Chain Reactions: Meet Keystone’s newest iGEM team whose project makes science more inclusive
Seven Keystone Academy students have achieved a breakthrough in addressing the allergies caused by the pollen of the Peking poplar tree. The group presented and defended their project idea at the 2024 iGEM (International Genetic Engineering Machine Competition) Jamboree, ultimately receiving praise not just for finding a creative solution to this seasonal issue but for making sure the science of biotechnology is also communicated to underprivileged student communities.
A top synthetic biology competition founded by MIT in 2003, iGEM is also an opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration in mathematics, computer science, statistics, business, and other fields. Here, students need not just design, develop, and build synthetic biology projects but also look for opportunities for these products to solve some daily problems facing the world.
In this year’s edition, over 400 teams from different high schools around the world gathered at the iGEM Jamboree in Paris, France.
The Keystone representatives couldn’t contain their joy after receiving the Best Education Award and the Best Part Collection Award for an undertaking that took them nearly seven months to complete. Aside from these, the team also got a gold medal and a nomination for the Best Integrated Humanities Practice Award and the Best Team Website Award.
We caught up with Keystone’s iGEM team to learn about their journey of turning obstacles into opportunities to reach their project goals.
Cold water as fuel for innovation
“Your project will eventually fail.”
It was the declaration of one professor to whom the Keystone iGEM team reached out to solve an issue while developing a solution to suppress allergic pollen proteins.
The team developed an RNAi-based solution to penetrate two key proteins that cause allergic reactions in pollen. The challenge lay in delivering this solution inside the plant cells. The team initially encapsulated the solution in nanoparticles to bypass the thick and robust plant cell wall, which acted as a barrier. However, they discovered that the plant’s pectin, whose sugar acid is negatively charged, attracted and trapped the positively charged nanoparticles.
“Your drug solution cannot enter the cell wall,” the professor told the team.
The skepticism poured cold water on the students, who happened to be first-timers in using such new biotechnology. For the students, this cold water became the fuel for their innovation.
They pre-charged the nanoparticles to counteract pectin’s pull and ensure successful delivery into the plant. The results of their final experiment proved their ingenuity.
At a flower shop one kilometer from Keystone, the team bought two poplar trees to which they injected their solution, which they also applied to separate tobacco leaves. In the end, the treatment silenced the allergenic proteins.
The team embraced skepticism, critically reviewing in which ways it could improve their project.
One of Keystone iGEM members, Claire Yan, shared how negative feedback allowed them to “realize the problems” in their project and how it motivated them to “find better ways to solve them on our own”.
“When the professor suggested that we use a gene gun instead of injection to deliver drugs, we would have just blindly followed such advice and blocked us from analyzing the pros and cons of such action. ‘Will the gene gun harm the plants themselves?’ ‘Is it expensive?’ ‘Is it difficult to operate in practice?’ Although we are students, we can raise our own questions.”
The Keystone team’s efforts earned them praise at the 2024 iGEM Jamboree in Paris. Each member felt confident about their project—that it could withstand scrutiny from any angle—and especially knowing they could use the knowledge and experience in this undertaking to benefit society.
In the end, their project didn’t fail at all.
From idea to impact
After ten months of investigating the Populus × tomentosa species of poplars, Xixi Liang, Jack Liu, Michael Ren, Annie Wang, Yu Hehua, Page Zhang, and Sophia Zheng represented the Keystone team at the iGEM Jamboree in Paris in October 2024. Their project combined cutting-edge science with public education and business planning.
Pollen allergies affect a significant portion of the population. The team’s research showed that 67% of people suffer from spring allergies, with 80% reporting severe impacts on their daily lives. Existing treatments provide temporary relief but no permanent solution.
In February 2024, Michael Ren proposed using synthetic biology to target allergies at their source. Their research identified two primary allergen proteins—Heat Shock Protein (HSP) 70 and profilin 3—and they used RNAi technology to silence these proteins temporarily without altering the plant’s DNA.
The Keystone iGEM team’s novel approach, adapted from cancer treatment methods, had rarely been applied to plants. Among the existing techniques for preventing and treating pollen allergies on the market is injecting gibberellic acid into trees, which inhibits the reproduction of trees that do not spread pollen. However, the team believes this method is unethical for trees and will only cause allergies when pollen reaches a certain threshold.
The students pressed on with several trial-and-error experiments and consultations with experts, including discussions with gardener Li Guangxiao, whose 40 years of experience with gardening provided practical insights into tree maintenance. The team also received feedback from SynBioBeta founder John Cumbers, who helped refine the project’s business potential.
The Keystone iGEM team extended their project beyond the lab, conducted surveys, built a website, created educational materials, and held outreach events. Team captain Sophia Zheng also spoke about their project-based learning experiences at Keystone.
“We often need to participate in a project or create a real product,” Sophia said. “Through this, we are not just students but practitioners who can think and create boldly. It helped us present our projects professionally.”
Keystone’s legacy in iGEM dates back to 2020, when students earned gold medals for innovative projects like biodegradable trash cans and arthritis treatments. This year, two-time iGEM participant Lisa Li passed on her expertise to younger Keystone teammates.
“I am a little sad to see juniors start to form the iGEM team for next year because I will graduate then,” Lisa shared. “I feel that something is missing in my heart. Yet, I am proud to have passed on this project, allowing more students to join and continue explorations through interdisciplinary methods.”
Making science more accessible
In Beijing’s outskirts, Yunwai Library serves children of short-term migrant workers—a group often denied consistent education. The Keystone iGEM team brought their project to this public welfare learning institution, simplifying synthetic biology concepts and making them more fun for young learners.
The team organized activities like extracting strawberry DNA and using game cards and detective games to introduce kids to genetics. Claire Yan even designed picture books and courseware to make science fun and accessible.
The team also reached out to visually impaired and neurodiverse children. At the Beijing School for the Blind, they used analogies like comparing cells to rooms in a building to explain biological concepts. They translated materials into Braille and donated them to the school. For neurodiverse children, the team hosted lab visits and used creative topics like dinosaur cloning to spark curiosity.
“We asked them to imagine together: ‘What kind of creature would they want to program, if they could and have the means?’ They especially like dinosaurs, so we imagined together. ‘Can we use biological cloning technology to resurrect dinosaurs?’” Claire Yan added.
These efforts not only inspired the children but also challenged the team’s assumptions about communication and inclusion. Judges at the iGEM Jamboree were impressed by the team’s commitment to accessible education, awarding Keystone the Best Education Award among all high school delegations.
“Due to our status as students, it is unrealistic to extend the education program, but it is still very meaningful. As we interacted with children of migrant workers, visually impaired youth, and kids with autism, we provided an opportunity for groups that are easily ignored by society to learn more knowledge and understand more scientific topics,” the team said in a statement.
While time constraints may limit the team’s ability to sustain these efforts in the long term, their work planted seeds of curiosity and learning. The Keystone iGEM team’s journey demonstrated that science can be a tool for social change, leaving a legacy of inclusion and innovation.
In previous years, Keystone’s iGEM delegates received the jamboree’s Gold Award. Liu Shihan (from the Keystone Class of 2021) led a team that invented a plaster that can be put onto the subcutaneous tissue as a possible solution to manage arthritis. Liu Jinyu ‘22 and his teammates designed a trash can that can directly degrade plastic bottles and emit fragrance.
Lisa Li ‘25, then an eighth grader, was the captain of a Keystone team that experimented on transforming E. coli that could degrade rubber. A year later, she led another team that developed a new deodorant, which won Keystone the 2022 iGEM Silver Award.
Behind the recognitions, Keystone’s different iGEM teams have faced failure and challenges. And yet, they see themselves beyond being students to being explorers who use knowledge and skills to solve real-life problems. Through their actions, Keystone students tell us the meaning of learning.
