From August 7 to 10, the third annual SynBio Challenges took center stage at the Guangming Tianan Cloud Park International Conference Center in Shenzhen, China. This growing competition attracted students from around the globe, offering a dynamic platform for emerging synthetic biology talent.

Co-organized by several prominent institutions, including the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT), and the Shenzhen Synthetic Biology Association, the event saw the participation of 147 teams from over 60 universities, both domestic and international. More than 450 students engaged in on-site competition, making it the largest SynBio Challenges event to date. The number of competing teams has nearly doubled annually since the contest’s launch, demonstrating its expanding global influence.

Innovation in Synthetic Biology

During the opening ceremony, ZHANG Xian'en, Chairman of the SynBio Challenges and Dean of the Faculty of Synthetic Biology at SUAT, emphasized the importance of synthetic biology, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and the bioeconomy in driving today's innovation. ZHANG expressed his aspirations for the event to become the world’s second-largest synthetic biology competition, trailing only iGEM.

This year’s competition featured significant enhancements, including the introduction of three thematic sub-tracks to the regular competition: the green track (Agriculture and Environment), the red track (Biomedicine), and the white track (Biochemical Engineering). These new tracks encouraged participants to apply their problem-solving skills to real-world challenges in their respective fields. The Protein Designer and Bacterial Gladiator tracks returned, incorporating Olympic-style competition mechanisms to challenge participants' understanding of experimental design and strategic execution.

Additionally, the 2024 SynBio Challenges featured a unique biological art exhibition. Artists from the Central Academy of Fine Arts showcased their work, exploring the intersection of science and art, and lectures from these artists added a creative dimension to the scientific competition.

A Showcase of Cutting-Edge Research

After four days of rigorous competition, the team NEFU_China from Northeast Forestry University emerged victorious, winning the Grand Prize for their project on de novo 4-hydroxymandelate biosynthesis using metabolic engineering and directed evolution. Their work addressed major hurdles in biosynthesis, including the insufficient precursor supply and limited enzyme activity, demonstrating their innovative approach to synthetic biology.

Other notable winners included HELLO-ZJU from Zhejiang University in the Biomedical category, Shanghaitech-China from ShanghaiTech University in the Agriculture and Environment category, and NEFU_China in the Biochemical Engineering category. In the specialty tracks, the Savage Growth team from Jilin Agricultural University secured the Best Bacterial Gladiator Award, while Nankai University’s Nankai Team and Helix Heroes from Shanghai Jiao Tong University took home the Best Protein Design Award.

Global Perspective and Future Aspirations

Reflecting on the event’s success, Jian Mei from Waseda University in Japan shared his admiration for Shenzhen’s state-of-the-art synthetic biology infrastructure, including its high level of automation and advanced technology. As a member of the first international team to compete, Jian Mei expressed hopes that the SynBio Challenges would continue to grow and attract even more global participants in the future.

At the closing ceremony, LIU Chenli, Vice President of SIAT and Founding Director of the National Industrial Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing and Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, underscored the critical role of the SynBio Challenges in fostering creativity and scientific innovation. LIU encouraged students to explore the vast potential of synthetic biology, urging them to "build to learn, build to use."

A Vision for the Future

This year’s SynBio Challenges encapsulated the core principles of synthetic biology, blending education and application to drive interdisciplinary innovation. Teams showcased a diverse array of research and fresh ideas, highlighting the event's role as a springboard for the next generation of scientific leaders. With its rapidly growing influence, the SynBio Challenges are poised to become a major force in shaping the future of synthetic biology.