In this episode, the iGEM VIT Vellore team sits down for a conversation in English.

What we discuss:
▶ What is a genetic circuit?
▶ Teaching cells to make decisions
▶ Programming cells for real-world applications
▶ Why is programming biology so difficult?
▶ The future of biological computing

🎙️ Hosts: Anshika, Swattika, Anahita

This podcast is part of our iGEM Human Practices and science communication outreach, bringing synthetic biology to people in their own languages.

If you enjoyed it, like, share and subscribe for more episodes.

https://2026.igem.wiki/vit-vellore

Chapters:

What Is a Host Organism? Why DNA needs a cell, why plasmids are so useful, and how E. coli changed insulin production
The History of Host Organisms: from Koch’s pure cultures and E. coli K-12 to Cohen and Boyer, BioBricks, synthetic genomes and a recoded E. coli
Criteria for Choosing a Host: risk groups, protein folding and modification, metabolic burden, codon usage and how practical the host is to work with
A Tour of the Major Chassis: E. coli, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Vibrio natriegens, yeasts, mammalian cells, plants, algae and cell-free systems
The End: why there’s no single best chassis, only the one that fits your project

A short, clear guide for students and iGEM teams picking a host for their first construct.

Produced by iGEM VIT Vellore.

https://2026.igem.wiki/vit-vellore

What it covers:

What biosafety really means, and the four areas it spans: organism, chemicals, AI tools and the outside environment
Knowing your chassis, and being honest about genetic parts borrowed from viruses
Respecting the chemical cabinet, especially the reagents you’ve used a hundred times
AI and structure-prediction tools: scoping their use and keeping a person between each output and any decision
Dual-use risk: showing that a project is safe, not just saying so
Leaving the lab: immobilization, kill switches and modelled containment
Environmental risk, team training, waste handling and near-miss reporting
Explaining safety to people outside science, and anchoring your practice in real regulations
A working checklist you can come back to

Narrated in a warm, jargon-free style for iGEM teams, students and anyone curious about responsible biotechnology.

Produced by iGEM VIT Vellore.

https://2026.igem.wiki/vit-vellore

In this episode, iGEM VIT Vellore teams up with iGEM REC for a conversation in Tamil.

What we discuss:
▶ Saving everyone: are we quietly turning off natural selection?
▶ When genetic diseases no longer exist
▶ Can we outsmart aging?
▶ Engineering humans for a new world
▶ The first evolutionary divide: enhanced vs natural humans

🎙️ Hosts: Suganth, Panimalar, Akhurath
🤝 Collaboration: iGEM VIT Vellore × iGEM REC

This podcast is part of our iGEM Human Practices and science communication outreach, bringing synthetic biology to people in their own languages.

If you enjoyed it, like, share and subscribe for more episodes.

https://2026.igem.wiki/vit-vellore

Chapters:

Defining the Problem: the three numbers every removal device depends on, and choosing between free and immobilized enzymes
Enzyme Kinetics Fundamentals: Michaelis-Menten saturation, helper molecules like ATP, cofactor regeneration and feedback inhibition
Reaction-Diffusion in Immobilized Systems: the Thiele modulus idea, the effectiveness factor, and why bead size and porosity matter
Scaffold, Reactor and Flow Design: channel geometry, pressure drop, and total coated wall area
System-Level Modelling: batch vs continuous operation in a real room or shed, and designing for the worst realistic case
Validation, Sensitivity and Design Workflow: finding which parameters matter, what limits your design, and how to tell whether a model can be trusted

It’s useful for iGEM teams, bioprocess students and anyone getting into biochemical modelling. The specific numbers change from project to project, but the method stays the same.

Produced by iGEM VIT Vellore as part of our science communication outreach.

https://2026.igem.wiki/vit-vellore