Introducing the University of Rochester iGEM Team

We are the University of Rochester iGEM team, a first-year iGEM team made up of 12 students hailing from all over the world and a variety of majors, backgrounds, and interests! We have already had a lot of fun figuring our way through iGEM and in the development of our project. In the spirit of the iGEM competition, our team is not only looking to produce novel synthetic biology to solve a problem, but also to address and help the larger societal and community impact our project can have. The UR iGEM 2020 team has decided to tackle the issue of underdiagnosis of endometriosis in women. 

Please help our team by voting for us in the molecular cloud sponsorship at https://www.molecularcloud.org/html/igem/detail/42.html!

Endometriosis is a common disease in which uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus, oftentimes causing pelvic pain, severe cramps, and infertility. It is estimated to affect a staggering 10% of reproductive-aged women worldwide. One of the largest problems medicine faces with endometriosis is the limited diagnostic methods. The current standard diagnostic tool is laparoscopic surgery, an invasive method which contributes to huge delays in diagnosis for endometriosis patients. The worldwide average delay in diagnosis is nearly 7 years from onset of physical symptoms, leading to needless suffering and increased healthcare costs. This is why our iGEM team is seeking to create a novel, non-invasive detection method to be used more readily among women who present with endometriosis symptoms. 

Our project would create a series of tests to be organized into a test kit, utilizing synthetically derived molecules or modified organisms capable of detecting endometriosis biomarkers. Advancements in endometriosis research have identified several hormonal, cellular, and genetic markers for endometriosis, yet methods for detecting these oftentimes require advanced laboratory equipment that are not easily accessible to clinicians. The tests our team are designing would produce sensitive, fast, and detectable results through visual signals or signals that can be measured through available medical equipment. Further, we aim to design synthetic circuits capable of producing accepted endometriosis drugs and treatments, providing new manufacturing methods of both hormonal and non-hormonal drugs while demonstrating the power of synthetic biology. 

Our team’s goal is not only to create and demonstrate new non-invasive detection methods for endometriosis, but also to raise awareness of endometriosis and support the millions of women that suffer from it. Women’s health has been underrepresented in medicine throughout history,  which has led to diseases being underdiagnosed and symptoms disregarded. Many endometriosis patients have claimed that doctors ignored them when they shared their symptoms, claiming that the intense pain and discomfort is normal or an overreaction. The burden of endometriosis can be eased with scientific advancements, but it is also important to fight endometriosis and women’s health issues with awareness and education.

You can also follow us on social media or email us at uofr.igem@gmail.com.

Instagram: @ur.igem.2020

Twitter: @ur_igem

Facebook: University of Rochester iGEM 2020 (@rochester.igem.2020)