DNA 101 for Synthetic Biology

BioBrick by BioBrick: iGEM's Building Blocks

Are DNA sequences just genes? How do iGEM teams get all this genetic information? How does iGEM teams around the world work together so easily? In this episode, we answer these questions and more. From GFP to promoters to Cas9, there is no escaping BioBricks with iGEM. Join us to learn how BioBricks are designed, why standardization matters, and how scientists can mix and match DNA parts to build new biological systems. Perfect for students, wet lab teams, and anyone curious about synthetic biology, CRISPR, DNA technology, iGEM, and what you can do with genetic engineering.

Into the iGEM Lab

This week, we take you inside the Cornell iGEM lab to explore how we students design and build synthetic biology projects for the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. Join us to learn how genetic engineering, lab workflows, and biotech innovation come together in a student research environment. A special thank you to Stan Cho, Aaryaa Chiney, Christian Fonkalsrud, Parth Patel, and Sylvia Park for their appearance on this episode! (00:00) Intro (00:57) Overview of Synthetic Biology (01:58) Plasmid Design (05:33) Cloning and Transformation (11:26) Testing for Success (13:04) Troubleshooting (15:02) Conclusion

DNA 101 for Synthetic Biology

DNA is what we are all about at iGEM. But... what is DNA, anyways? This week, we take you through a crash course on DNA for genetic engineering and synthetic biology. We're breaking it down into the key concepts you’ll need to follow everything that comes next in our iGEM series. Whether you’re brand new to biology or just need a refresher, this episode is designed to give you the essential toolkit for understanding how we design and build biological systems in iGEM. We’ll keep things accessible, practical, and focused on what actually matters for engineering biology. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a solid grasp of the core pieces, (DNA, RNA, proteins, and gene regulation) that power everything we’ll explore in the rest of the series. (00:00) Introduction (00:35) The Central Dogma (01:25) Breaking Down DNA (02:30) Breaking Down RNA and Transcription (03:37) Overview of Translation (05:23) Why Protein Matters (06:19) Diving Deeper with Enzymes (07:10) Transcription Revisited (09:00) Translation Revisited (09:57) Chassis Organisms (10:47) Recombinant DNA (11:06) Codon Optimization (11:30) Chromosome and Plasmid Crash Course (12:56) Copy Number (14:04) Antibiotic Resistance (14:41) Conclusion

Become a GENE-IUS with Cornell iGEM

Welcome to the GENE-IUS Podcast. Episodes released weekly! We will be exploring genetic engineering and synthetic biology. Join us for our first series: "iGEM ABC's: A Biology (Crash) Course)", where we will take you through the biology behind iGEM with help from the Cornell iGEM Wet Lab Team.