Hepaswitch team: silver medal for Polish students in the MIT competition!
Students from Hepaswitch team during the iGEM competition in Paris
A team of students from Varsovian universities was the runner-up in the prestigious iGEM Competition – the world’s biggest synthetic biology competition organised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). One of the members of the team is Bartłomiej Łuszczuk, a student of biotechnology at the Faculty of Chemistry at the Warsaw University of Technology.
“We have been working hard on many levels over the past year – in the laboratory, in front of our computers, creating unique software for designing our elements, and in the field, conducting educational activities to popularise synthetic biology,” recounts Bartek.
The Hepaswitch project focuses on developing tools for targeted therapy aimed at liver cancer cells. The initiative is being developed by students of the Warsaw University of Technology (the leader of the consortium), University of Warsaw, University of Life Sciences and Medical University of Warsaw.
“We went to Paris armed with our proof of concept to show the world what we can accomplish in Poland,” says Bartek. “For Poland, it was something of a debut. Over the past 10 years, only three Polish teams, including ours, have participated in iGEM. We proved that, despite administrative, organisational and financial barriers, we are capable of delivering a world-class project.”
The Grand Jamboree, which is the final of the competition, was held in Paris and brought together 415 teams from all over the world, showcasing projects utilising SynBio solutions in 14 thematic villages.
“The last evaluation stage was a presentation delivered in front of a jury, which was the most stressful moment of the whole event,” recalls Bartek. But despite the emotions, we made the most of our time there. Exchanging experiences with so many students from around the world, all focused on similar scientific paths, was an extraordinary experience. I return to Poland with new inspirations and ambitions for further projects involving synthetic biology.
More information about the Hepaswitch project is available on the website: 2025.igem.wiki/warsaw/index.html, and more information about the competition at: jamboree.igem.org/2025/home.
The final of the iGEM competition in Paris
The visit to Grand Jamboree of the part of the Hepaswitch team members was financed through the project ‘The horizon of excellence in synthetic biology applications in oncology’ implemented at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Warsaw University of Technology as part of a non-competitive project ‘Support for students in enhancing their competencies and skills’ (The project is coordinated by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and financed through European Funds).