Pipettes Aid Gold Medal Success at iGEM Competition for Genetic Engineering

The University of Groningen students who participated in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition last year achieved gold medal success with their 'Nanobuddy' project. The project aimed to develop a genetic engineering solution to combat avian flu (H5N1) transmission among poultry. Integra Biosciences donated VIAFLO electronic pipettes to the team, which significantly improved the productivity and accuracy of their project.

The iGEM Groningen 2022 team identified a bacterium naturally present in chicken lungs and genetically modified it to secrete nanobodies, small single-domain antibodies that can target and deactivate the virus. The nanobody-producing bacteria were then delivered by aerosol into the birds' lungs for immunisation, offering a biosynthetic alternative to traditional vaccination methods.

Ronald van der Meulen, Lab Manager for iGEM Groningen 2022, highlighted how VIAFLO pipettes played a crucial role in their success: “Various pipetting activities were required for our genetic engineering workflow, and working with the VIAFLO pipettes streamlined several steps, including serial dilutions, PCR, ELISAs, and western blotting. The pipettes are lightweight, with a well-balanced design that is both fun and ergonomic to work with. Our success at iGEM 2022 was largely thanks to the efficiency and accuracy provided by the VIAFLO pipettes in combination with GRIPTIP pipette tips, which helped to maximise productivity by ensuring the tips stayed securely in place. The team really enjoyed using the pipettes - particularly the serial dilution feature, which saved us a lot of time and reduced our plastic waste - ultimately enabling us to achieve our goals for the competition.” 

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