Integrated Human Practice

1.1 Overview/Introduction

In today's world, the issue of antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic microorganisms has become a serious threat to human health, necessitating the development of new antimicrobial agents. To overcome the bottleneck of traditional screening techniques, which often result in high rediscovery rates and low novelty, there is an urgent need to create drug lead molecules with structurally novel features and new modes of action.

This research project employs genetic engineering techniques to merge two antimicrobial peptides, Nisin and Darobactin, resulting in a novel antimicrobial peptide with broader-spectrum antimicrobial activity. This novel peptide demonstrates enhanced efficacy in combating a wide range of pathogens.

We plan to apply this novel antimicrobial peptide in the pet care industry. In the initial phase, our company will introduce three main products: eye drops for treating pet eye infections, oral medications for addressing bacterial infections in pets' stomachs, and ointments for surface wounds.

For this project, we conducted the following Integrated Human Practice (IHP) activities:

l  Interviews with Dr. Xing Zhihao, Dr. Liu Yexing, and Dr. Yang Xiaofeng to improve our plans and products based on expert feedback.

l  Two questionnaire surveys (500+ samples each) to analyze public understanding of our project.

l  Offline and online education sessions with engaging PPTs to popularize science about our inventions to diverse age groups.

The expert interviews provided insightful analysis on the strengths and weaknesses of our inventions, expanding our product options to choose the most suitable one. When the initial business plan proved cost-prohibitive, the doctors also advised cost reduction strategies.

The questionnaire analysis revealed extremely low public awareness of our inventions and products. Consequently, we introduced unfamiliar concepts during subsequent education activities, providing detailed explanations to address doubts. Creating the education PPTs also enriched our own understanding.

Additionally, we collaborated with the iGEM team "CPU" for an online lecture explaining antimicrobial peptides, enabling more individuals to appreciate their advantages for antibacterial applications.

In summary, our multifaceted IHP provided critical practical inputs to refine our plans, ensured public engagement through strategic awareness building, and fostered constructive partnerships.

1.2 Survey

Social research 1:

This 606 participant survey on Public Awareness of Antibiotics demonstrated public necessity and market viability. They highlighted the importance of education. We incorporated extra knowledge into our education activities.

Key findings:

l  Public lacks antibiotic/resistance awareness, only 35.48% would consider advice given by doctors when taking antibiotics.(figure 1)

l  60.07% use antibiotics improperly, indicating knowledge gaps.(figure 2)

l  People understand antibiotic misuse risks but not proper use.(figure 3)

We therefore covered appropriate antibiotic use in education, as public knowledge was inadequate.

In summary, the surveys provided crucial insights to refine our education approach and ensure it addressed key knowledge gaps.

 

Figure 1. Under what circumstances do you think antibiotics can be taken on your own?

Figure 2. Do you take antibiotics on your own with out medical advice?

Figure 3. What advrese reactions do you think the abuse of antibiotics can cause to oneself?

Social Research 2:

This 536 participant survey on New Antimicrobial Peptide Product Research found only 43% had heard of AMPs. However, 80.78% of those were willing to use AMPs medicinally. AMP medical products were the most commonly used. While most recognized antibiotic resistance as a serious health and medication issue, 14.90% were unaware, indicating a need to further promote this.

 

Figure 4. Have you ever heard of antimicrobial peptides?

 

Figure 5. Do you know -- the abuse of antibiotics can lead to the formation of bacteria "resistance"

Over half (56.72%) did not know about antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), showing their novelty.

 

Figure 6. Have you heard about antimicrobial peptides?

Of those familiar with AMPs, most(75.86%) used pharmacy products containing them.

 

Figure 7. Have you used products containing antimicrobial peptides?

People learned about AMPs primarily(64.59%) through e-commerce sites and videos. Online education was preferred for learning more.(click here to check the education)

 

Figure 8. In which of the following channels will you learn about antibiotics

Despite potentially higher costs, almost half responsidents(50.47%) prioritized AMPs' effectiveness over price savings versus substitutes. They looked forward to AMPs in medication.

 

Figure 9. Would you combine the pros and cons and buy a relatively expensive antimicrobial peptide?

1.3 Expert Interview

1.3.1 Interview with Dr. Xing Zhihao

Dr. Xing is a senior clinical lab engineer and master's supervisor at Shenzhen Children's Hospital, with a PhD from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and postdoc at Toronto University. His research focuses on pediatric infectious disease diagnostics and therapeutics.

The interview provided insights on difficulties and solutions regarding our antimicrobial peptides. Dr. Xing addressed issues like low production and product innovation. Importantly, he revealed diverse applications of antimicrobial peptides as sprays, oral agents or bandages, laying the foundation for our final product forms. This enabled comprehensive future planning and opened new thinking directions.

Consequently, we chose sprays, oral agents and ointments as final products, improving our SWOT analysis and business plan. The interview gave invaluable inspiration.

 

Figure 10. Interview with Dr. Xing

1.3.2 Interview with Dr. Liu Yexing

Dr. Liu, a PhD in Life Sciences from Tsinghua University, is Executive Director at Shenzhen Angel Fund.

The interview enhanced our commercialization perspective. We learned about inadequacies in our products and plans, like clarifying production significance and market direction. Dr. Liu advised entering the pet industry, citing good prospects despite competition. The low barriers enable seizing market share with our new invention. We also learned about strategically expanding from pets to clinical medicine.

Dr. Liu recommended applying antimicrobial peptides in pet medicine but considering our positioning as B2B or B2C. He explained B2B involves fewer, larger customers, lower margins and weaker bargaining power, while B2C needs stronger sales abilities and capital.

Importantly, Dr. Liu questioned the significance of our broad-spectrum peptide versus individual gram-positive and negative peptides. Further analysis will clarify our advantages, guiding future promotion.

Overall, this provided invaluable commercialization insights and revealed key issues to address. Our main gain was clarifying the pet medicine market potential.

 

Figure 11. Interview with Dr. Liu

1.3.3 Interview with Professor Yang Xiaofeng

Professor Yang, an associate professor and PhD supervisor at South China University of Technology, has research interests in synthetic biology, microbial engineering and protein engineering.

We visited South China University of Technology and had a discussion with Professor Yang Xiaofeng there. Professor Yang provided biology perspectives to address our concerns about the high ¥19 cost per 2mg, hampering production and marketability. He advised increasing protein expression to boost antimicrobial peptide yield from purification, cutting costs. We learned large-scale expression or sodium chloride can improve protein yield and efficiency.

Additionally, Professor Yang explained that unlike our broad-spectrum peptide, combining gram-positive and negative peptides may cause efficacy conflicts with negative effects in pets or clinics. Further investigation is needed.

Regarding antimicrobial peptide expression challenges, he suggested fusion proteins to facilitate peptide combination, reducing inclusion bodies.

Critically, Professor Yang revealed that dosage selection depends on antimicrobial potency. Higher concentrations are needed if potency is poor. This knowledge will enable pricing and financial projections.

In summary, the three expert interviews provided vital practical feedback to refine our plans, products, promotional strategies and financial models.

 

 

Figure 12-13. Interview with Dr. Yang

1.3.4 Summary of the interview

Here is a summary of the key advice from the three expert interviews in English:

Expert	Key Advice
Dr. Xing Zhihao	- Suggested antimicrobial peptides could be formulated as sprays, oral agents or ointments, laying the foundation for our final product forms
	- Provided inspiration to plan future work more comprehensively and open up thinking
Dr. Liu Yexing	- Advised entering the pet medicine industry, with good prospects and potential
	- Highlighted the need to articulate the significance of our products
	- Guided us to consider B2B or B2C positioning
Professor Yang Xiaofeng	- Recommended increasing protein expression to lower costs
	- Explained combined use of gram-positive and negative peptides may cause efficacy conflicts
	- Proposed fusion proteins to reduce inclusion bodies
	- Dosage selection directly relates to antimicrobial potency, informing pricing

Key Takeaways:

l  Assisted in finalizing product forms

l  Provided commercialization guidance

l  Offered solutions to cut costs and improve expression

l  Analyzed potential issues with combined peptide use

l  Informed product pricing and financial projections

The three expert interviews provided vital practical feedback to refine our plans, products, promotions, and financial modeling.

 

 

1.4 Conclusion

After conducting diverse IHP activities, we made several improvements based on the results and feedback received. These included revising our business plan and adjusting product costs and profit projections as per the doctors' recommendations. The questionnaire analysis responses guided us in determining appropriate education content tailored to our target audiences. We believe this experience will greatly benefit our project's future development.

In summary, the multifaceted IHP provided invaluable practical inputs that enabled us to refine our plans, ensure public engagement through strategic awareness building, and acquire presentation skills. The activities played a vital role in shaping our project outcomes and equipping us with knowledge and abilities crucial for future undertakings.

Impact: Our project tackles the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance by creating a novel antimicrobial peptide. Initially in the pet care sector, we aim to mitigate bacterial infections in animals, which is pivotal as AMR in animals can transfer to humans. Our long-term vision is to transition this solution into human medicine, providing a broader answer to combat AMR worldwide.

Proposed End Users: Initially, our primary end users are pet owners and pet hospitals, especially young pet owners who are more open to adopting new products.

Envisioned Usage: We envision other stakeholders in pet care and veterinary sectors leveraging our technology to diversify antimicrobial treatments. As the technology matures, it could be adopted by pharmaceutical entities or healthcare providers for creating new human antimicrobial treatments. Real-world Implementation: We plan to establish Bacbusters, focusing first on the pet pharmaceutical market to gain market presence. Our business plan details a structured timeline from 2024 to 2026 and beyond, covering team formation, production, promotion, global expansion, and entry into the human medicine industry, thus laying a solid foundation for sustainable development and global enterprise growth.