iGEM Leiden 2024 wil een revolutie teweegbrengen in het gebruik van nanobodies door de beperkingen van traditionele methodes van nanobody ontwikkeling aan te pakken. Hun nieuwe systeem biedt een snellere en goedkopere manier om nanobodies te genereren tegen allerlei targets, zonder immunisatie van dieren. Nanobodies zijn niet alleen kleiner en stabieler dan traditionele antilichamen, maar binden ook sterker en specifieker, waardoor ze van enorme waarde kunnen zijn voor diagnostische, therapeutische en onderzoek toepassingen.
Major jamboree in Paris in October 2024
iGEM is a synthetic biology competition with over 400 teams and 4,000 participants worldwide. It challenges student teams to solve global and local problems by genetically modifying microorganisms. The results of these projects will be presented in October of this year at the Grand Jamboree in Paris.
The A.L.P.A.C.A. Project
The idea behind A.L.P.A.C.A., or the ‘Affordable Library-based Pipeline for Accelerated Creation of Antibodies,’ is to develop a system that uses genetically modified baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to discover nanobodies against a chosen antigen from a vast synthetic “library” of nanobody variations, eliminating the need to immunize animals (such as alpacas or llamas in the case of nanobodies), thereby saving considerable time, money, and effort.
The A.L.P.A.C.A. Process:
- Genetically modified yeast cells (>108) each take up a sequence from the synthetic nanobody library and present it abundantly on the cell surface, linked to GFP-binding nanobodies.
- The target antigen and GFP (green fluorescent protein) are sequentially added to the yeast cells. Due to steric hindrance, antigen-binding cells will not bind GFP.
- Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) is then used to isolate the antigen-binding yeast cells.
- After collecting the yeast cells that display the antigen-binding nanobodies, the corresponding DNA sequences can be extracted, and the nanobodies can be produced in bulk for use as research tools.
Sponsorship
By supporting the iGEM team, you can position your organization as one committed to solving real-world problems and supporting the next generation in tackling these challenges.
Want to know more?
Download the brochure or send an email to the iGEM 2024 team.