A team of 20 students from Heidelberg University were awarded the grand prize alongside several special prizes in this year’s iGEM competition for their project ‘PICasSO’. Supervised by Prof Dr Stefan Wölfl and Prof Dr Dominik Niopek of the institute of pharmacy and molecular biotechnology (IPMB), they developed an innovative method to specifically modify the 3D-structure of the genome in human cells at the teaching lab of the BioQuant Center.

The Plasmid-Integrated Cas-Stapled Origami (PICasSO) project focuses on the targeted modification of DNA structure and spatial interactions. “The spatial interaction of different areas of the genetic material is largely responsible for how the genetic information is interpreted in each cell and therefore makes a decisive contribution to cell function,” explains Felicitas Thome, a member of the iGEM team and a student of molecular biotechnology. Her team colleague Enno Schäfer adds: “During the specialization of cells into blood cells or skin cells, the spatial arrangement of the genetic material also changes.”

This phenomenon is also prevalent in cancer development, as cancer cells often show distinct changes in their 3D genetic structure. While current analysis methods allow for a detailed examination of the structure of the genome, there is still a lack of methods to create targeted modifications.

This is where the Heidelberg team comes in: Their method is based on the CRISPR-Cas system, which is commonly used for the targeted modification of DNA sequences. The students succeeded in modifying CRISPR-Cas in such a way that it can bind two different sites in the genome simultaneously and thus act as a permanent “bridge” between them. “This allows genome regions that are spatially distant from each other to be brought into close proximity,” explains Dr Jan Mathony, group leader in Niopek's department and instructor of the team.

Last weekend, the team presented their research at the iGEM competition, the world's largest research competition in the field of synthetic biology and biotechnology and won the overall victory in the most traditional category “Undergraduate”. In addition, the team received further awards for the best fundamental innovation (Best Foundational Advance), the best collection of genetic building blocks (Best Parts Collection), the best computer model (Best Model) and the best project documentation (Best Wiki).

“We are incredibly proud of this great success,” explains Prof. Wölfl. “The students have worked tirelessly in the lab and on computer models for many months and have also been involved in workshops at schools and other activities to promote education in the field of synthetic biology. They have more than earned this victory.” Prof. Niopek adds: “Heidelberg teams have a long tradition and have already achieved several podium places and three overall victories at iGEM. This renewed success underlines the outstanding quality and international competitiveness of our university in the field of synthetic biology.”

And why is the project called “PICasSO”? Thome smiles: “At the start of the project, we looked at early drawings by Picasso - simple lines and connections that result in clear and beautiful structures. That's exactly what we're trying to do - but with the 3D structure of the genetic material.”

Find out more about the team's project on their website or this video

The iGEM team would like to thank the Dr Hans Messer Foundation for the generous financial support that made this project possible.

The BioQuant's teaching laboratory has traditionally been hosting the iGEM teams, since the program's initiation at Heidelberg University in 2008. We congratulate this year's team on their outstanding project and success.