Partnership
Communication with BJWZ-China
Date: June 17, 2023
Venue: Online
We communicated with the high school students at Beijing No. 5 Middle School. We first talked about HP, art and experiments, and put forward some relevant suggestions and some progress of our team. Our project asked high school students from Beijing No. 5 Middle School about the immunotherapy of autism, the design of the project and the richness of the activities, and we answered their questions. After that, our two teams had active discussions and exchanges on the selection of engineered bacteria in the experiment, the design of the kill switch and the model design of HP. At the same time, we also answered some questions they encountered during the project.
After that, the high school students from Beijing No. 5 Middle School introduced their team's project, which was related to acne, and our team's advisor provided them with many suggestions.
In a word, through this exchange, we learned a lot from the team of Beijing No. 5 High School and realized our shortcomings. Some of their ideas and viewpoints also provided new ideas for the development of our HP project. Some of his team's ideas advance our understanding of how to determine the secretion and function of bacteria while ensuring biosafety.We plan to extend the investigation and science popularization of synthetic biology and autism to a wider area in the next step, so that our research data is no longer limited to Nanjing. After this series of activities, the teams of the two schools have reached a consensus on many issues, and the cooperation will certainly be closer in the future.
The online platform
Collaboration with iGEM LZU-China
Date: July 26, 2023
Venue: Online
We first exchanged and demonstrated experiments and modeling with the team from Lanzhou University. Our project focuses on treating autism through immunological intervention. After a heated discussion, they came up with many valuable new insights and ideas for our work. Subsequently, the two teams had active discussions and exchanges on the division of labor, work progress, questionnaire design, external communication and other aspects of HP team members. Through brainstorming, the two sides finally planned a series of effective cooperation programs, including education, HP innovation, popular science ideas and other aspects. In addition, the two teams will have regular exchanges in the future, and continue to deepen the cooperation in dry and wet experiments.
At the same time, our partners from Lanzhou University requested our assistance with the challenges they faced in HP. They hoped we could aid in identifying pharmaceutical company experts who specialise in cholesterol reduction and treatment in Nanjing, as well as experts at the Center of Moderate and Chronic Disease Control. We plan to conduct interviews with these experts when the opportunity arises. Additionally, they would like us to assist with sharing their online surveys and conducting surveys at our affiliated hospitals. The two teams captured this unforgettable moment by taking a group photo at the end of their exchange.
Overall, the team from Lanzhou University provided us with valuable suggestions, expanded our knowledge, and instilled fresh ideas and motivation into our HP project. As a result of this high-quality communication and interaction, we were able to disseminate autism science education and interview content to a broader audience, thereby removing the restrictions of our research data to Nanjing. Simultaneously, following the advice of Lanzhou University, we refined the questionnaire and direction of social research. Moreover, we assisted LZU in connecting with drug companies dedicated to reducing cholesterol for treatment in Nanjing, as well as forwarding the online questionnaires of the Center for Chronic Disease Control experts. The enhanced partnership between the two universities has established a sturdy groundwork for enduring collaboration in the future.
Our meetup with team LZU-China
Incooperation with NAU-China
(1)Inviting the team of the previous session to pass on their experience
Date: February 3, 2022
Venue: Online
We invited Yuxuan Ma, a student from the HP Group of the last competition team, to introduce the application of synthetic biology in the medical field to us and Nanjing Agricultural University's team. The presentation was divided into three parts: medical paradigm of synthetic biology, diagnosis and treatment of engineered bacteria and eukaryotic cell diagnosis and treatment.
The basic paradigm of synthetic biology medicine is similar to that of a machine's response, step-by-step for input signals, computation of genetic circuits and expression of specific effector molecules. While the iterative paradigm translates into a five-step design-build-test-learn-design process, where timely feedback is obtained by forming a positive scientific closure.
Engineered bacteria can be used to detect biomarkers and pathogenic microorganisms, and the diagnosis can be divided into in vitro and in vivo diagnosis. The advantages and limitations of the two techniques of in vitro diagnosis, paper work platform and foot switch, coupled with the combined application of various technologies such as CRISPER-Cas9, which is now in vogue, in vitro diagnosis still has a great space worth developing. In vivo diagnosis is detected, recorded and reported in real time at the functional level, and cancer treatment can be carried out by modifying genes.
The treatment of the engineered bacteria can be used as a means of drug delivery, more effective in areas such as the gut where the flora is active, and as a live vaccine carrier to deliver effector proteins and genes. Engineered bacteria could also correct metabolic abnormalities, inserting relevant genes and enzymes to treat conditions such as phenylketonuria and hyperammonemia. However, the safety of engineered bacteria is also a long-term concern. It is necessary to improve the safety, reliability and controllability of engineered bacteria by adding kill switches and external restrictions, etc., and it is also necessary to control the genetic stability of engineered bacteria and easy colonization.
Through this training, we have realized the problems that may be encountered in the research of synthetic biology, and the solutions. At the same time, we got familiar with the project plan with NJAU-China in this activity, reached a consensus on the future research direction, and continued to strengthen communication and cooperation.
(2) Offline communication
Date: July 30, 2023
Venue: 6 Tea Sharing Tea Room, Block B, New Century Plaza, Nanjing City, China
The NJMU-China and NJAU-China met offline. On the premise of the last exchange, we took turns to exchange the improved projects and plans. The experimental group, the modeling group, the HP group and the art group introduced their achievements and future plans respectively. Among them, the experimental group, at the suggestion of NJAU-China, reduced the length of the target gene, and proved in the follow-up experiment that the shortened target gene had higher transcription and translation level. The HP group shared the experience of organizing activities with each other.
Communication
Contact with NIA
Date: May 27, 2023
Venue: Nanjing University, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China
On the morning of May 27th, the iGEM teams of Nanjing region universities held an offline meeting at Nanjing University. 8 iGEM teams from 7 universities including Nanjing University, Nanjing Normal University and Nanjing University of Technology reported their respective project design and progress.Yuhan Bao and Yilong Xu were invited to comment on the pros and cons of each project. At the meeting, Mr. Bao explained the evaluation criteria of HP for everyone, emphasizing that the project should be innovative and original, and avoid homogenization; Then, each team shared their own project content. Our team explained our work of experiment, modeling, HP, art and web page, etc. Mr. Xu thought that the HP part was well planned, while the feasibility of the experiment part seemed not too high, and we still needed to consider how to complete the project if there was no result in the later stage. In addition, the teacher advised us to pay attention to the process norms of the project and to consider the conflicting concepts at home and abroad. In this meeting, the teams learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses, and many of the teams have the idea of further communication and cooperation.
Contact with NIA
Meetups
Attendance at the CCiC National Summit
Date: April 28, May 14, May 28, 2023
Venue: Online
CCiC (Conference of China iGEMer Community) is a national exchange event independently initiated by Chinese iGEM participating teams, providing a platform for participating teams across the country to exchange questions. We attended a total of three CCiC online community meetings and listened to experts' interpretations of the new 2023 award criteria, the HP topic and the Modeling and Software topic respectively.
CCIC meeting
Attendance at the CCiC
Participation in the iG20 science Popularization Relay activity
Date: August 15, 2023 - September 30, 2023
Venue: Online
As is widely recognised, there exists a hugely impactful organisation - the Group of 20 (G20). Inspired by the G20 uniting nations to lead the global economy, iG20 is a collective of 20 iGEM teams partaking in the Synthetic Biology Relay, a stimulating event that garners social attention and creates a positive impact on society. iG20 is scheduled from 15th August to 30th September, 2023, where teams from various locations and institutions collaborate, filming pertinent scenes in their respective schools and places of interest and subsequently editing them together. Subsequently, we merged the short films to create two exceptional 30-minute videos showcasing the 2023 iG20 event. NJMU-China, as a member of iG20, demonstrated a dedicated commitment to societal and scientific development.
The online meeting photo
