the reach of a simple school project. “We’ve made something that’s actually commercially viable. And from an entrepreneurial standpoint, that is really huge,” says Mr. Clapper. If the team decides to work with investors to develop their solutions for cataracts further, we could see the iGEM team’s products on pharmaceutical shelves in the near future.
The iGEM team hopes to use their experience to inspire and impact society through education. From teaching basic biology concepts to explaining the nuances of their experiments, the team has already begun their mission at TAS by visiting other students, whether kindergarteners or 11th grade IB students. “I enjoyed watching reactions from students as they interacted with science, sometimes for the first time,” says Huiru. “It’s reminded me of the importance of education.” Their outreach has also extended to inviting researchers to speak to other TAS students in panels and bioethics meetings, as well as introducing scientific concepts during events such as the Taipei Cataract Awareness Convention.
“The ultimate goal is to integrate synthetic biology into people’s everyday lives,” says Justin. “Currently, people aren’t as comfortable with genetically engineered projects, but that can change if we prove that it’s efficient and safe.”
Learning about biology in such an in-depth manner has more immediate effects as well. “Synthetic biology has been an amazing opportunity for us to learn about interdisciplinary concepts, and it has so much potential to solve issues we’ve been battling for centuries,” Huiru says. Twenty minutes before the next period starts, the team finally puts down their pipettes. “Though tiring, working in the lab is great,” says Changsun. “It’s the beginning of a new way to improve the world.”