UM students win one gold and two silver medals at SynBio Challenges
MACAU, September 14 - Undergraduate students from the Faculty of Medicine (FMD) at the University of Macau (UM) achieved outstanding results at the 5th SynBio Challenges, winning one gold medal and two silver medals. The competition attracted 512 teams and nearly 4,000 participants from nine countries and regions, including China, Brazil, Russia, Japan, and Singapore. The FMD students received high praise from the judging panel for their innovative research, demonstrating their potential for scientific innovation and comprehensive capabilities.
FMD students Wang Yihan, Serena Huang, Xu Binbin, Yu Tianyu, Jin Zixun, Yang Ruijia, Zhang Fengqiao, Emily Moh Xian Yi, Xia Xue, and Zhang Yifan participated in the competition as two project teams. Supervised by Associate Professor Chris Wong Koon Ho in FMD, the students conducted research in synthetic biology and competed in multiple tracks, including biomedicine, environment and agriculture, and industry challenges. Their projects underwent several rounds of evaluation covering project design, experimental research, presentation of findings, and oral defence.
The UM students said that they devoted their spare time to literature reviews, experiments, and data analysis, and continuously refined their research strategies and project designs. They added that the competition not only deepened their understanding of theories and technologies in synthetic biology but also enhanced their problem-solving, teamwork, and scientific presentation skills, while broadening their international academic horizons.
The UM team won a gold medal in the Regular Red Track (Biomedicine) for their project on the development of an in vivo detection technology for colorectal cancer. The project addressed a topic of growing concern in the biomedical field and demonstrated both academic value and potential applications. The team also adapted their technology to monitor heavy metal contamination in water treatment plants, earning a silver award in the Industrial Challenges Track. Furthermore, the team was invited by the organisers to explore the application of their detection technology in addressing real-world industrial problems, highlighting the project’s innovation and translation potential.
The UM team received a silver medal in the Regular Green Track (Environment and Agriculture) for another project focusing on environmental protection and the utilisation of waste resources. They proposed an innovative solution that would detoxify environmental caffeine contamination while simultaneously converting agricultural waste into useful resources.
The SynBio Challenges is organised by the Chinese Society of Biotechnology and hosted by institutions including the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology. It is one of the most influential competitions in the field of synthetic biology. Focusing on cutting-edge innovation and industrial translation, the competition covers a wide range of areas, including biomedicine, environmental and agricultural sciences, and industrial applications.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
