Heyo! we're the Unimelb iGEM team

We are an independent undergraduate research team composed of students from various disciplines across the university. Each year, we address problems perceived in the world and address contemporary global issues in the biomedical field through genetic engineering. Ultimately, we compete at the world’s premier synthetic biology competition: the iGEM Giant Jamboree.

We are also passionate about community outreach and generating scientific conversation among the general public!

The SP1 spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus binds to ACE2 receptor to gain entry to the host cell. We aim to engineer macrophages to produce soluble ACE2 over an extended period as a possible COVID19 therapy. A modified ACE2 sequence will be introduced to the GAPDH gene locus of induced pluripotent stem cells which will then be differentiated into macrophages that can constitutively express soluble ACE2.

We are also investigating the regulation, cost, access, scalability, and public perception of our project through the lens of a similar therapy that has advanced to clinical use: CAR-T cells.

Through a series of articles, interviews and social media posts, we hope to communicate the science and challenges of CAR-T cells to the public and reflect on how we can tackle these in our own project to ensure an effective, safe, equitable treatment that meets the needs of the patients it aims to benefit.