KU Leuven iGEM

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KU Leuven iGEM

Official Facebook account of iGEM KU Leuven Interdisciplinary SynBio Team 2025🔍🧬🧫 The official page of the KU Leuven iGEM teams!

Here, you can find post, pictures, updates, and information about the teams representing KU Leuven i the annual prestigious competition!

04/06/2026

Meet Esma, our social media captain! 🌸

Esma is a 24-year-old Biomedical Sciences student specializing in management, originally from Belgium and Morocco. As our social media captain, she is the creative force behind EMPOWER, capturing our team’s journey and translating our complex science into engaging stories for the world!

We got a chance to sit down and ask Esma a few questions to get to know her better:

🎬 Favourite movie: La La Land

🍬 Guilty pleasure: Romanticizing a real-life Last of Us apocalypse

🧫 Least favourite lab technique: EMSA

✨ Fun fact: My surname was made up because my grandfather forgot his real one

We are so thrilled to have Esma capturing the journey of project EMPOWER!

Say hi to the Lore teller in the comments! 👇

Management Belgium Morocco KULeuven SocialMediaCaptain LoreTeller WomenInSTEM

03/06/2026

Meet Brandon, our wiki captain! 🌸

Brandon is a 23-year-old Engineering Technology student specializing in electronics and ICT, originally from South Africa. As our wiki captain, fittingly nicknamed „The wizard,“ he is the digital architect behind EMPOWER, coding our entire wiki platform and magically turning our complex science into an incredible web experience!

We got a chance to sit down and ask Brandon a few questions to get to know him better:

🎬 Favourite book: Stormlight archives

🍬 Guilty pleasure: A 12-hour Lord of the rings marathon in the middle of exams

🧫 Least favourite lab technique: Asking the teacher to explain the lab manual

✨ Fun fact: I joined a synthetic biology team with zero biology experience

We are so thrilled to have Brandon building the digital home for project EMPOWER!

Say hi to The wizard in the comments! 👇

Electronics ICT SouthAfrica KULeuven WikiCaptain TheWizard SyntheticBiology

02/06/2026

Meet Martha, our outreach & IHP captain! 🌸

Martha is a 23-year-old Biochemistry and Biotechnology student originally from Poland and Germany. As our outreach and IHP-captain she is the driving force connecting project EMPOWER with the world, leading our public engagement and human practices with incredible energy!

We got a chance to sit down and ask Martha a few questions to get to know her better:

🎬 Favourite movie/book: Dune trilogy

🍬 Guilty pleasure: Doomscrolling before bed

🧫 Least favourite lab technique: Western blot

✨ Fun fact: I once drank 5 L of beer at Oktoberfest

We are so thrilled to have Martha leading our community engagement and human practices for project EMPOWER!

Say hi to Ms. Worldwide in the comments! 👇

Biotechnology Poland Germany KULeuven OutreachCaptain HumanPractices MsWorldwide

01/06/2026

The Gut-Ovary Connection: Demystifying the IL-22 Pathway ✨

In our last Monday post, we introduced the two bile acids GDCA and TUDCA, which are deconjugated by the gut bacterium P. vulgatus. But did you know these molecules serve as essential secret messengers, linking your gut microbiome directly to your mucosal immune system? 🧐

These two bile acids bind to Group 3 Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC3) right in the small intestine. More specifically, to a surface receptor called TGR5, which causes cyclic AMP levels inside the cell to rise and fire up the GATA3 signaling pathway. Ultimately, this entire sequence is what stimulates the synthesis of Interleukin-22 (IL-22). ✨

IL-22 is a messenger of the immune system, primarily taking effect on epithelial and stromal cells at sites of inflammation, where it steps in to stimulate crucial processes like cell proliferation, tissue survival, and the production of natural antimicrobials.

The plot twist happens when P. vulgatus overgrows and disrupts this delicate balance, as seen in PMOS. By interfering with the pathway, less GDCA and TUDCA bind the receptor. As a result, protective IL-22 levels drop significantly, leaving the body vulnerable to a systemic increase in inflammation that centers around the ovaries. This breakdown beautifully illustrates why supporting a healthy, balanced microbiome is so foundational for overall hormonal and reproductive health. 🧬🌿

PMOStherapeutics

31/05/2026

To***co has a massive impact on global public health! One of the biggest preventable risks worldwide is to***co use.

Now, just how big is this epidemic, and how does it affect the people around us?

❗Fun fact: World No To***co Day was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) way back in 1987!

👉 Globally, to***co use kills over **8 million people** every single year. The harmful chemicals inhaled cause systemic inflammation and cellular damage, leading to severe cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

👉 But it doesn’t just affect the primary user! Out of those 8 million fatalities, a staggering **1.2 million** are non-smokers who pass away as a direct result of second-hand smoke exposure.

👉 Clearing the air and quitting play a big role here!

Let’s protect our lungs today! 🫁 All stats sourced from WHO

***coday

15/05/2026

We’re excited to be attending this year’s BFH meetup with four of our team members, ready to present our project and connect with fellow iGEM teams! 🧬

Can’t wait to discover everyone’s amazing projects, exchange ideas, and meet the people behind them 🤓

Looking forward to an inspiring and exciting weekend ahead 🔥

08/05/2026

[ENGLISH BELOW]

Innovatie een ver-van-jouw-bedshow?

Wakker worden! De toekomst is hier, het Flanders Technology and Innovation festival komt terug. 8 steden, 30 dagen, 100+ events en 1000 innovaties.

Als enthousiaste partner zetten we met iGEM KU Leuven mee onze schouders onder de grensverleggende oplossingen van vandaag.

Ben jij techlover of techleek? Bewonder je straffe innovaties of ga je ze straks zelf bedenken? Update jezelf vanaf 16 oktober op het FIT festival.

Programma en tickets vind je op fitfestival.be

__________________________________________

Is innovation something that feels far removed from your world?

Wake up! The future is already here. The Flanders Technology and Innovation Festival is back: 8 cities, 30 days, 100+ events, and 1,000 innovations.

As an enthusiastic partner, iGEM KU Leuven is proud to help drive today’s groundbreaking solutions.

Are you a tech enthusiast or just getting started? Do you admire bold innovations, or will you be creating them yourself soon? Get up to speed from October 16 at the FIT Festival.

Find the program and tickets at fitfestival.be.

25/04/2026

🧬 Happy World DNA Day
Did you know that about 99.9 percent of human DNA is shared among all people? It is the remaining 0.1 percent that creates individual differences, from physical traits to subtle biological variations.
A key figure in the discovery of DNA’s structure was Rosalind Franklin. Her work, especially the famous Photo 51, provided crucial evidence for understanding the shape of DNA. This X-ray image revealed important features that pointed to a helical structure.
Building on these findings, James Watson and Francis Crick described the double helix structure of DNA in 1953, with important contributions from Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. Together, their work laid the foundation for modern genetics and biotechnology.
The second slide shows Photo 51, one of the most important images in the history of molecular biology.
Each cell in the human body contains about two meters of DNA. When you add this up across all cells, the total length could theoretically span the distance between the Earth and the Sun hundreds of times. This highlights the incredible scale at which genetic information is stored in our bodies.
On World DNA Day, we reflect on the impact of this discovery, from medical advances to our understanding of inheritance and evolution. DNA is the fundamental carrier of biological information that determines how organisms function and develop.

20/04/2026

YOU ARE MORE THAN A DIAGNOSIS🤍

Behind every statistic is a person with a story that deserves to be heard. While 1 in 10 women navigate the complexities of PCOS every day, we know that you are so much more than a diagnosis.

Living with PCOS can feel like a constant tug of war with your own body. Whether it is the frustration of cystic acne and hair loss or the quiet exhaustion of anxiety and fatigue, these challenges are real and they are valid. It is a biological puzzle involving genetics and hormones, but at the heart of it all is a person who deserves to feel seen.

At iGEM KU Leuven, our work with PCOS is driven by a simple belief. We are diving into the science because we want to champion the women who have felt overlooked for far too long. We are doing this for you because we believe you deserve to feel special and fully supported in your health journey.🌷

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Stay tuned as we work toward making a difference together 🌸

Adres

Leuven

Website

https://linktr.ee/igemkuleuven

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