iGEM is a competition, in which more than 400 teams from around the world participate yearly – including those from Oxford, MIT, or Harvard. The key to success is how the team contributes to solving a real problem by using synthetic biology, which allows us to "program" genes. Students from Brno will present a project with the potential to change the method of feed production.
Duckweed instead of soy
The team developed a technology which allows the use of duckweed for protein production directly on the farm. The plant can grow on treated manure liquid, converts ammonia into biomass, and doubles its weight up to eleven times faster than soy. The result? Local, sustainable, and cheaper feed which saves not only farmers’ money but also the planet.
“We present an alternative that solves all the shortcomings of soy: duckweed – the fastest growing plant in the world. It has the same high protein content as soy and three times higher yield per area. Thanks to our autonomous vertical growing system – the duckweed cultivator – a farmer can grow it directly on the farm without dependency on imports and without environmental burden,” explains Matej Zámečník, student at the Faculty of Science MU and co-founder of the iGEM Brno team.
Duckweed doubles in 16–48 hours depending on the species. That is eleven times faster than soy. Thanks to the autonomous cultivation system built by the team, protein can be produced on any farm!
University support and record crowdfunding
The project budget exceeds one million crowns. The team gained significant support from the universities in the amount of 450,000 CZK and scholarships for most of its members (not all are students of the mentioned universities).
“Brno, the Faculty of Science MU, and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering VUT gave us an amazing environment to realize our ideas,” says Matej Zámečník. “We also wanted to present the project publicly, so we acquired part of the funds through crowdfunding. That gave us not only the finances for the registration fee but also a big motivation.”
On the campaign page, the team proudly calls themselves “duckweed hipsters,” emphasizing their distinctive style and self-confidence. The team wishes to beat competitors from Oxford and Cambridge and win the most prestigious biotechnology Olympics in the world as the very first Czechoslovak team in more than twenty years of synthetic biology history.
Heading to Paris
Thanks to the Donio campaign, the students raised 225,000 CZK for the registration fee within less than a week and now they can perfect final details before departure to Paris. There they will compete with more than 400 teams from around the world, including Oxford, MIT, and Harvard. “We would like ‘Mendel’ not to be the last name the biotechnology world associates with Brno and the Czech Republic,” adds Zámečník, noting that support for their project campaign continues.