PKXYS Pioneers – Episode 6

From the Lab to the World Stage: Our Students Achieve Top 10 in the iGEM High School Division

iGEM—the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition—is widely regarded as the world's leading synthetic biology contest, drawing outstanding university and high school teams from across the globe. In 2025, AIS-China, a team of Chinese senior secondary students, impressed judges with an ambitious project tackling marine pollution. From hundreds of competing teams, they rose to the finals and secured multiple major honours. Remarkably, the team captain and three core members are students from Pui Kiu Xinyi School.

Team Achievements:

· Top 10, High School

· Best New Improved Part, High School (sole nominee and awardee)

· Best Sustainable Development Impact, High School

· Best Village Project in Climate Crisis, Conservation & Bioremediation, High School

· Nominated for Best Model, High School

· Gold Medal

Participating Students from Our School:

· 11G: Tiger LI (Team Captain, Modelling)

· 11G: Zoe YANG (Visual Arts Leader)

· 11G: Judy HU (Experimental Design)

· 10G: Ivy CHEN (Human Practices & Visual Arts)

About iGEM

Launched by MIT in 2003, iGEM is an interdisciplinary competition spanning life sciences, business, social sciences, computing, and many more fields. It is considered the most influential academic event in synthetic biology.

iGEM requires participants to compete in teams, selecting their own research topics. With synthetic biology at its core, teams integrate knowledge from science, technology, engineering, design, and business to develop practical solutions to real-world problems.

iGEM awards fall into four main categories—Medals, Special Prizes, Village Awards, and Grand Prizes—recognising teams' achievements in scientific design, engineering execution, societal impact, and sustainability. The Grand Prizes represent iGEM's highest honours, awarded to the champion, runner-up, and Top 10 teams globally—underscoring the significance of our students' achievement.

Their Story

01 Setting Off: Tackling a Real-World Challenge

"Our project is called HullGuard, and it focuses on finding an eco-friendly solution to marine biofouling on ships," explained Tiger LI in an interview. Biofouling occurs when organisms such as barnacles and mussels attach to ship hulls, increasing drag, raising fuel costs, boosting CO₂ emissions, and accelerating corrosion.

Today, the shipping industry commonly relies on copper-based paints, but these cause serious environmental harm: toxic copper leaches into the ocean, enters the food chain, and threatens marine ecosystems and human health.

"We wondered whether a greener, more sustainable solution could allow humans and nature to coexist in harmony." Through extensive research and field visits, the team identified this pressing problem.

Their attention turned to zosteric acid, a natural compound released by seagrass to prevent microbial attachment. However, traditional production is either highly polluting (chemical synthesis) or extremely expensive (direct extraction, costing nearly RMB 10,000 per gram).

"We chose a third route: biosynthesis," LI explained. This approach lies at the heart of synthetic biology: by engineering genetic pathways, cells can be turned into biological factories that efficiently produce valuable compounds from ingredients like glucose.

02 Tackling the Challenge: Breakthroughs Through Four DBTL Cycles

Choosing a direction was only the beginning. The core technical challenge lay in enabling E. coli to produce zosteric acid efficiently. To achieve this, the team applied the classic synthetic biology approach of DBTL—Design, Build, Test, Learn—to guide their engineering process.

"In the first cycle, we only achieved basic production. The yield was low, and there were many by-products." Instead of losing confidence, the team adopted AI-assisted design.

Facing a major technical bottleneck, LI taught himself AI modelling from scratch. He simulated mutations on key enzymes, predicted which variants might perform better, and returned to the lab to test them.

"How did he learn it all?" you may wonder. "I learn only to solve problems." LI said. The team read manuals, watched tutorials, consulted experts, and learnt through constant trial and error. Using AI, they ran 1.6 million calculations, selecting 12 promising models for laboratory testing—and, with both effort and luck, identified the one that worked.

After four rounds of optimisation, their engineered strain increased the target compound's yield by 8.94 times and improved the conversion rate of a key step by 6.44 times.

This achievement earned them one of iGEM's most prestigious honours—Best New Improved Part—and they were the only high school team globally to be nominated and win the award.

Reflecting on the journey, LI wrote:

Can we really turn ideas into reality?

Sometimes the answer is "No."

Sometimes it's "Not yet."

But every failure reflects a lesson learnt.

03 Extending Impact: Giving Technology Breadth and Meaning

iGEM values not only scientific depth but also social impact and practical relevance. The AIS-China team embraced this fully. Beyond the laboratory, they launched a range of initiatives, including public education, community workshops, outreach activities, and commercial planning.

They built a project website, ran a science outreach WeChat account, produced a promotional video, and delivered community talks to raise awareness of marine conservation—ensuring their work connected with real-world needs.

On the entrepreneurial side, the team conducted nearly 20 in-depth interviews with university professors, industry experts, and even NPC deputies, examining the project's significance from technical, industrial, and policy perspectives. "From the very beginning, we focused on validating the real-world value of our solution," they said.

They innovatively applied the Iceberg Model to assess sustainability impacts. Above the surface were direct environmental and economic benefits; below were deeper systemic outcomes such as industry development and public awareness shifts.

Based on thorough research, the team carried out a SWOT analysis and weighted scoring using the Iceberg Model, demonstrating the project's strengths across multiple dimensions—effectiveness, safety, environmental friendliness, and cost. Their business plan projected sales of USD 30 per litre, annual production of 140,000 litres, and estimated revenue of USD 3.5 million. "While the business model still needs further validation, our biological production pathway shows that eco-friendly antifouling coatings are a viable commercial option with significant market and ecological potential."

04 Blooming in Paris: A Moment in the Spotlight

From late October to early November, the team travelled to Paris for the iGEM Global Finals, where they presented in person and attended the awards ceremony.

"Before we left, our mock presentations were a complete disaster—we'd freeze for half a minute before answering, thinking, 'This is hopeless.'" Yet, pressure became motivation. On the long flight from Hong Kong to Paris, the team used every hour to review their project and run repeated mock presentations.

Their hard work paid off: the actual presentation went remarkably smoothly. "Whatever the judges asked, we could answer immediately." When the session ended, Team Captain Tiger LI and another lead experimenter burst into tears as they hugged their instructor—the release of months of dedication overwhelming.

On awards night, the excitement peaked as the team rushed to the stage three times to receive their trophies. Under the spotlight, their young faces shone with pride and joy.

05 Looking Back: Sweat, Collaboration, and the Story Behind the Honour

This student-led project, which achieved remarkable success, was the result of eight months of intensive research, countless experimental iterations, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The 22 team members came from schools across different countries and regions, making coordination a significant challenge. During the summer, some members spent over 500 hours in the lab, while others devoted more than 30 hours to filming and editing the project's promotional video just before the deadline.

"Our team had five instructors, but compared to other teams, our resources were modest, and we completed almost all the work independently," the team said. They also recognised differences among teams—for instance, some schools have dedicated school teams with advantages in resource coordination and time investment. Yet these constraints strengthened their belief in the unique value of their project, uniting the team and driving them to achieve breakthrough results.

The experience brought them far more than awards. "We learnt how to transform an idea into reality through scientific methods—and to reflect on how it can change the world." From enzyme engineering to ocean conservation to international recognition, these students completed a full cycle of innovation.

Tiger LI reflected, "Over these eight months, we have learnt gratitude more deeply than ever. No project on the world stage is accomplished by one person alone. We are grateful to our teammates, whose discussions, debates, and late-night retries gave us strength; to our instructors, whose guidance kept us on track when we felt lost; and to everyone who offered advice, resources, interview opportunities, and professional support, allowing our project to be continually refined and improved. We are also grateful to PKXYS for providing the platform to establish the iGEM club, turning our unknown passion into tangible action, and to Mr. JC, whose thoughtful instruction and consistent support equipped us with the skills to think, design, and practice even before officially stepping into the competition. It is these collective forces that have made HullGuard more than just a competition—it has been a journey uplifted by countless acts of goodwill and support."

When asked about future plans, the team expressed their commitment to further improving the technology and exploring pathways for real-world application. The public is invited to contact them through their project's Wiki page.

"We hope HullGuard won't remain just a competition project. One day, we hope it will become a real coating applied to ship hulls—one that truly protects our oceans."

The story of this young team shows that when scientific curiosity, social responsibility, and perseverance converge, even the youngest researchers can propose meaningful, future-orientated solutions on a world-class stage.

"We didn't come this far simply to present an experiment or a Wiki page. We wanted to demonstrate a spirit—explore, fail, and start again." We believe that many more students from Pui Kiu Xinyi School, and many more young people across China, will continue to shine on the international stage.

Tap Read More at the bottom left to visit their project website and learn more.

Author: Communications Department