Self-repair (work in progress) Laboratory. 2017-2018 n number of participants Concept Contributions Contact Contributions How scientists employ bacteria to make them perform desired functions? Workshop led by Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM: Gabrielius Jakutis, Miglė Kalvaitytė, Emilija Vasiliūnaitė Transformation is one of the main methods in biotechnology, used to genetically modify microorganisms. During transformation, small circular DNA molecules, called plasmids, are incorporated into microorganisms, and genes, that programme new functions, are expressed to turn cells into micro-factories. Thus bacteria can produce products that humans need: from insulin to treat diabetes, to various enzymes, that supplement washing powder for stain removal. This workshop, organized by Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM 2017 team, will show the main steps in enzyme-production - from identifying enzymatic activity in nature, to transforming the Escherichia coli bacteria and testing purified enzyme activity. Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM 2017 team will also help to find answers for questions such as how did the scientists "domesticate" microorganisms, what new tricks did they teach them and what biotechnological advances await us in the future?