Welcome to Renata OC:

Navigate through the different buttons to learn more about our specific project, meet our team, or support our research. Explore to discover more!

About Us:
We are Renata, a student-led organization aimed at providing equitable synthetic biology education to underserved high schoolers in Orange County, looking to compete at the iGEM Grand Jamboree this November. iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) is the world’s largest synthetic biology competition, where teams compete to market a real-world synthetic biology solution.Renata was founded by Humza Shahzad and Karthik Sajeev, both students at Troy High School in Fullerton, California. Renata, or “reborn”, indicates a rebirth in collaborative science. Our logo, the phoenix, represents a mythological creature that rises from the ashes of its predecessor, symbolizing immortality.We aim to combine experience from founding members in Orange County to advance synthetic biology in a holistic manner. Our team members have experience in various fields of research, such as in protein engineering and cell line research. While not all team members are attending Troy, nearly our entire team is composed of students who attend school in the Orange County area.Our team, under the guidance of Dr. Tasha Barr from University Lab Partners, is currently working on developing a proof-of-concept probiotic that may reduce the risks and symptoms associated with post-cholecystectomy syndrome (PCS), such as colon cancer and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. By genetically altering gut microbiota to express a sulfonation operon, the probiotic effectively detoxifies secondary bile acids, improving the quality of life for PCS patients.

Our Mission & Project:
In our early years of high school, many of our fellow peers lamented the lack of free research opportunities present for high schoolers. Renata’s founders sought to change this. Due to these trials and tribulations, our team not only focuses on research; we also pride ourselves in teaching our team members research skills that they wouldn't have the opportunity to learn in high school otherwise.The team was founded in order to address the unavoidable costs of bioengineering research and limited accessibility to life sciences in general. Prior to Renata, our founders had fundraised and built a makeshift laboratory space at their high school in order to conduct protein engineering research following a lack of laboratory support, prompting them to create and grow our organization. Alongside our hosts at University Lab Partners, a 501c(3) non-profit organization greatly involved in the community, our vision is to make research possibilities and bioengineering discovery open to anyone with the drive or curiosity to learn.

Meet the Team:

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Support Us:
Since we do not have our own nonprofit status, the nonprofit food pantry Seva Collective partnered with us to provide donors with a tax-deductible receipt and channel the funds to a bucket for the team. All donations go to funding expenses for Renata students to compete in the International Genetic Engineering Machine (iGEM) Competition.Why is Our Project Nonprofit Worthy?
All of the research funded by these experiments will be uploaded into a free open-source system.
The participation in this simulation start-up biotech company is teaching bioscience and entrepreneurial skills to young adults for the future of science advancement and human health.Our Expenses:
- Registration for iGEM: $10,000
- Lab Facility Rental with 2 Mentors: $10,000
- iGEM entry ticket for 4($800 each): $3,200
- Adult Advisor Chaperone:$1,300Our Goal: $25,000

This button will take you to the Seva Collective Website. Your tax-deductible receipt will be sent from our nonprofit 501(c)(3) partner Seva Collective (EIN) 86-199898.