Congratulations to the Goethe University iGEM Team! The 2025 team won a gold medal, is in the Gobal Top 10 and is the Winner of the Safety and Security Prize at this year's Grand Jamboree in Paris with the project SPROUT - Smart Peptide Release On Triggers.
The iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition is an annual international competition that brings together teams from around the world to design, build, and test novel biological systems using synthetic biology. It provides a platform for students to showcase their creativity, scientific and engineering skills, and entrepreneurial spirit by tackling real-world problems through biological solutions. This year’s mission was to advance a more precise and sustainable approach to plant protection. Using a modular sensor system coupled with a genetic AND-gate, their engineered bacteria sense pathogen-specific physiological and secreted cues, triggering antimicrobial peptide release only when required. This conditional response enables highly targeted action while reducing unintended impacts. This new approach was also recognized as one of the top five agriculture projects of the season at the Grand Jamboree.
Want to find out more about iGEM, its current and past projects, support it or become part of it? More information is available at https://igem.uni-frankfurt.de/.