The Queen’s Genetically Engineered Machine (QGEM) team is a dedicated group of undergraduate researchers across the faculties representing Queen’s University on the global stage. Competing against over 400 teams worldwide, including renowned institutions like MIT and Harvard, our mission is to improve patients' lives with Parkinson's Disease through cutting-edge synthetic biology.

In October 2024, we’ll be competing at the prestigious International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Paris, France—a remarkable opportunity to showcase our innovative project, gain feedback from leading experts, and demonstrate the excellence of Queen’s University.

Our past successes speak for themselves—gold medals, nominations for special prizes, and a track record of QGEM members founding successful biotech startups and earning places at top graduate programs. This year, our project, SynAxis, aims to develop a novel therapeutic method to combat Parkinson’s disease by targeting the gut-brain axis.  Again, we aim to bring gold home this year but need your help.

Attending iGEM in Paris involves significant costs, including flights, accommodation, food, and transportation for our 6-person executive team. We are reaching out to our community to ask for your support. Regardless of size, your contribution will help us represent Queen’s University and continue pursuing excellence in biotechnology research. Your support could lead to the next big breakthrough in synthetic biology, driven by Queen’s students. 

THANK YOU!

(donations will be collected through the Queen's Health Sciences Fund)

You can follow our journey on Instagram