BOSTON - May 3, 2021 - iGEM Foundation, the pioneering organization of synthetic biology, announced the launching of the iGEM Design League, a competition that empowers students to solve local problems with a global perspective using synthetic biology. The competition was launched in April, with an emphasis on the design and learning aspects of the engineering approach for biology.

"iGEM Foundation is developing creative opportunities that will expand the role of synthetic biology in emerging bioeconomies" said Meagan Lizarazo, Executive Vice President of iGEM. "We believe Latin America is a region with tremendous potential, especially due to their long term involvement since the beginning of the competition".

In the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of biology and science, with vaccines, treatments and diagnostic methods developed in record time to stop the sanitary crisis. Some of these solutions resulting from projects of the 2020 iGEM Competition and demonstrating synthetic biology are a major source of innovation to address the most pressing challenges for the world.

The Design League addresses the challenge of adapting research and education to a virtual world, using diverse tools to accelerate synthetic biology research despite the obstacles on infrastructure and education.

A key differentiator for this new competition is the iGEM Academy, a virtual educational tool, where students with little or no experience in the field will have the opportunity to understand the basics of synthetic biology in a friendly way. "I believe everyone is capable of doing synthetic biology. Welcoming students new to the field with this initiative and implementing a design approach, could ignite a new wave of innovation in life sciences", said Drew Endy, a pioneer in synthetic biology, co-founder of iGEM, and Professor at Stanford University.

Students from High Schools and Universities in Latin America can form teams to compete for medals, special prizes and opportunities to take their designs to the next level. Registration will be open from May to mid-June, teams will develop their projects between July and October, presenting them to an international judging panel.

About iGEM

iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that pioneered the synthetic biology industry and continues to advance the field through education, competition and industry collaboration. iGEM's annual student competition is the largest synthetic biology innovation program and a launchpad for the industry's most successful leaders and companies. The After iGEM program supports the competition's 50,000+ participants in their future endeavors to continue to work toward a strong, responsible and visionary synthetic biology industry. For more information, visit https://www.igem.org