Synthetic biology should not exist in isolation. This season, guided by the theme “Symbiosis in Action,” we built a multidimensional collaboration network spanning disciplines, borders, and communities. From leading international academic summits to grassroots dry-lab support, from open-source software development to human-centered care and knowledge transfer, we transformed every Connection into a tangible Response that contributes to the shared growth of the iGEM community.
01
Global & National Summits
US–China iGEM Human Practices Summit
Background As synthetic biology becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, it is essential to examine its impact and integration in real-world contexts.
What we did We were invited to participate in the international “People in the World of SynBio” summit, jointly hosted by Peking University and Rice University. This multi-day international event combined asynchronous presentations with live sessions. We submitted a five-minute project video and also presented our project at a live virtual exhibition open to the public.
Impact Our project underwent rigorous review under two thematic tracks, Healthcare and Medicine and Policy and Education. Feedback from invited experts—including professors, industry leaders, and medical professionals—directly helped us refine our commercialization pathway and substantially broadened the international perspective and depth of our Human Practices work.
Presentation stills and the official event poster will be added when available.
CCiC & APIc Conferences
What we did At CCiC in Dalian, one of the largest iGEM conferences in China, we presented our project and engaged in in-depth technical discussions with teams from across the country during the poster session. We then joined the APIc Asia-Pacific exchange.
Impact These two conferences helped us move from a focus on local implementation toward a broader understanding of global compliance and created several prospects for deeper cross-regional collaboration.
CCiC
Conference participants at CCiC.Team exchange at the CCiC meeting.Teams sharing their projects and experiences.JLU-SPH presenting its project at CCiC.
APIc
Participants in the APIc exchange.Project discussion during the APIc poster session.
What we did To address challenges faced by large language models in bioinformatics analysis, we held in-depth discussions with HUBU-WUHAN, AFMU-China, LZU-GANSU, and JLU-FBH. We examined the Multi-Agent architecture of the BioAI Agent (v2.0) platform and jointly organized the “2026 Summer Dry Lab Skills Outreach Lecture.”
Impact We explored an innovative workflow using large language models such as DeepSeek to assist in generating PyMOL code for protein visualization, substantially lowering the barrier to dry-lab modeling for interdisciplinary teams.
Dry-lab exchange
An online exchange on dry-lab collaboration.The BioAI Agent platform discussed during the exchange.The summer dry-lab lecture schedule.A dry-lab learning and practice session.Protein visualization during dry-lab learning.
Dialogue with ZJUT-China at the Bio-manufacturing Expo
What we did At an exhibition hosted by the National Bio-manufacturing Industry Innovation Center, we met the Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT-China) team in person and conducted an in-depth review of their “G-SCOUT” project poster.
Impact During the poster session, we learned about each other’s projects and exchanged ideas. ZJUT-China’s innovative whiteboard co-creation zone also gave us valuable inspiration and prompted us to refine the format of our subsequent public-engagement activities.
The whiteboard co-creation space inspired us to refine our public-engagement format.
Exchange with the ZJUT-China team.The whiteboard co-creation space.Discussion of the G-SCOUT project poster.
03
Knowledge Inheritance
Handbook in progress
iGEM New Team Development and Knowledge Transfer Handbook
A joint initiative with JLU-FBH covering team formation, role matching, cross-group coordination, progress tracking and knowledge archiving.
The PDF will be added when the handbook is ready.
Handbook in progress
AI × Synthetic Biology Collaborative Science Communication Handbook
A collaborative handbook on life science, AI, biosafety, privacy and ethical responsibility.
The PDF will be added when the handbook is ready.
Life's code
Engineering design
How AI learns
Intelligent prediction
Ethical responsibility
04
Community & Social Inclusion
Documentation in preparation
Public Engagement · SBti
Explore the engagement approach
What we did To address the problem of conventional iGEM surveys being overly technical and causing respondent fatigue, we drew on the interactive logic of MBTI-style tests to develop the SBti interactive webpage. We reframed rigid ethics questions into four scenario-based dimensions with no inherently right or wrong answer—for example, “Guardian vs. Explorer” to gauge risk preference—and generated 16 personalized social-media posters, such as “Gene Architect,” along with tailored science communication content based on users’ choices.
Impact SBti transformed survey participation into a playful process of self-exploration, making participants feel “heard” rather than “tested.”
The webpage entrance and supporting materials will be added when available.
Game resources to be added
Team Bonding & Gamification
Explore the learning approach
What we did To make complex life-science concepts more intuitive for the public, we “packaged” synthetic biology mechanisms into a classic tower-defense format, creating an open-source educational spin-off game in which the rules and interactions convey synthetic biology concepts.
Impact The gamified format turned abstract life-science mechanisms into a more intuitive and engaging learning experience, lowering the barrier for non-specialist audiences to understand synthetic biology while expanding our approaches to public science communication.
Game code and screenshots will be added when available.
Hike with Love · Embrace the Future
Our role and what we learned
What we did Together with JLU-NBBMS, we participated in the “Hike with Love · Embrace the Future” social-integration hiking event for youth with special needs. We served as on-site medical-support volunteers and science communicators, providing companionship, support, and science outreach for 100 young participants with special needs.
Impact Through companionship, medical support, and science outreach during the hike, we helped create a more welcoming pathway to social participation and integrated inclusion and human-centered care into our science communication practice.
Inclusive hiking
JLU-SPH and JLU-NBBMS at the inclusion hiking event.Companionship and support during the hike.
