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Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

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Ohio State Students win Gold Medal at 2022 iGem Competition

Nov. 1, 2022
iGem team members (L-R Satvik Kethireddy, Ryan Burrows, Angela Szilvas, Elijah Lothrop)

For the third year in a row, the Ohio State iGem team received a gold medal at the iGem 2022 Grand Jamboree in Paris, France this past weekend. Two students majoring in food, agricultural and biological engineering (FABE), Angela Szilvas and Satvik Kethireddy, represented the department and were part of the student team.

The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology, education and competition, and the development of an open community and collaboration. The iGEM Grand Jamboree is an annual event that showcases over 300 teams worldwide. This year’s competition was in-person for the first time since 2019.

The Ohio State team’s project, called “Phinder & Phighter,” is a continuation of their 2021 project, which seeks to treat sepsis by neutralizing the invading bacteria, allowing the immune system to not overreact, which can cause harmful side effects and even death. The team was judged on their presentation to a panel of judges and a wiki website completed in early October.

This year's team overcame many struggles that took the members' time away from working on the actual project; they had to find a principal investigator/advisor, lab space, and funding,” said Lindsey Shimoda, a student advisor for the team and former FABE student. “The hard work and dedication from the team members paid off, and it shows on their wiki and gold medal.

To learn more about the team’s project, visit their wiki website. Check out the rest of the iGem Grand Jamboree results and learn more about the organization on their website.