AltSU students mastered methods of bioinformatics and "wet biology" at the school of synthetic biology at Novosibirsk State University
From August 22 to 25, students of the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Altai State University Ekaterina Belash, Victoria Shchegolkova and Roman Maslov went to the August School of Synthetic Biology at Novosibirsk State University. Students from 13 regions of Russia took part in the work of the School.
The educational program was very intense. “The program consisted of two main blocks,” says Ekaterina Belash, student of Altai State University. “The first one is bioinformatics, where we learned how to construct genetic maps in the UGENE program, as well as predict the tertiary structure of a protein in AlphaFold2, and also did stream modeling. We had a lecture on systems biology. In the second block, the so-called "wet biology", we mastered such methods as electroporation, protein crystallization, affinity chromatography. Thus, the bioinformatics module allowed us to construct a vector containing the gene for the green fluorescent protein GFP. And the module of work in the laboratory made it possible to transform the plasmid into E. coli, get the protein, purify and crystallize it.”
In addition, the iGEM-Siberia team, the first team from Siberia to take part in the iGEM international competition of genetically engineered machines, told the young scientists about their projects. The biotechnology companies Medico-Biological Union, Biolambix and Vector-Best presented employment opportunities. Also, a cultural program was organized for the participants of the School. They attended the Romeo and Juliet ballet at Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre.
“I really liked the August School of Synthetic Biology,” shared Ekaterina Belash, 1st-year master’s degree student at IBB. “During this time, we managed to meet and communicate with students from other universities. I am very grateful to the organizers, who throughout the time helped and supported us.”
Victoria Shchegolkova, 2nd-year master’s degree student at IBB:
“I was lucky enough to take part in the August School of Synthetic Biology at NSU. This place is imbued with the spirit of science and learning. In just four days, we managed to work in the laboratory, master the UGENE and AlphaFold programs, make new friends, and also meet with representatives of biotechnology companies. For me personally, the bioinformatics module turned out to be the most valuable, where the speakers tried to explain in great detail how to model the protein structure and create a plasmid map. I was impressed by the visit to the Boiling Point. I am sure that I will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in my work and when writing my master's thesis.”
Roman Maslov, 1st-year master’s degree student at IBB:
“The event brought me a whole storm of bright emotions. It was nice to see how students from many regions of Russia studied the basics of bioinformatics together and did various laboratory work. The organizers carefully considered the program of the event: every day was planned very wisely. At this school, I learned a lot of new things, in particular, some methods of bioinformatics, which will be very useful for my work in the future. Most of all, I remember working with cell cultures using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.”