Duke iGEM: Synthetic Biology for Human Health and Society (2024-2025)
The 2024–2025 Duke iGEM team sought to advance cancer immunotherapy by improving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies through synthetic biology. The project, called ATLAS (Antigen-Triggered Loop-Activation System), aimed to enhance tumor-killing activity in solid tumors by engineering T cells to respond more precisely to cancer-specific signals. The team combined synthetic receptors known as synNotch with traditional CARs, focusing on leukemia and breast cancer models. The research built on previous work, following the engineering design-build-test-learn cycle to develop and analyze novel genetic designs, with a commitment to open-source sharing of results.
In the lab, the team demonstrated how engineered cells could secrete signaling peptides and therapeutic proteins that activate synthetic receptors and boost T cell function, improving both specificity and potency. This work also has broader potential for industrial biotechnology, where efficient protein secretion is critical for therapeutic production. On the computational side, the dry-lab team created a mathematical model of the synNotch system, using live-cell microscopy, machine learning and sensitivity analysis. This modeling was presented at the Society for Mathematical Biology Annual Meeting in June 2025 and was also the basis for a Graduation with Distinction project in Duke’s Mathematics Department.
To ensure the work addressed real-world needs, the Integrated Human Practices team engaged with more than 20 clinicians, researchers, nurses and industry experts. Feedback from these stakeholders led to a shift toward targeting low-abundance cancer antigens and refining CAR designs for greater impact. The team presented their findings, including a project summary video, at the 2024 iGEM International Jamboree, earning a Silver Medal among more than 400 international teams.
Timing
Summer 2024 - Spring 2025
Team Outputs
iGEM International Jamboree (Silver Medal winner, October 2024, Paris, France)
Society for Mathematical Biology Annual Meeting (presentation, Edmonton, Canada, July 2025)
See earlier related team, Synthetic Biology and Genetic Engineering for Human Health and Society (2023-2024).
Image: Duke iGEM logo from 2022-23 team website