The student interdisciplinary team of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), “iGEM Thessaloniki” has scooped for the fifth time an award at the annual World Synthetic Biology Competition “iGEM 2023”, which was held in Paris at the start of November.
The Greek team won a silver medal and a special prize for its presentation of “Euphoresis”, a promising innovative “weapon” in the battle against the effects of forest fires.
The team of AUTh won the special award for “Best Sustainable Development Impact” in the category of undergraduate teams, as its research project was evaluated by the judges of the Global Competition as being in the best possible way aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN in 2015.
Featuring a first-ever application of synthetic biology in forest areas, “Euphoresis” deals with the production of a natural polymer to prevent desertification and erosion phenomena, while it targets the modification of microorganisms to enrich the soil in nutrients necessary for the rehabilitation of the ecosystem after a fire.
The “iGEM Thessaloniki” team proposes the creation of a hydrophilic, polysaccharide polymer in the form of a hydrogel, which will contribute to the absorption of water, as well as water-soluble nutrients, and will be placed on the burnt soil. In line with circular economy principles, the polymer will be produced from the processing of by-products of the food industry.
The name of the project is derived from the combination of the two Greek words “euphoria” and “genesis”. The aim of “Euphoresis” is to provide relevant authorities – such as the Fire Service and Forestry Departments – with an innovative “weapon” for dealing with the effects of forest fires, in a way that remains safe for the ecosystem.
The silver medal that AUTh won this year is not the first major distinction for the University in the competition. It has previously won the gold medal in 2017, the silver medal in 2018, the gold medal in 2019, and the silver medal in 2022.
