The CUHK genetic engineering team formed by 14 undergraduate students of science and engineering has won a silver medal at theiGEM (international Genetic Engineered Machine) Asia Regional Jamboree. They also won the Best New BioBrick Part or Device (Engineered) Award and were qualified to compete for the world championship with over 50 elite teams in the iGEM World Jamboree to be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in November. Four of the team members are from EE and BME programmes:

• Melisa JUNATA (BME)
• SU Shang Yen (EE)
• LING Yan To (BME)
• SHENG Ruoyu (BME)

The winning project of the CUHK team was named 'Switch Off PAHs'. They have designed a voltage switch to control the enzymatic reactions of bacteria so that they can degrade poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) more effectively, such as benzo-a-pyrene (BaP), a common environmental pollutant and a well-known carcinogen. This innovative technology may be useful in improving air quality and public health.

For details, please refer to the University press release: English / Chinese

Congratulations!