Solving Global Issues Using Plant Synthetic Biology: Making Monoclonal Antibodies Accessible and ETSU iGEM's Crop Nutrition Improvement
Abstract
Plant synthetic biology is an emerging discipline which attains a broad array of significant applications that pose solutions to global issues and hold potential to facilitate worldwide change. The objective of each of the two respective projects, mentored by cross-disciplinary faculty, is to propose solutions to global issues using plants:a medium that is similarly universal. The first project uses molecular pharming, the transformation of plants to express proteins, specifically pharmaceuticals, within plant tissues. The aim of this project is to engineer plants to synthesize monoclonal antibody Rituximab, a life-saving therapeutic for the treatment of leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and rheumatoid arthritis, in common tobacco. The success of this project will provide an easy and costless production platform for monoclonal antibody therapeutics, which could benefit patients globally by providing accessible and effective treatments. At ETSU, the first iGEM (International Genetic Engineering Machine) competition team was launched and conducted plant synthetic biology research which holds global impact. The second project, presented by iGEM team in Paris, France in 2025, confronts the issue hidden hunger, or micronutrient deficiencies: a problem not just in developing countries, but globally. This is the dietary sufficiency of calories, but insufficiency of micronutrients. The aim of this project is to enhance a seed crop, soybean, to have increased vitamin content using resources from its own genome and gene editing--therefore, not introducing any foreign genes. Soybeans can synthesize vitamins, but mainly within the leaves, not active in the seed. A deep learning model was utilized to predict what would make these pathways seed-specific, assisting gene editing and directed mutation, which simply accelerates natural process of mutation. This method can not only be used in the soybean, but broadly applied in major crops for nutritional enhancement.
Start Time
15-4-2026 1:30 PM
End Time
15-4-2026 4:30 PM
Room Number
Culp Ballroom 316
Poster Number
13
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Subtype
Posters - Competitive
Presentation Category
Science, Technology, and Engineering
Student Type
Undergraduate Student
Faculty Mentor
Tianhu Sun
Solving Global Issues Using Plant Synthetic Biology: Making Monoclonal Antibodies Accessible and ETSU iGEM's Crop Nutrition Improvement
Culp Ballroom 316
Plant synthetic biology is an emerging discipline which attains a broad array of significant applications that pose solutions to global issues and hold potential to facilitate worldwide change. The objective of each of the two respective projects, mentored by cross-disciplinary faculty, is to propose solutions to global issues using plants:a medium that is similarly universal. The first project uses molecular pharming, the transformation of plants to express proteins, specifically pharmaceuticals, within plant tissues. The aim of this project is to engineer plants to synthesize monoclonal antibody Rituximab, a life-saving therapeutic for the treatment of leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and rheumatoid arthritis, in common tobacco. The success of this project will provide an easy and costless production platform for monoclonal antibody therapeutics, which could benefit patients globally by providing accessible and effective treatments. At ETSU, the first iGEM (International Genetic Engineering Machine) competition team was launched and conducted plant synthetic biology research which holds global impact. The second project, presented by iGEM team in Paris, France in 2025, confronts the issue hidden hunger, or micronutrient deficiencies: a problem not just in developing countries, but globally. This is the dietary sufficiency of calories, but insufficiency of micronutrients. The aim of this project is to enhance a seed crop, soybean, to have increased vitamin content using resources from its own genome and gene editing--therefore, not introducing any foreign genes. Soybeans can synthesize vitamins, but mainly within the leaves, not active in the seed. A deep learning model was utilized to predict what would make these pathways seed-specific, assisting gene editing and directed mutation, which simply accelerates natural process of mutation. This method can not only be used in the soybean, but broadly applied in major crops for nutritional enhancement.
