What is iGEM?

iGEM is a worldwide competition taking place every year. It is dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology and education, and the development of an open community. In 2022, iGEM gathered more than 7000 iGEMers and 400 teams, giving students the opportunity to push the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling everyday issues facing the world.

Team ULaval's Contribution

In Canada, climate change leads to warmer summers and milder winters, making excellent conditions for the multiplication of some ravaging species. While small amounts of those insects can sometimes be an integral part of a healthy ecosystem, unusually high populations represent direct threats to our forests.

While the mountain pine beetle is native to North American forests, it has become invasive since the 1990s. This insect can infect various species of pine trees. Once settled on its target, the mountain pine beetle digs nesting galleries in the bark which ultimately leads to the death of the tree.

The project project aimed to bioengineer (-)-trans-verbenol, an essential substance for the mountain pine beetle's reproduction, in order to disrupt the insect.

My job was to create the website. Make sure to check it out here.