Since May of last year, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Qiqi underwent an open surgery. Subsequently, in June, she commenced her first round of chemotherapy, concluding the third round in August. She is currently preparing for the fourth round of treatment. The chemotherapy process is exceedingly painful, and the degree of side effects varies due to differences in individual physical conditions and medication dosages. Qiqi experiences acute drug reactions, with symptoms of nausea and vomiting occurring on the same day as the chemotherapy.

In the process of preparing for iGEM, Peking2023 's project focuses on pancreatic cancer-targeting engineered bacteria. When addressing our audience, we inevitably delve into topics related to disease and mortality, as the two are closely intertwined. What is life? What is death? How do young people in Chinese society confront the topic of life and death? These are questions that we are deeply concerned about.
Initially, we distributed questionnaires to young people and discovered that when facing illness, most individuals in Chinese society fear that they or their loved ones might succumb to it. However, they consciously avoid discussing the topic of death. When it comes to talking about death, only seven percent of respondents felt at ease. At the same time, most people contemplate the meaning of life and death, yet they lack relevant knowledge about life and death education. Finally, the vast majority believe that society and schools should provide life and death education for adolescents. Therefore, through our participation in iGEM education initiatives, we hope to contribute to the progress of life and death education in Chinese society.

Due to traditional cultural taboos and other factors, research on death-related issues in mainland China is relatively limited, and there is a significant lack of life and death education. However, the significance of life and death is not diminished by folk taboos, and we cannot afford to avoid these important issues. Our team members initially reached out to students from Peking University's School of Social Sciences, particularly those in the Yan Fu Program, for interviews on the choices related to life and death. Later, we invited Dr. Lei Aimin, who first acknowledged the importance of our recognition of life and death education, and discussed the current situation of its implementation in China.

Peking2023 published the interview content, which generated significant responses from fellow students. Consequently, we decided to invite Dr. Lei to Peking University to conduct a lecture on the subject of thanatology. Dr. Lei began his lecture by discussing the concepts of cardiac death and brain death, providing a comprehensive understanding of what the process of "death" entails for individuals. He also shared the five stages of psychological development in terminally ill patients, ranging from denial and anger to eventual acceptance. We were also fortunate to interview Professor Ke Yang, during which we discussed the current situation and challenges of providing end-of-life care to terminally ill patients in China.

High school students education

Lectures

Later on, we began conducting lectures for high school students nationwide, educating them about synthetic biology while also sharing knowledge about life and death education. We hoped that these students could gain a better understanding of life and no longer fear the occurrence of death. The education group launched synthetic biology education projects in middle schools, covering 13 provinces(or municipalities), Hong Kong and Macau.