Overview
In order to comprehensively enhance our project and gather opinions from various sources, following a problem-oriented approach, we conducted public dialogues from multiple perspectives. We engaged in discussions with different groups of people, seeking their suggestions for the experimental project, and reflecting on their feedback to refine our own ideas. At the same time, we also conveyed our values during the communication process and engaged in public education.
Public dialogue
To the General Public:
Synthetic biology involves the modification and design of organisms, including humans, animals, and plants. Concerns have been raised by the public regarding the potential unknown safety hazards associated with this technology, such as the possibility of new disease outbreaks or unpredictable impacts on ecosystems. We have conducted public education on synthetic biology to introduce its scientific aspects and ethical control of risks.
Subsequently, we introduced our project aimed at treating kidney diseases to the general public. We explained that we are modifying gut probiotics to convert creatinine and urea in the bodies of kidney disease patients into substances that are beneficial to the human body, helping patients better metabolize waste. The general public expressed doubts about the effectiveness and safety of the product, questioning whether gut probiotics can actually work and if they might cause new diseases. We provided explanations from a scientific perspective and consulted Dr. Shang Shunlai, a nephrologist from the 301 Hospital, to relay the answers we obtained to the public.
To the School Faculty and Students:
In our mission to advance knowledge and promote kidney health awareness, our team has actively participated in multidimensional social dialogues. Our mission transcends the boundaries of the laboratory and extends into the domains of education, public engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Empowering Young Minds in Remote Areas:
In an effort to nurture young minds and cultivate a culture of kidney health awareness, we have partnered with the "Rural Book Little Monster Charity Organization" to deliver cutting-edge scientific knowledge to remote regions. Our collaborative endeavors aim to heighten awareness of kidney health, instill healthy habits in children, and disseminate essential kidney care information. On the evening of July 18, 2023, we conducted online educational and awareness activities with eighth-grade students from Bagong Town Middle School in Zezhou County. The response was overwhelmingly positive, as these young learners not only gained a deeper understanding of kidneys but also acquired valuable knowledge about protecting their own kidneys. This represents a significant stride towards achieving our objectives.
Stimulating Interest through Campus Initiatives:
Our commitment to raising awareness extends to our own campus. On September 1, 2023, two competing teams from Beijing University of Chemical Technology held a debate on synthetic biology to enhance our understanding of the ethics and risk management of synthetic biology. On October 7, we hosted an open science outreach lecture, welcoming students from across Beijing University of Chemical Technology to explore the fascinating world of synthetic biology. The lecture received a warm reception, and we were delighted to share our passion for this field with fellow students.
Our journey has taken us through diverse paths of education, collaboration, and awareness-raising, enabling us to connect with a wide range of individuals and organizations. We invite you to explore our Education page further to gain a more comprehensive understanding of every aspect of our work. Our goal is to drive innovation, raise awareness, and contribute to knowledge advancement in the fields of kidney health and synthetic biology. Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey.
Experts:
We engaged in a comprehensive discussion with our mentors. Initially, we presented the project's background and objectives to them. After the presentation, they expressed their approval of our research direction, emphasizing that kidney failure is a global health concern with a significant impact on patients' quality of life and life expectancy. They acknowledged that gut probiotics, as a natural therapy, though currently only existing as an adjunct, hold potential for the treatment of kidney failure.
Subsequently, we provided an in-depth overview of the project's research progress and technical roadmap to our instructors. The team has successfully designed a complete conversion pathway for creatinine and urea. We have selected and designed the chassis bacteria and relevant plasmids, and plasmid synthesis is currently in progress.
PI. Wang acknowledged our research progress and offered suggestions for the project's continued development. She suggested that the team could delve further into the ecological characteristics of the gut microbiota once the engineered bacteria enter the intestines, including studying the interactions among microbiota and the impact of environmental factors on microbiota. This deeper exploration would enhance our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of engineered bacteria in kidney failure treatment, facilitating further improvements.
On the other hand, PI.Shen reminded the team to pay attention to the safety and stability of the engineered bacteria during the research process, avoiding situations where they grow excessively in the body or generate adverse reactions. Based on this, we explained to her the suicide system designed by the team for the application environment of the engineered bacteria. PI.Shen expressed approval of this, but still reminded us to conduct multiple repeated experiments to ensure no harm to the human body and the environment.
Furthermore, PI.Li suggested that the team should fully consider individual differences in patients and design personalized treatment plans for specific situations of different patients.
At the end of the meeting, PI.Shun encouraged the team to continue in-depth research and expressed willingness to support the project's progress. He stated that synthetic biology is a challenging and opportunistic field and hoped that the team would seize the opportunity to bring good news to kidney failure patients.
The conversations with our instructors were highly beneficial for us. Through these exchanges, the team not only received valuable advice from PI but also gained a deeper understanding of the application and development of synthetic biology. In the subsequent research process, we will fully consider their suggestions, strive to improve the safety and stability of probiotics, and attempt to design personalized treatment plans. At the same time, we also hope to maintain long-term communication and collaboration with PI, working together to make greater breakthroughs in the research project of using gut probiotics to treat kidney failure.
Enterprise:
We are students from the BUCT team of the iGEM project at Beijing University of Chemical Technology. Although our academic foundation is relatively weak, we are passionate about researching chronic kidney disease. In this article, we will share our exchange experiences and lessons learned from our collaboration with Treasure Island Pharmaceutical, emphasizing what we have gained from this valuable experience.
Our interaction with Treasure Island Pharmaceutical began with an off-campus visit. Despite our limited academic background, we actively participated and expressed our interest. The professionals at Treasure Island Pharmaceutical were patient with us and willing to share their knowledge.
Collaborating with Treasure Island Pharmaceutical provided us with valuable hands-on experience. We were able to conduct experiments in their laboratory, which we couldn't learn in the classroom. This honed our experimental skills and research abilities.
The mentors at Treasure Island Pharmaceutical were very caring, frequently engaging with us and answering our questions. Their guidance helped us better understand the research process and improved our academic level. Despite our weak academic foundation, interacting with these experts rapidly enhanced our understanding of chronic kidney disease. They explained complex concepts in a clear and understandable manner, which was very helpful to us.
The research exchange with Treasure Island Pharmaceutical provided us with valuable learning opportunities and allowed us to deeply experience the joys and challenges of research. Despite our relatively weak academic foundation, through active participation and learning, we have become more confident and capable.
In the future, we look forward to continuing to accumulate research experience, constantly improving our academic level. We also hope to have more opportunities to collaborate with enterprises, translating theoretical knowledge into practical applications, and making a greater contribution to the research and solution of chronic kidney disease.
Team exchange
BUCT-China
As two teams from the same school, we have always maintained a close and friendly relationship with the BUCT-China team. We introduced our projects for this year to each other and shared our respective project plans. In the coming time, we will continue to communicate and collaborate on multiple occasions in the fields of human practices and education.
We have successfully completed an interview with Deputy Director Cai Yi of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital through our collaboration
Exchanging ideas with doctors who have been working tirelessly at the forefront of clinical practice for many years has been immensely beneficial for us. We deeply appreciate how engineered biological entities developed using synthetic biology techniques can exhibit greater robustness and controllability. The use of life forms with specific therapeutic effects makes treatments more personalized and precise.
Synthetic biology represents endless creativity, promising in the field of biomedicine, and it will bring a whole new revolution to biology and medicine.
We jointly conducted a popular science event on synthetic biology at Beijing University of Chemical Technology.
We organized a lecture on synthetic biology and project introductions in the school's studio. The BUCT-China team presented a DNA molecular probe project that can be used for in vitro diagnostics and disease identification. The BUCT team discussed the challenges in treating chronic kidney disease. This event not only deepened our understanding of synthetic biology but also inspired university students from different schools and majors to appreciate the importance of biology in everyday life.
We completed a debate competition on synthetic biology
On September 1, 2023, two iGEM teams from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, namely the BUCT team and the BUCT-CHINA team, engaged in a heated debate on the topic of "Ethics and Risk Management in Synthetic Biology". This debate aimed to encourage in-depth reflection and discussion on the ethical issues and risk management challenges involved in the field of synthetic biology.
The debaters from the BUCT team made a strong case for the ethical strategies in synthetic biology. They emphasized the immense potential of synthetic biology to offer new ways to improve human health and protect the environment. And they pointed out that synthetic biology opens up new avenues for creating new drugs, improving crops, and removing harmful pollutants, with the potential to drive advancements in fields such as healthcare, agriculture, and environmental protection. They argued that we should seize this opportunity while simultaneously enhancing ethical education and implementing strict risk management measures to ensure the safe application of synthetic biology.
The debaters from the BUCT-CHINA team expressed their concerns about the ethics and risk management in synthetic biology. They raised worries about the ethical challenges posed by synthetic biology, including the potential for dilemmas related to biological rights and moral responsibilities. And they cautioned that the development of synthetic biology could lead to unpredictable consequences and ethical dilemmas, and they emphasized the need for a cautious approach to the technology's usage. They stressed the importance of establishing strict regulations and legal frameworks to ensure the safety and societal acceptance of synthetic biology.
The atmosphere at the debate was tense and intense as the representatives from both teams engaged in a heated exchange on the ethics and risk management issues of synthetic biology. They analyzed the advantages and challenges of synthetic biology, citing the latest scientific research and ethical viewpoints, and proposed solutions and recommendations. Throughout the debate, team members displayed profound academic knowledge and strong communication skills, delivering a captivating academic spectacle for the audience.
Overall, the synthetic biology ethics and risk management debate between the BUCT team and the BUCT-CHINA team holds significant importance. It not only facilitated a thorough exploration of ethical issues and risk management challenges in the field of synthetic biology but also provided a novel platform for sharing knowledge and exchanging insights. This event contributed to the sustainable development of synthetic biology by fostering discussion and collaboration in this field.
We participated in a team exchange event at Beijing Normal University.
n June 30th, the BUCT team participated in the Beijing Regional iGEMer Exchange Meeting held at Beijing Normal University. This conference brought together five teams, namely BNU-China, BUCT, BUCT-China, CAU-China, and Peking, with a total of more than fifty participants attending in person. Each team introduced their respective projects and engaged in free discussions where they offered suggestions and exchanged ideas with one another.During the meeting, participants engaged in open and candid discussions, allowing for the exchange of thoughts and the sharing of experiences with teams from different backgrounds. This event created opportunities for potential future collaborations among the teams.
Exchange and Insights:
Our Response/Reflection: All these genes are of natural origin, but we also want to explore further improvements to these genes. We intend to place them in a single bacterium, as this is the optimal outcome. Thanks to this exchange, we have considered the possibility of the engineered bacterium being burdened to the point where it cannot perform its expected functions. In such a case, our approach would be, firstly, to consider integrating some genes into the bacterium's genome. Secondly, we might use two different bacteria, each responsible for different functions, working in synergy to achieve the goal of purifying metabolic waste.
We are using a temperature-controlled suicide mechanism. We researched and found a temperature-controlled suicide mechanism with a regulation range of 30-37°C, which closely matches the human body's temperature. Additionally, when the bacterium exits the human body and enters environments such as toilets or sewage systems, temperature differences in these environments can also be used to control the bacterium's self-destruction.
We have also considered peroxide-based suicide mechanisms. Our plan is to build upon the suicide design from the previous year and make improvements. However, due to the inconsistency in the strength of the detoxification switch and the toxin switch, achieving precise control of bacterial suicide is challenging, which is why we found it difficult to implement.
LZU-CHINA
On the evening of August 1st, 2023, the BUCT team from Beijing University of Chemical Technology and the LZU-CHINA team from Lanzhou University held an online working exchange meeting on Tencent Meeting. The team leader of LZU-CHINA, along with team members, introduced Lanzhou University's project - the Intelligent Cholesterol Management System. Their project aims to regulate cholesterol levels through gut microbiota and utilize gut microbiota to directly degrade cholesterol. Both teams' projects had significant relevance, prompting in-depth discussions on experiments, modeling, HP (human practices), and various other aspects. They also shared their respective solutions and insights. During this exchange event, both teams expressed a strong desire to collaborate. They committed to maintaining long-term communication and cooperation throughout the competition. We believe that the joint efforts of both teams will not only bring fresh ideas and address existing shortcomings in each other's projects but also establish a strong foundation for long-lasting friendly relations between the two universities.
(Dedails: Partnership)
BPI-China
BPI is the team that participated in the competition for the first year, and BUCT is honored to give them some guidance and communication. We have had many informal exchanges this year, but unfortunately our concerns are different, so the two sides have not been able to cooperate in organizing activities. But we believe that our relationship will be closer next year.
CCiC
On July 10th, we participated in the 10th China iGEMer Exchange Conference and presented our project for this season. With the valuable platform provided by CCiC, the BUCT team engaged in extensive and in-depth discussions with teams from universities across the country. Through listening to presentations, asking questions, and participating in discussions, we gained numerous insights and received constructive feedback from multiple teams regarding the BUCT-NephroWiz project.
iG20
BUCT has joined forces with teams such as LZU-CHINA, NWU-CHINA-A, Nanjing-NFLS, UESTC-China, CSU-CHINA, UM-Macau, DUT-China, NJTech-China-A, HNU-China, HiZJU-CNINA, XMU-China, HUBU-HUBEI-CHINA, and others for this collaborative endeavor. Together we formed iG20.
The iG20 Intestinal Alliance is an exciting initiative that combines educational activities with scientific competitions to promote closer collaboration and social impact. Through engaging activities, this alliance is expected to attract more social attention, drive the development of intestinal health, and set a positive example for global education and social responsibility. This innovative initiative opens up new possibilities for future research collaboration and social impact.