Michigan Synthetic Biology Team

09/02/2021

Check us out TODAY (9/2) at Festifall in front of the Diag from 5-8 PM!! We'll be at table F33 answering all your questions and handing out some rad iGEM stickers :)

08/26/2021

Yesterday, MSBT held an exciting speaker event with Dr. Mimi Cho Yung and Dr. Yu Heng Lau, accomplished researchers in the field of synthetic biology with a wealth of knowledge on encapsulin nano-compartments, the focus of our iGEM project this season. A big thanks to them for providing insight into forthcoming applications of encapsulins as well as guidance for our own student-driven research!

08/10/2021

Hey there! We have just launched our fundraising campaign for this year's project. As an entirely student-run lab group, we count on your contributions to acquire the materials necessary to run experiments, make progress on our project, and participate in the iGEM competition this fall. Thank you for your support!

Encapsulins are a class of bacterial protein nanocompartments (NCs) that self-assemble and envelope functional ‘cargo’ proteins. Compared to other classes of NCs, encapsulins are simple, yet they are stable and can carry robust cargo. We believe these properties represent a bold opportunity for....

06/10/2021

Happy first day in the lab! To kick off our experimental work, a few of our team members began PCR cloning of our encapsulin-producing bacterial plasmids and verification of the products by gel electrophoresis. An exciting step towards our goals for this season!

~ Follow this page to stay updated on MSBT's progress ~

03/09/2021

Hello friends and family! We are the University of Michigan Synthetic Biology Team (aka MSBT), the only student-led undergraduate research team in the biological sciences, and this year we are investigating encapsulin protein nano-compartments as a novel drug delivery platform. Please take a minute of your time to read about our Giving Blue Day fundraising campaign that will fund the project and allow our team to register for and attend the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition in Paris in the fall. We are so grateful for this opportunity and all of your support. Thank you!

The Michigan Synthetic Biology Team (MSBT) is the only student-run undergraduate research team in the biological sciences at UofM. Gifts to MSBT will allow us to compete and present our synthetic biology research in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition this Fall.

09/30/2019

Hi everyone! We are hosting a panel event this coming Thursday, October 3rd at 6pm! The topic is on food waste and environmental sustainability as it relates to our project this year! This event is open to the public so feel free to bring your friends and family!

08/31/2019

Hi friends and family! We are the Michigan Synthetic Biology Team on campus where we have designed a bio sensor to test milk spoilage. Please take a minute of your time to read about our fundraising campaign that will fund the project and send our team to the iGEM competition in Boston in the fall. We are so grateful for this opportunity and all of your support. Thank you!

We are developing a paper-based cell free system that detects spoiled milk. Relying on the detection of AHL molecules used by bacteria in quorum sensing, our system will be a synthetic gene network freeze-dried on paper. We hypothesize that with a working system when AHL is present the system...

10/29/2018

Hello! Wanting to donate to a good cause? Please help us reach our fundraising campaign goal. Even just $5 helps! Only 3 days left!

Click here to donate:

The Cas9 enzyme has seen a rapid expansion of applications in the field of gene therapy and for this reason it is imperative that this tool is accurate and efficient in order to be successful. Our team is developing a testing platform for comparing engineered Cas9 variants to the natural form...

09/23/2018

Hey! Once again we are raising funds to be able to go to the iGEM competition in Boston this October. Every dollar counts and sharing this post is free, help us out!

The Cas9 enzyme has seen a rapid expansion of applications in the field of gene therapy and for this reason is it imperative that this tool is accurate and efficient in order to be successful. Our team is developing a testing platform for comparing engineered Cas9 variants to the natural form...

01/22/2018

Hey everyone! First mass meeting for this winter semester will be held on Friday January 26 7-8pm at MH 3411. Be sure to come and check us out. We are looking for new members.