Help:Shipping

Sample submission of parts is no longer a requirement for the iGEM competition. Also, iGEM HQ can no longer accept shipment of samples. Please do not ship any samples to our offices. Information in regards to shipping of samples to iGEM HQ has been kept solely for archival and consistency purposes.

Parts must still be documented on the Registry and follow the guidelines/requirements of the iGEM competition.

DNA Submission

Sample submission of parts is no longer a requirement for the iGEM competition.

Requirements

Here's how part samples are sent to the Registry

Why pSB1C3?

Why do samples need to be shipped in pSB1C3?

Detailed Instructions

Instructions on how to fill out the Registry's submission form.

Submission Prep

Registry groups must follow iGEM's submission prep guidelines.

Have questions on requirements or shipping part samples? Check the FAQ or contact us at hq (at) igem . org .

Shipping Standards

Having a shipping standard backbone lets the Registry receive and handle all parts in the same way: using the same growth conditions and quality control measures. With over 1000 new parts submitted each year, this improves our ability to handle, maintain, and test new parts.

When anyone uses the part, they'll know exactly what to expect. They can easily unpackage it from the shipping plasmid backbone, and transfer it into a different backbone for a specific use.

When you buy a book from Amazon.com, it comes packaged in one of their standard cardboard boxes.

If Amazon did not package your book:

  • they could stick a stamp on the book and send it out
  • and you could read the book as soon as you get it in the mail. No need to open any packages!

Why should I bother with packaging when it's extra effort?

If Amazon actually sent your book out without any packaging, it might look something like this


    The value of packaging is that it presents a standard way of:
  • protecting
  • and sending out your purchase

Once you receive your book, you'll toss out the packaging and start reading! Or maybe you'll put it on your book shelf, or let a friend borrow it.

When you actually start using your book, the packaging doesn't matter anymore, but it's very important to the way your book is shipped.

Shipping & Synthetic Biology

The Registry takes this same approach to parts: packaging is an important step in sending and receiving parts and when you're ready to use those parts it's easy to move them out of their packaging.

In traditional microbiology, a researcher sends out their DNA however they want. That leaves the receiver to figure out how to handle it: maybe they don't have the right antibiotic, restriction enzymes, or strain. Maybe they're entirely unfamiliar with the system the DNA is in, and have to research it before use.

Synthetic biology uses standardization to reduce this unneeded complexity. We standardize the way parts are sent and received through the plasmid backbone.

Having a shipping standard backbone lets the Registry receive and handle all parts in the same way: using the same growth conditions and quality control measures. With over 1000 new parts submitted each year, this improves our ability to handle, maintain, and test new parts.

When anyone uses the part, they'll know exactly what to expect. They can easily unpackage it from the shipping plasmid backbone, and transfer it into a different backbone for a specific use.

Shipping in pSB1C3

    All parts shipped to the Registry must be in pSB1C3, the Registry's standard shipping backbone. Why?
  • Shipping in pSB1C3 lets the Registry maintain and test all parts in the same way
  • Anyone who wants to use your part can easily and reliably move it into another plasmid backbone

Why is pSB1C3 the shipping standard?

pSB1C3 is a well-known plasmid backbone with a lot of user experience behind it. It has several features which improve the Registry's ability to process shipped parts, and the end-users ability to use those parts.

BioBrick Prefix and Suffix

    All parts are flanked by the BioBrick Prefix and Suffix, and are BioBrick compatible
  • For quality control, we can cut all shipped parts with EcoRI and PstI, and analyze the gel results easily
  • The BioBrick standard is time-tested: users can easily and reliably transfer or assemble parts into a different plasmid backbone.

VF2 and VR primer sites

    The VF2 and VR primer sites flank the Prefix and Suffix
  • For quality control, we can use the same set of primers (VF2 and VR) to sequence into all shipped parts.
  • Users can also use these primer sites for sequencing of parts, or if they wish to PCR the part from the plasmid.

Chloramphenicol Resistant

    All parts are in chloramphenicol resistant plasmid backbone
  • For quality control, we can reliably predict and screen our results from Antibiotic Testing
  • Growing and maintaining glycerol stocks only requires a single antibiotic
  • Chloramphenicol is a common lab antibiotic and does not degrade as quickly as ampicillin

High-Copy Origin

    pSB1C3 has a high-copy origin
  • All parts can be transformed into E. coli
  • The high-copy origin improves plasmid yield during extraction