The 10 students took third place after impressing judges with their microbiological air purifying filter for heavy metals at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (IGEM) competition organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The competition judges innovative projects that use the tools of modern synthetic biology.

This year`s edition of the competition attracted 340 research teams from around the world, with the students from Wrocław being the only team from Poland.

Jolanta Cianciara, a spokeswoman for the University of Life Sciences in Wrocław, told PAP, that the students project was a biological filter based on modified yeast.

Developing the filters, students used wild Y. Lipolytica yeast strains, which are widely used in industry. Filters absorbing heavy metals from the air turn red and give off a peach smell.

She added that they had created a prototype heavy metal sensor that can be used in apartments. "Now their project is entering the phase of creating a filter that will capture and neutralize harmful substances from air," she said.

The students came from three of the university’s science clubs - SKN Biotechnology, SKN OrgChem and SKN Bioinformatics.

The team members were: Klaudia Bukowiec, Patryk Józefiak, Sylwia Kawalec, Kamila Liman (team leader and coordinator of efforts to secure funding for the team`s participation in the Boston competition), Jagoda Pierścińska, Dawid Słomian, Patrycja Sokalska, Patryk Surmacz, Agata Rot, Kamil Wakar. (PAP)

author: Piotr Doczekalski

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