Wageningen students develop a new tool for diagnosing multiple sclerosis: “A student team can push boundaries”
Wageningen student team iGEM is creating a simple test based on RNA found in patients' blood to identify multiple sclerosis. Given the inability to diagnose the condition promptly, this is a significant advancement.
Published on November 26, 2024
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A group of hard-working students and a big social problem. These are the main ingredients for a student team. One of the oldest student teams at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is iGEM. The team deals with various aspects of synthetic biology, a relatively new field in science that looks at (re)designing and building organisms or parts of them. Diagnosing diseases is part of this.
In the Team Captains Then & Now series, we talk to the first and current team manager of student teams within the 4TU.Federation. Each year, students from the four technical universities in the Netherlands prove their innovative power in various student teams. How do they reflect on their participation? What are their most important lessons? And what does that mean for their future? Today, we speak to Marieke Koerhuis, team manager of the current student cohort researching the new diagnosis of MS (multiple sclerosis), and Brendan Ryback, who was team manager in 2011. At the time, he was part of the very first Wageningen iGEM team, researching biological circuits. He now works in the United States as a software development team leader at a bioanalysis company.
Strong connection
They first met because of this conversation, but they clicked right away. “iGEM brings people together. It's a good start to a conversation; I notice that even now. People who participate in a student team are unique; that creates a bond,” Ryback said. iGEM teams from universities around the world participate in the large namesake competition. Each year, new student team members choose a different social problem to come up with a solution to. The 2024 team chose the diagnostic category. Nearly 400 teams now participate each year.
A bigger goal
“Joining a student team feels like starting a startup,” Ryback states. He chose to study biotechnology at WUR because of the iGEM team. Koerhuis also did not hesitate when she heard about iGEM. “Other students told me about their participation and it seemed like an incredibly great opportunity to me as well. You work together with a team toward a big goal. You are not only working in the lab but also in the real world to solve social problems. By being part of the team, you also come into contact with industry stakeholders, which makes it extra stimulating.”
Detecting MS with RNA
The current team is developing a new method to detect MS in the blood. “This would be a great improvement; if a diagnosis can be made effectively, a patient can start treatment sooner. This could stop further progression of the disease,” says Koerhuis. What's the biggest challenge? “Diagnosing MS is especially difficult because symptoms can vary greatly in patients. Moreover, there is no specific biomarker for it. We found a solution to that; our test looks at tiny RNA molecules in the blood.”
After a literature review, the team discovered that the concentrations of small RNA molecules in the blood can change considerably when someone has a particular disease. “Our goal is to find out which RNA molecules are dysregulated in MS and how we can detect them. We are trying to make the test as specific as possible by looking at a combination of RNA molecules in the blood,” Koerhuis says. She emphasizes that the test is practical and accessible. “Thus, we hope to provide neurologists with an additional tool when it is difficult to diagnose.” The 2024 team won the award for Best Diagnostics Project at the Grand Jamboree in Paris, where nearly 400 teams from all over the world participated.
Ryback: “I'm very impressed with your project and the long-term impact it can make.” His project 13 years ago focused primarily on basic research around biological circuits. “Back then, scientists were trying to create modular genetic circuits that could be used to build complex biological systems, similar to how electronic circuits are designed. Oscillators (circuitry, ed.) are a fundamental part of electronic circuits. In that context, we wanted to create a biological oscillator.”
A cohesive team
What has stayed with the team leaders the most: “Working with a close team toward a great achievement, whatever that achievement is,” Ryback says. Koerhuis adds: “All team members have their own talents. We complement each other and thus ensure the best result together.” She emphasizes that this applies not only to the team members she leads but also to the other student teams at WUR and fellow iGEM cohorts from. “We have meet-ups a few times a year where the teams need to meet and present their projects and ideas to each other. That's very valuable; you learn a lot from each other.”
Beyond textbooks
Students benefit from participating in a student team during their studies. According to Koerhuis' experience: “It's a fun way to actually put into practice the knowledge you've gained during classes. New questions arise during the project. Now we have to work by ourselves to find solutions.” Ryback adds, “I think WUR is uniquely positioned because of its good ties to industry. Therefore, as a student, you learn a lot about academia and the work environment. So you can ultimately choose what suits you best.”
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Collaborating across disciplines
Ryback now sees that iGEM has boosted the start of his career. “I was the shared lead author on two papers we wrote with our iGEM team. I got to speak at conferences on microbiology in the Netherlands. That was a great opportunity.” Meanwhile, his work mainly concerns systems biology, conducting research into complete biological systems - from large groups of organisms to the smallest cells. This often involves the use of mathematical models and methods.
Koerhuis: “I think systems biology and synthetic biology are a good fit. The research and models that emerge in systems biology can be put to good use in optimizing our products in the lab.” Her participation in iGEM has increased her focus on interdisciplinary research. Ryback shares that experience. “I think it makes you stronger as a researcher if you also pay attention to other disciplines. That's how you achieve the best results.”
Inspire
How do the team managers envision iGEM in the future? Ryback: “It would be good if iGEM teams built even better on previous years' results. By always building on each other, you end up with the highest quality research and the most impact.” This is happening increasingly these days, Koerhuis points out. “iGEM teams are encouraged to shape their project so that others can build on existing elements. We did the same with our team this year. We have based our test on similar projects from previous teams and are working on improving models other teams have designed. We also pass this on to the next teams. But there is always room for improvement here. The more collaboration, the better the end result.”
In any case, the impact of the teams is visible. Koerhuis concludes, “I think student teams can push boundaries. Students look at things that are not yet possible and then find a way to make them possible. In the case of iGEM, I think we let people see the impact of synthetic biology. And also inspire them.”