Pyomancer: Engineering novel antibacterial protein complexes for treating drug resistant infections
About iGEM
The World’s Largest Synthetic Biology Competition
47+
Countries
350+
Teams
4000+
Participants
The iGEM competition is an annual, worldwide synthetic biology event aimed at undergraduate university students. It began in January 2003 as an independent
study course at MIT (Massachusettes Institute of Technology), USA and currently around 4000 students and 350+ Teams across the world participate to solve
local and global problems using the tools of Synthetic Biology or Engineering Biology 2.0.
Multidisciplinary teams work together on a year-long project to design, build, test, and measure a system of their own design using interchangeable biological
parts and standard molecular biology techniques. iGEM actually encourages teams to create an impact on the society for good. It involves various public engagements
and human practices that are appreciated at the global level. There are a lot of great startups now that were once an iGEM project. This platform fosters the very
nature of Bio-entrepreneurship!
Our Team
The first-ever iGEM team from IIT Roorkee!
We are a team of Undergraduates, Masters and PhDs who share a vision of impacting the globe
through Synthetic Biology. We have students aboard from various disciplines, contributing
to solving one of the major problems the healthcare industry faces today. iGEM provides
us with a great platform which enables us to execute things beyond capabilities at the
global level.
Sanjeevani Marcha
TEAM LEADER
Muskaan Bhambri
Harkirat Singh Arora
Pradum
Kushagra Rustagi
Nitish Verma
Yash Aggarwal
Siddharth Fitwe
Tishee Natani
Kartikey Kansal
Support Team
Kanishk Sugotra
DESIGNER
Lakshya Jain
DESIGNER
Mihir Sachdeva
WEB DEVELOPER
The Problem
Antimicrobial Resistance & Superbugs: A rundown of the global public health crisis
700,000 people die each year from infection by drug-resistant pathogens.
It is projected to have a devastating effect on the world, creating a medical emergency much larger than the current coronavirus pandemic. India is emerging as the epicentre of this phenomenon, where nearly 60,000 newborns every year die of MDR infections with a mortality rate of more than 70%.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a condition when micro-organisms – bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites – evolve resistance to antimicrobial substances, like antibiotics. This can occur naturally through adaption to the environment, which is accelerated due to incessant and uncontrolled use of antibiotics.
It is projected to have a devastating effect on the world, creating a medical emergency much larger than the current coronavirus pandemic. India is emerging as the epicentre of this phenomenon, where nearly 60,000 newborns every year die of MDR infections with a mortality rate of more than 70%.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a condition when micro-organisms – bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites – evolve resistance to antimicrobial substances, like antibiotics. This can occur naturally through adaption to the environment, which is accelerated due to incessant and uncontrolled use of antibiotics.
Along with global health concerns, Antimicrobial Resistance poses a global economic
threat and it is claimed that Superbugs are as big a global threat as climate change
and warfare.
Our Solution
Pyomancer: Engineering novel antibacterial protein complexes for treating drug resistant
infections
Bacteriophages are viruses that naturally kill bacteria. We aim to combine the properties
of phages with natural antibacterial proteins to generate targeted antibacterials. Here,
we plan to create a crossover between a pyocin and a phage. In the product protein, the
phage tail fibre will allow for binding to the target bacteria and the killing action will
be performed by the pyocin body.
Let’s work together
Schedule a talk, or just say hello
