Yogyakarta, November 3, 2025 — The delegation from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has once again made Indonesia proud on the international stage. The UGM International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Team 2025 achieved a Gold Medal at the prestigious iGEM Grand Jamboree 2025, held at the Paris Convention Centre, France. This remarkable accomplishment marks a proud moment for UGM’s Faculty of Pharmacy, as this year’s team was led by some of its most outstanding students collaborating across various disciplines.
The 2025 UGM iGEM Team was led by Assyfa Atha from the Faculty of Pharmacy, supported by core team members Naufal Ahmad Fauzy, Fahmi Ihsanuddin Jauhari, and Iffah Zakiya Yasmin, also from the same faculty. Under their leadership, the team, comprising 16 other students from the Faculties of Biology, Medicine, Agriculture, and Mathematics and Natural Sciences, successfully developed a project titled SALTY (Salt Activated with TYDV). The project presents an innovative biomanufacturing solution for producing affordable dengue DENV-2 Domain III vaccines using tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) as a production platform.
By employing a salt-inducible TYDV Rep/RepA expression system, the team significantly improved protein production efficiency in plants. This innovation demonstrates the potential of using plants as “biofactories” for low-cost vaccine manufacturing, addressing health access challenges in tropical countries with limited resources.
Their journey to Paris was preceded by a series of national and international achievements. The sub-teams Phytovac and Gamanthrax previously won Gold Medals at the Bioinformatics and Synthetic Biology Competition (BIOS) 2024, and later earned the Best Computational Project title at the Global Open Genetic Engineering Competition (GOGEC) 2025.
Beyond competitions, the Faculty of Pharmacy’s contribution also extended to scientific dissemination. Their research documentary video titled “Tobacco, a Nusantara Heritage: From Cultural Ritual to Dengue Vaccine Innovation” received a 2025 Online Learning Content Development Grant. The proposal was led by apt. Setyowati Triastuti Utami, Ph.D., a lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy UGM.
The success of this project was also supported by mentors including apt. Setyowati Triastuti Utami, Ph.D. (Pharmacy) and apt. I Made Rhamandana Putra, S.Farm., an alumnus of the same faculty, working collaboratively with lecturers from other faculties under the coordination of Dr. Yekti Asih Purwestri, M.Si.
This achievement aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the development of affordable, plant-based dengue vaccines, the SALTY project supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by expanding access to healthcare and vaccines in tropical regions vulnerable to infectious diseases. Its environmentally friendly biomanufacturing approach using Nicotiana tabacum contributes to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) by advancing interdisciplinary research in sustainable biotechnology. Furthermore, the collaboration among students from various faculties exemplifies SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), underscoring the importance of cross-field and intergenerational partnerships in creating impactful global scientific solutions.
Contributor: Tim iGEM UGM 2025
