A group of seven students from Vilnius University (VU), Lithuania are the first team from the Baltic States to participate in iGEM, (Genetically Engineered Machine Competition) in Boston, US. It is a unique chance for young scientist to showcase their research findings and, in this particular case, to strengthen the Baltic region’s stake in the science community. Just recently the team has launched their crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The team of seven hope to cover their competition expenses and, while using the platform as an international stage, raise awareness about GMO related misperceptions.

The iGEM competition is a part of the largest scientific conference in the field of Synthetic Biology.This year 282 teams will be judged and awarded in Boston, home of MIT. Most of the projects, which will be presented during the conference, will later be applied as solutions to various environmental, medical or other current problems. The most important and final step of the competition is the “Giant Jamboree” conference, which is a mandatory step in order to participate and present research findings.

The Vilnius iGEM team is working on the ColiClock project. The ColiClock, (a countdown-timer), triggers a self-destruction mechanism in any GMO Bacterium. In other words, it stops the uncontrolled spread of GM Bacteria in the environment. This is by far one of the greatest challenges in the field of Synthetic Biology. The team likes to joke that they are working on the potentially NEXT BIG THING, which would turn the evil force, a.k.a GMO, into pure good. The true nature of GMO might be debatable in the eyes of the general public, but the team members themselves are undeniable GMO advocates. The teamworks under a supervision of principal investigator Virginijus Siksnys, a scientist of the Institute of Biotechnology in Vilnius University, and receives a lots of attention from other scientist and experts in the field.

It is an extreme honour to represent both Lithuania and Baltic region in the competition. Yet the participation and preparation for iGEM requires considerable financial support. Vilnius University together with “Thermofisher Scientific” and “Neurotechnology” as well as several others kindly offered their help and support during the initial stages of the project. “We aim for more than just an award while participating in iGEM competition. Our goal is to employ the knowledge and networks we have gained during this time for scientific research purposes. We hope to repay the received support and trust with our research finding”, – says Ingrida Olendraitė, team member of Vilnius iGEM.

It is already a common practice amongst iGEM teams to entrust themselves in the hands of society through crowdfunding. Only top world universities (such as Oxford and Cambridge which also participate in the competition) leave out such measures. The team seeks to raise 2,500 USD that would cover educational visits to schools and universities and project presentation as well as accommodation expenses in Boston during the conference.

The team has already successfully reached 41 % of the goal and is excited to see the number grow. The team offers a range of perks for their backers, and there are quite some to pick from. One can either get a piece of Lithuania while receiving a “We Love Lithuania” postcard signed by all the team members, or, for a bigger donation, be immortalized by giving one’s own name to the bacteria developed by the team. Everybody who would like to contribute or find more information about the cause are welcome to visit Vilnius iGEM Indiegogo page.