Best Place To Build

This team manipulates genes to create LIFE from SCRATCH!? | BP2B: Student Edition! Ep.02

What does it take to create medicine on Mars—or engineer bacteria to solve global problems? Join us as we go behind the scenes with Team iGEM, IIT Madras, in the second episode of the Student Edition of Best Place to Build Podcast. 🔬 What You’ll Discover 1. Inside iGEM: The world’s largest synthetic biology competition, held annually in Paris, where students tackle real-world challenges through biology and engineering. 2. The Science: Learn how synthetic biology applies engineering principles to living systems—like reprogramming bacteria to produce valuable molecules. 3. Real-World Impact: Discover how genetic engineering powers breakthroughs like mass-producing insulin using E. coli, and how IITM’s iGEM team once designed a system to synthesise paracetamol on Mars. 4. The 2025 Project – Epigenetics & Gene Regulation: Get an exclusive look at their CRISPR-based system that controls gene expression through DNA methylation—a bold step into the future of genetic control. 5. Inside the Lab: Watch the team demonstrate Bacterial Transformation, the process of introducing new circular DNA into bacteria to make it express a desired protein. 6. The Interdisciplinary Team: iGEM isn’t just for biotech students. Learn how students from CS, Electrical, Mechanical, and WebOps collaborate—combining computational modelling, engineering, and web tools to bring biology to life. 7. Ethics and Responsibility: Hear the team’s thoughts on bioethics, safety, and the fine balance between innovation and responsibility when manipulating life. 🎥 Subscribe for more stories on the future of science, technology, and student innovation from IIT Madras. #iGEM #SyntheticBiology #GeneticEngineering #CRISPR #BioTech #Engineering #IITMadras #StudentCompetition #Science #Innovation #GeneEditing #Epigenetics #bestplacetobuild Chapters: 00:40 Welcome to the Best Place to Build: Student Edition! 01:00 Introducing team iGEM, IIT Madras 09:10 Inside the synthetic biology lab used by team iGEM 15:26 How do you create life from scratch? 19:45 What’s the structure of the team iGEM? 23:16 Future career paths pursued by students in iGEM 24:50 Closing thoughts on the ethics of synthetic biology

Nov 7, 2025·27m·Watch on YouTube ↗

📖 CHAPTERS

1. 1

   Why synthetic biology matters: making medicines on Mars

   The episode opens with a bold example of synthetic biology’s promise: producing essential drugs in extreme or remote environments like a future Mars colony. The idea sets the tone for iGEM’s focus on solving real-world problems with engineered biology.

2. 2

   Meet Team iGEM IIT Madras and the iGEM competition

   Vidhi introduces Team iGEM, IIT Madras, and asks what iGEM actually is. The team explains iGEM as an international synthetic biology competition where students design projects to address real problems.

3. 3

   Synthetic biology explained with a real-world example (insulin)

   The conversation clarifies synthetic biology as engineering-driven genetic engineering: treating cells like systems that can be programmed. Insulin production in engineered bacteria is used to make the concept concrete and correct common misconceptions.

4. 4

   How iGEM projects are chosen: freedom, research, and stakeholders

   The team describes how iGEM doesn’t assign a fixed prompt; instead, students define the problem and solution each year. They rely on literature review and stakeholder conversations to identify worthwhile challenges.

5. 5

   Orientation and recruitment: who can join and what skills matter

   Karthik explains the purpose and design of their orientation—bringing newcomers up to speed and attracting future team members. Emphasis is placed on enthusiasm and interdisciplinarity rather than prior biology expertise.

6. 6

   Interdisciplinary roles beyond biotech: dry lab, WebOps, media, and HP

   The team outlines how iGEM work spans wet lab experiments, computational modeling, software, wiki/web development, media, and human practices. This breadth enables students with diverse skills to contribute meaningfully.

7. 7

   Inside the lab space: facilities, mentoring, and the recruitment pipeline

   After the orientation, Vidhi visits the biotech lab where iGEM members work and discusses next steps. The team explains applications come later, and that multiple labs and faculty mentors support their experimental work.

8. 8

   The 2025 project: gene regulation using epigenetics and CRISPR-dCas

   Karthik introduces the current project focus: controlling gene expression to increase production of proteins and valuable compounds. The approach uses epigenetic methylation targeted by a CRISPR-dCas system to modulate expression without changing the DNA sequence directly.

9. 9

   Why methylation changes expression: transcription factors and production scaling

   The episode explains how methylation can influence DNA structure and binding behavior, affecting transcription and downstream protein levels. The team connects this mechanism to biomanufacturing use cases—scaling enzymes and metabolites for therapeutics and industry.

10. 10

    Hands-on molecular biology: bacterial transformation step-by-step

    Wet lab member Skanda walks through bacterial transformation—introducing circular DNA (plasmids) into bacteria. He tours core lab equipment and explains the workflow from sterile handling to heat shock, recovery, plating, and colony formation.

11. 11

    What lab work really looks like: timing constraints and iteration

    Skanda notes the practical realities of wet lab work: strict time points, late hours, and repeated procedures. The segment emphasizes that engineering biology involves careful process control, not just “inserting genes.”

12. 12

    How the team is structured and funded: wet lab, dry lab, WebOps, sponsorship

    Aldes explains the team’s functional structure: experimental, computational, and communication arms working in parallel. Funding is largely secured through corporate sponsorship, which supports lab work and competition fees.

13. 13

    Careers and future frontiers: organ-on-a-chip, AI-driven biology, and ethics

    The closing discussion explores what iGEM leads to: research, consulting, software, and interdisciplinary fields like organ-on-a-chip. The team highlights AI/computation as the next major accelerator and ends with a candid discussion of biosafety, dual-use risks, and responsible publication.