The project of Kazakhstani students in the field of Oncology became the best
The project of students of Nazarbayev University (NU) won the international iGEM competition as the "best project in the field of Oncology". At the competition in Paris, the NU team overtook the teams of biologists from the world's leading universities. Young researchers have developed a special gel for Spot Therapy for breast cancer.
at the international synthetic biology competition iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine), students from all over the world develop and implement innovative projects. Participants create genetically modified organisms that solve current scientific and social problems.
the iGEM NU team has been working on Sanagel, an innovative method of targeted bacteriotherapy for breast carcinoma, for 11 months.
"The system consists of non-pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli genetically modified to create an anti-cancer peptide. It selectively binds the cell membranes of tumor cells and forms pores. To ensure a high level of safety control, we have also introduced a self-destruction mechanism," said Temirlan Karatai, a third - year student of the Faculty of biology, a member of the iGEM NU team.
This year, the 24-member NU team competed for the championship with 437 teams from educational institutions from more than 50 countries, such as Harvard, Oxford and MIT. It should be noted that over the past 11 years, the iGEM NU team has been the only one not only in Kazakhstan, but also in Central Asia.
In addition to the prize for the best project in the field of oncology, students also received the prize "best equipment". They invented and manually assembled the NanoX device. This device allows you to automate the preparation of laboratory solutions, such as hydrogel and cell cultures. The team took part in the Nuris ABC Business Accelerator incubation program and reached the final stage.
"First of all, we would like to express our great gratitude to NU and the school of Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and humanities for their support for 11 years. The university has created all the conditions for the development of the scientific potential of students. The main role in achieving such results was played by the unconditional support of the University and its teaching staff. Without such a high level of assistance, we would not be able to achieve them," Temirlan said.
Since its inception, the team has been paying special attention to popularizing science, especially synthetic biology. They organize science fairs and summer camps for students of rural schools and children with special needs, promoting the inclusiveness and accessibility of Science for everyone.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/sci/press/news/details/876588