The initiative to protect the iconic plane trees—which are being devastated across Epirus, Greece, and Europe by Canker Stain disease—has won the University of Ioannina team a Gold Medal at the prestigious 2025 iGEM Grand Jamboree in Paris.
The student team, iGEM Ioannina 2025, secured the award in the Biodiversity Protection category for their project, aptly named “Amadryads,” after the mythological tree nymphs.
The devastating fungal infection, caused by Ceratocystis platani, entered Europe during WWII and has since spread rapidly, destroying venerable, centuries-old trees.
Team leader Ifigeneia Tychirou Anyfanti noted that seeing the characteristic trees of Ioannina wither motivated the team to seek a local solution with global application.
Greek students used a Nobel-winning system for plane trees
The team’s breakthrough involves a pioneering, ecologically safe intervention using the Nobel-winning CRISPR-Cas13d system.
This mechanism acts as a “genetic scissor” to precisely target and degrade specific fungal RNA molecules, stopping the disease’s growth without harming the plane tree or the surrounding environment.
Delivered via a biodegradable nano-carrier, this non-genetically modified biotechnological solution combines scientific precision with environmental safety, demonstrating the high caliber of Greek student research for the second consecutive year.
The team, comprised of 16 students primarily from the Department of Biological Applications and Technologies, emphasized the educational value of the process itself.
“The whole process of participating in the iGEM team is a wonderful opportunity for a student to be initiated into scientific research, see laboratory work up close, and learn about the combination of various scientific fields and cooperation,” the team leader noted.
Related: World’s Oldest Plane Tree, Found in Greece, Partially Collapses
