The Sustainable Development Goals make a historic commitment: the primary goal is to eradicate poverty in every corner of the world forever. The costs associated with ASD mainly encompass six types: (i) medical and healthcare-related service costs, (ii) therapy costs, (iii) (special) education costs, (iv) productivity loss costs for adults with ASD, (v) informal caregiving and productivity loss costs for families, and (vi) accommodation, temporary care, and out-of-pocket expenses. [1] Statistical results indicate that individuals with ASD and families with ASD children incur higher expenses. Education costs appear to be a major component of the expenses for parents of children with ASD, posing a significant economic burden on affected families. In fact, many families are forced to forgo treatment due to poverty.

Whether as medical students or members of an iGEM team, we aspire to bridge the communication gap between autism patients and their families, public healthcare professionals, researchers, social workers, volunteers, entrepreneurs, and more, providing a direct channel for all stakeholders to connect. [More details are available in the "Integrated Human Practices" section]

We will invite more autism experts and doctors to join us. Families with autistic children need more communication and support, reliable professional interventions, and medical education. We hope to create a community of mutual assistance, ensuring that autism families do not feel isolated, enabling early screening and diagnosis, and thus, shortening the treatment process and alleviating the economic burden as much as possible.

Moreover, our team has been working for several years to intervene and improve autism symptoms from various angles. This year, we have taken an innovative approach by exploring small molecule blocking antibodies, screening metabolites from the gut microbiota, and using synthetic biology to engineer bacteria to produce specific gut metabolites. This provides a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of autism. After feasibility testing and clinical trials, we ultimately hope to bring hope to millions of families with autistic individuals by mass-producing specific gut metabolites."

ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social skills, communication abilities, and behavioral patterns in individuals. This condition can be found in all races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups, and its prevalence has been rapidly increasing over the past few decades. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, approximately 1 in 54 children are diagnosed with ASD. [2] Some research reports indicate that the prevalence of ASD is around 1-2% in regions such as Asia, Europe, and North America. [3]

An increasing number of research studies have discovered a subtype of ASD known as autoimmune autism, which is characterized by dysregulation of the autoimmune function. This subtype involves the production of "anti-brain autoantibodies" that target neuronal surface proteins or intracellular proteins, leading to brain inflammation and subsequent development of autism. [4] We aim to design a screening process using a metabolite library derived from the gut microbiota to identify small-molecule metabolites that can competitively inhibit the binding of these antibodies to the brain in children with ASD. This approach may potentially alleviate neuroinflammation and mitigate neural damage to a certain extent.[More details are available in the “Project” section]

During an interview with the CEO of Juliao Rehabilitation Center, we learned that the most common subtype observed in children with autism is food allergies, accounting for over 90% of cases. This has significantly caught our attention. Food intolerance implies that the diet of children with autism needs to be strictly controlled, as their dietary requirements often differ from those of neurotypical individuals, even when following a balanced diet. Disruption of the gut microbiota seems to pose a potential threat, contributing to a range of symptoms including oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions. The role of specific nutrients in the diet and small-molecule metabolites derived from the gut microbiota in the neurodevelopmental and gastrointestinal symptoms of autism patients remains unknown. This could potentially become a focus of our future research.

For these children with ASD, what constitutes a "healthy" lifestyle is a thought-provoking question. Based on our project, we believe in harnessing the power of synthetic biology to provide simpler and more effective treatment approaches for millions of families affected by autism. Our aim is to enable more children, metaphorically described as "52Hz”, to reintegrate into society.

From last year to this year, we have been consistently carrying out volunteer services at Nanjing Jiangning District haizhixing autistic children rehabilitation center. After receiving training, we served as teaching assistants, conducting classes with children with autism. This provided us with a deeper understanding of the autism community. In addition to regular volunteer activities, we help upgrade teaching aids to make them more engaging and safe for children with autism. We also assisted in organizing promotional activities to improve learning environments for children with autism. Notably, we developed a customized learning software specifically for children with autism, aiming to provide them with equal educational opportunities.

We visited Fuzimiao Primary School in Nanjing, where we conducted educational outreach on synthetic biology for fourth-grade students. Our goal was to stimulate their innovative thinking and foster an interest in natural scientific research. Additionally, we introduced the causes of autism and methods of caring for children with autism, aiming to cultivate the correct values and encourage friendly and caring attitudes towards individuals with developmental disorders.

In addition to educating children of middle and younger ages, we also recognized the importance of reaching out to adolescents and university students.

For middle school students, we organized a series of events under the theme "Heartfelt Wishes, Grateful for You" on Mother's Day this year. This series included thematic lectures and gratitude activities. The lectures primarily focused on the impact of maternal health during pregnancy and breastfeeding on fetal development, highlighting the maternal factors that influence the neurodevelopment of offspring. The gratitude activities involved distributing postcards and carnations to students, with heartfelt messages of appreciation and sincere blessings for their mothers written on the postcards.

For high school students, we invited students from different grades of High School Affiliated To Nanjing Normal University to visit the State Key Laboratory at Nanjing Medical University. Through this activity, we aimed to inspire an interest in biological sciences and research, foster innovation and critical thinking, and promote awareness of synthetic biology and the laboratory equipment at the State Key Laboratory. We integrated synthetic biology concepts into this initiative to generate broader societal interest in the field.We also organized a safety education-themed debate competition that incorporated ethical considerations into the debates. This encouraged students to pay attention to ethical issues in experiments, sparking intellectual discussions and promoting skills such as teamwork and logical reasoning. The competition was designed to be both informative and engaging.

For university students, we hosted a letter-sharing event. The objective was to provide a platform for medical professionals with research experience and medical students to actively share and exchange knowledge. This event aimed to facilitate learning and address queries from younger medical students, creating a supportive learning environment. On World Autism Awareness Day, we used various methods, including collecting campus landscape photos, crafting messages of support for autistic children, designing posters, and conducting offline interviews to convey messages of beauty and warmth. Furthermore, we initiated a Synthetic Biology Support for the Wandering Earth Project. Inspired by the science fiction work "The Wandering Earth," we encouraged participants to create synthetic biology or "Wandering Earth"-related models. Throughout this process, we infused knowledge of synthetic biology and the idea that "synthetic biology can help us address problems on Earth, and it is beneficial for humanity." This initiative aimed to enhance students' understanding of synthetic biology.

In addition to the above activities, we utilized various methods such as creating public service videos, performing skits, putting up posters, and posting on social media platforms to promote knowledge about autism and synthetic biology to the general public. Our aim was to provide a deeper understanding of autism to the public and offer an opportunity for those interested in synthetic biology to learn more.[More details are available in the “Education” section].

Our research has uncovered a significant challenge for individuals with autism in the Nanjing region when it comes to employment. Their congenital developmental disabilities make it difficult for them to integrate into society and participate in the workforce. However, to our delight, we have discovered the "Xihan'er" Car Wash Center in Nanjing, a company with a mission to provide employment opportunities for disabled youth, including a substantial proportion of young individuals with autism.

We have established a collaboration with them, offering regular health guidance and support to the employees at the car wash center. This partnership aims to empower adults with autism to have the opportunity for stable and healthy employment. With their own hands, they can work towards creating a brighter future and a sense of belonging, gradually moving towards self- dependence.[More details are available in the “Communication” section]

Although we could not make a difference in the consumption and production patterns of every individual and every factory, we stuck to this goal ourselves in our wet lab work and human practices. Specifically, we tried to reduce unnecessary expenditures and chose digitalization over paperwork. In activities that required using a certain amount of raw materials, such as our simulation to demonstrate the functions of genetic materials, we tried to use mainly recycled ones that could be purchased from environmental groups in the city.

Services for autism in resource-constrained environments remain imbalanced, partly due to competing healthcare priorities, inadequate healthcare system capacity, and the inability to guide and strengthen feasible and sustainable policies and planning in these environments. Many individuals go undiagnosed until late in life or are referred to inappropriate services. [5] We consulted with a professor specializing in neurodevelopmental disorders about regional disparities in autism prevalence, and unfortunately, there is currently limited research on this topic. However, she informed us that more developed regions, such as the Jiangsu,Zhejiang and Shanghai, tend to prioritize autism more and benefit from better healthcare conditions, which may contribute to better treatment for autism patients. In contrast, less developed regions may have relatively limited medical resources, and patients may lack sufficient attention, making it potentially challenging to receive appropriate treatment.

Faced with such regional disparities, we hope to help people in resource-constrained areas by building a network of mutual support for autism.In this network, psychiatric experts, researchers, patients, and their families from different regions can directly communicate, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity for early intervention and early diagnosis and treatment.

As for differences between countries, the situation becomes even more complex. A large-scale exome genetics study of the autistic population in China revealed significant differences in autism susceptibility genes compared to Western populations. This study identified nine new potential ASD pathogenic genes not found in previous autism genetics research in Western populations, suggesting that these may be unique ASD pathogenic genes in the Chinese population. [6] Given these complex realities, our efforts alone are far from sufficient. We hope that more people worldwide can join this autism support network. Additionally, we call for collaboration with autism research groups in other countries to deepen our understanding of regional differences in autism.

1. Safety: We do not use any toxic reagents in our experiments and bacterial production. [For more details, please refer to “Safety Form”]

2. 2.Environmentally friendly: The intestinal metabolites produced by engineered bacteria are all inherent in the human body,which do not pose any harm when used under reasonable doses. Additionally, the recovery and disposal of biogenic metabolites are easy, posing no environmental risks. This reflects our responsible attitude towards the environment and society.

3. 3.4.Sustainable procurement: It is our endeavor to enable governments, businesses, and consumers to promote sustainable consumption and production by purchasing environmentally friendly products and supporting companies with sustainable supply chains.