Building Vaccines - Injectimod UNSW

A$5,270
of $5,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 20th Sep 2015 at 1:59PM.
We're Team Injectimod, a team of students from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) who are the Australian entrants for BIOMOD, an international biomolecular design competition held annually at Harvard University.

We want to develop vaccines for conditions affecting millions of people every year (e.g. chlamydia and dysentery) by learning from Nature to artificially rebuild parts of the bacteria that cause them. 

Specifically, we want to re-assemble the needle tip of the Type Three Secretion System (T3SS), which allows bacteria to pump toxins into our cells.

Why reconstruct a bacteria you may ask? If we can build the tip artificially, then body's immune system can learn to recognise and fight it.

This is a potentially game changing approach to vaccine development - artificially rebuilding parts of bacteria to get the body to develop it's immune resistance to them. If it works, this approach could be used in vaccines for conditions such as dysentery (80 million cases a year), typhoid fever (21 million a year), chlamydia (215 million a year) and a long list of other diseases

(Fun fact - the Black Plague in its heyday used the Type Three Secretion System).



Trying to build these systems, as opposed to trying to understand them only through observation, could also help answer fundamental questions about how biological machines actually work.





What in the science?

We want to use DNA and proteins as structural materials to build the tip of the T3SS. It's an approach that's born out of the field of bionanotechnology (this video explains how it works quite well) - it's similar to building structures using Lego, except on the nanoscale. Check out this comic for a clue! 


If you want to keep up to date with our work, check out our Wiki- this will be filled up with the details of our lab work as we get closer to the competition.


Who exactly are Injectimod?

We're a group of 7 students from UNSW, based at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Insitute.

We come from a range of backgrounds, including Aerospace Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Medical Science and Materials Science. What we share is a love of science and engineering, which is necessary since we're doing this project on top of our normal university studies. We'll also probably all have caffeine addictions by the end of the semester.

Here's a photo of the 7 of us with our supervisors. Keep up with our team on Facebook or Twitter!










Budget Breakdown


Team Expenses (7 people)

Lab/equipment and infrastructure use (in kind) - $11,000
Lab Consumables - $11 – 15,000
BIOMOD Registration & US Visa Costs - $600
Accommodation - $900
Return flights to Boston and accommodation - $13,500
Possible Synchrotron Trip - $2000
Team apparel - $500

TOTAL - $39,500 – 43,500

Funds Raised
TOTAL - Approximately $25,000

Funds Required:
$14,500 - 18,500


What is "BIOMOD"?

BIOMOD is an international biomolecular design competition, held annually at Harvard University, in Boston. 

Teams of undergraduate students from all around the world compete to construct useful machines such as molecular computers and prototypes for nanoscale therapeutics using the molecules of life (DNA, proteins etc).

This is a fundamentally new approach to the use and study of biological molecules with massive potential for the creation of ground breaking technologies. It is also an unparalleled learning experience for the next generation of leading scientists and engineers, and gives students the chance to meet and exchange ideas with like-minded peers in an elite international setting as they present their work at the Jamboree hosted by Harvard.


Update - Final Stretch/Biotoons!

A huge thank you to all of our supporters so far! We've had an incredible response, we're now past 60% of our goal, with less than 5 days to go!

To help us get over the line/inspire the worlds future scientists, we're offering "Biotoons" as rewards !

More specifically, a "Biotoon" is an A2 size, comic book style poster explaining our work in an engaging and accessible cartoon format. Our mission is to provide inspire creativity and curiosity in STEM, by combining science with storytelling.
The image below is a draft component, illustrating the general style of our final "Biotoon" - they are available as a reward for making a $50 pledge to our crowdfunding campaign, which has less than a week remaining!



We think our Biotoons could serve as inspiration for kids interested in science, perfect for bedrooms, in school classrooms, or as something to enjoy for all the bigger kids (read: "adults") out there.

Help support us/inspire future scientists by getting a Biotoon! Select the "T3SS Infographic" on our rewards panel, you will receive the A2 poster at the conclusion of our project.

Thank you!


How The Funds Will Be Used

Science is expensive and so is flying to America from Australia!

We've been working on this with increasing fervor (and decreasing sleep) since April. Your  funds will be used to help us complete our lab work (i.e. build the tip and prove it) and travel to Boston so that we can present our work to teams from all around the world at Harvard University. 

We're fortunate enough to receive significant support from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, the NSW Government and various departments at UNSW. 


However we're still about $14 - 19,000 short of our total fundraising total (as detailed below) and we're asking for your support to help get us over the line. 

(Please note - pledges are not tax deductible.)




The Challenges

It's lonely being on the frontier. Biology has traditionally been studied through observation - nobody has ever rebuilt parts of bacteria before. This means we're likely to find some surprises when we try to build these protein complexes ourselves. 

We're fortunate to be working in a lab which studies biology in the same way (by trying to build it). This means that we have a wealth of experience to draw from as well as the opportunity to conduct experiments using cutting edge techniques (such as single molecule fluorescence, biolayer interferometry and DNA origami) to get stuff done. 

Social Media Shoutout

Personal social media shoutout on our Twitter page and on our Website.

3 chosen

Est. delivery is Aug 15

Handwritten Postcard

A handwritten thank-you postcard from Harvard University/Boston. (As well as the shoutout.)

10 chosen / 90 available

Est. delivery is Nov 15

T3SS Infographic

An A2 sized poster explaining our work using the types of graphics you see in the description. + shoutout + thank you card

3 chosen / 97 available

Est. delivery is Nov 15

Injectimod T-Shirt!

A cool team T-Shirt. Will not regret. *Please note, the design is subject to change, the photo is for visualisation purposes. It will likely be printed in fewer colours BUT will be at least as cool or cooler. (As well as the shoutout + card).

8 chosen / 92 available

Est. delivery is Nov 15

Victor Chang Lab Tour

Get a tour of our labs, by the BIOMOD team themselves! (As well as the postcard and shoutout. International backers - let us know, we'll sort something else out.)

3 chosen / 47 available

Est. delivery is Nov 15

All of the above!

You'll receive a tour of the labs + T-Shirt and poster! + thank you card

2 chosen / 98 available

Est. delivery is Nov 15

Team Presentation

Personal presentation by the team at your choice of school, workplace or other event. You also are able to attend a private lab tour.

2 chosen / 3 available

Est. delivery is Nov 15

Lunch/Private Lab Tour

An exclusive tour of the labs (for up to 3 people) followed by lunch with the team.

0 chosen / 10 available

Est. delivery is Nov 15

Official Sponsor Status

Logo displayed on website, advertised at key events throughout the year and at Harvard University in November, as well as the opportunity for engagement opportunities at events. You can contact us for more details.

0 chosen / 2 available

Est. delivery is Oct 15