iGEM: Biomanufacturing a Sustainable Future

Printing plant-based pharmaceuticals…without plants

Rochester undergraduates developed a 3D-printing system to replicate chemicals found in plants, including those endangered by climate change.

Imagine a world without plants. Although this extreme scenario has not become a reality, Earth is facing a concerning trend—the rapid depletion of potential plant-derived drugs. Tens of thousands of flowering plant species globally play vital roles in medicinal applications, but many of the pharmaceuticals dominating the United States market heavily rely on imported raw plant materials that require very particular climate conditions for optimal growth. The threat to many plant species is intensified by factors such as climate change, invasive pests and diseases, and farming practices struggling to meet the large demand for end products.
To address these problems, a team of ten University of Rochester undergraduate students pioneered new technologies to more efficiently replicate useful chemicals found in plants, including those endangered by Earth’s changing climate. Called “Team RoSynth,” the students created an affordable 3D-printing system for optimizing production of in-demand, plant-derived drugs and pharmaceuticals.
The team recently entered their research in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition, an event in which student-led teams from across the globe compete to solve real-world problems using synthetic biology. Synthetic biology takes advantage of engineering to build biological parts inspired by nature. The Rochester team’s project was nominated for the Best Biomanufacturing Project and Best Hardware and was awarded a gold medal in the 2023 competition, making them the third most recognized team in the U.S. The team competed against 402 teams from six continents.

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