Universal and standardized units are important in all disciplines of science. It allows for students and professionals everywhere to understand the same language when describing substances or functions. However, the fields of biology and synthetic biology in particular often lack standardized units. For example, in genetic studies or modifications, we often employ marker proteins to assist in both real-time assessments and result interpretation. For results to be consistent between experiments and labs, it is of paramount importance to create a standardized unit for said markers. Such a unit would also allow for the precise comparison of results from different labs and machines, instead of relying on visual comparisons.
The InterLab Study utilizes iGEM’s broad network of biology students from around the world to improve the measurement tools available to the iGEM community and the synthetic biology community as a whole. By measuring GFP fluorescence on a wide range of machines in many different labs and relating the results to a single control group, we hope to gather enough data to create a standardized unit for it. Since GFP is one of the most frequently used markers today, this has been a major focus of the InterLab studies over the past 5 years.
Our team understands the need for unit standardization within the world of biology. We want to help make progress towards more precise quantitative measurements in biology research. As such, we are excited to take part in the Interlab Study and hope our data will support the progress of synthetic biology and genetic engineering.
