team intro
As a dedicated group of individuals committed to addressing the daily challenges faced by people, Team ButerACE comprises 15 ambitious students with diverse interests spanning biomedical engineering (including modeling, programming, chemical biology, synthetic biology, and organic chemistry), entrepreneurship, marketing, communication, co-creation, and graphic design. Our collective mission is centered on enhancing the quality of life for those afflicted with sarcopenia, a condition characterized by muscle loss and diminishing strength.In pursuit of an effective solution to combat sarcopenia and assist patients in regaining muscle mass, our team operates with a well-defined division of responsibilities, fostering collaboration to drive our ideas forward. The wet lab team concentrates on refining our product for sarcopenia testing, while the Human Practice lab endeavors to raise awareness about sarcopenia and garner support for our initiatives.Together, we constitute a dynamic and innovative team that places a premium on transparent communication and views challenges as opportunities for growth. Whether we are pioneering groundbreaking solutions, crafting compelling content, or devising strategies for success, Team ButerACE consistently rises to the occasion.
Autobiography
Meng-chen Tsai
Hi, my name is Meng-chen Tsai, and I am currently a grade 11 student. I am interested in human biology and would like to major in biology or other related subjects. I have a good relationship with my grandma who suffers from sarcopenia. She fell down a lot, couldn't get up easily, and couldn't do any exercise at all. I would love to help her and other elders who are also struggling with this issue. Thanks to Igem, I was able to take the information learned in the classroom and apply it to benefit more people.
Chung-Hsuan Wang
Hello guys, my name is Chung-Hsuan Wang. Currently a junior right, and looking forward to applying to biology related majors in the colleges. I like to listen to K-pop (boynextdoor forever). I decided to participate in iGEM because I really want to learn a method to help people and better my community,and iGEM provided me with an opportunity to research a method of helping people.Basically that's all, thank you for reading.
Shan-Yu Lin
Hi! I am Shan-Yu Lin, a twelve grader studying in Taiwan's high school. As one of the members in the ButeurACE, I am confident to say that we're a group of curious minds, mad scientists, and bio-geeks on a mission to shake up the iGEM competition! Our lab isn't just about pipettes and petri dishes; it's where we turn science fiction into science fact. We believe that with the right mix of genes, creativity, and a pinch of craziness, we can tackle some of the planet's most pressing problems.
Jen-Hsien Liu
Hey everyone, my name is Alex Liu, I am currently a junior in Putai High school. I am very proud to have the opportunity to join the iGEM competition,and this is my first year to join the competition. I worked for the wet lab, and I learned so many cool things during the experiments: Transformation, electrophoresis, ligation, digestion, and so many other cool things. iGEM is a valuable experience for me and I have learned so much during this competition. I hope this experience can benefit me during the future.
Yi-Jing Yang
Hi, my name is Yi-Jing Yang. I am interested in marketing. I follow k-pop stars and VTubers during my free time. I am interested in marketing that can make any kind of product known by the world.It is my honor to join the iGEM team, ButeurACE, this year and introduce our product through collaboration and social media. I have learned a lot during the chance to communicate with our teammate and other iGEMers.
Chen Yu Chang
Greetings! I'm Chen Yu Chang, a passionate explorer of the fascinating world of synthetic biology. My journey in this field began with a deep-seated curiosity about the potential of genetic engineering to transform our world. I thrive on challenges and am dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in synthetic biology. Whether I'm in the human practice group conducting outreach and investigation or collaborating with fellow iGEM enthusiasts, I'm continually motivated to learn and innovate. Join me on this exciting adventure as we unravel the mysteries of life at the molecular level and work towards creating a better future through the power of synthetic biology. Let's connect, collaborate, and make a meaningful impact together! Thank you for stopping by, and I look forward to sharing my journey with you.
Wen-I Chaing
Hello, I'm Andy Chiang, a member of the Human Practice team responsible for communication. I'm enthusiastic about fostering communication and teamwork to generate innovative ideas. My passion lies in developing humanitarian projects that improve people's lives, which is why I've been involved in IGEM. Furthermore, IGEM offers me a valuable chance to acquire diverse skills like communication and marketing strategies.On a more personal note, I'm a big Kpop fan, regularly immersing myself in the captivating world of Kpop music during my moments of leisure. Additionally, I enjoy watching dramas and reading novels for entertainment.
Akimizu Sugiyama
Hi, my name is Akimizu Sugiyama. I am interested in mechanical engineering. I like to play basketball and watch anime during my free time. I am interested in building machines that can facilitate people’s lives. I decided to participate in iGEM because I was interested in helping people by using knowledge. Therefore, iGEM provided me with an opportunity to research a method of helping people. Also, by doing iGEM I have learned many biological knowledge that made me capable of helping people.
Ping-Sen Lu
Hello, I'm Benson Lu, and I'm from Taiwan. I really love biology, and it's what motivates me every day. I'm part of the PTSH iGEM community, and we're all really passionate about exploring synthetic biology. We work hard on research, come up with new ideas, and collaborate to solve real-world problems using genetically engineered solutions. Our team has people with different backgrounds and skills, but we all come together to push the limits of what we can do in biotechnology. Our projects aren't just science experiments; they also show how committed we are to doing science that's ethical, sustainable, and responsible. We're eager to share what we discover, learn from others, and encourage more people to join us in this amazing journey of discovery and innovation.
Hung-Yu Lee
Hi, iGEM fam! I'm Hung-Yu Lee, the leader and founder of Team PTSH Taiwan 2023. This year, I'm a wet lab member and am responsible for some gene constructs and experiments. iGEM's been a wild ride, exposing me to the coolest tech and introducing me to awesome iGEMers worldwide. I've seriously grown through this journey and plan to keep riding the science wave. Also, I'm a massive Kpop fan and a dance floor enthusiast. While I'm knee-deep in research, you can bet I'll be jamming to Kpop tracks. Let's keep the science vibes alive and groovy!
Zih-Lei Ho
Hi everyone! I’m Renee, part of IGEM ButeurACE’s HR team. Inside the team, I am responsible for writing and editing words that appear on anything from posters and Instagram posts to letters to professors and invitations for collaborations to other IGEM teams, as well as making some of the posts you would see if you click into our team’s beautiful Instagram account. Outside the team, I am known for having a passion for reading fictions, writing poems and stories, and drawing dumb little figures. My favorite thing to do in my freetime is binge-watching Brooklynn 99 for the one-hundredth time while crocheting, and anyone who listens to Conan Gray or Arctic Monkeys and reads Percy Jackson growing up is welcome to be my friend.
Phoebe Ko
Hey there! I'm Phoebe, an artist with a passion for biology. I've had the amazing opportunity to work on innovative projects with my iGEM team, working on the topic of sarcopenia. My role is to visually bring biology to life, making it more accessible and engaging for everyone. I have created promotional images about the symptoms of sarcopenia Through art and science, I'm on a mission to inspire curiosity and appreciation for the wonders of the natural world.
Pei-Xuan Yang
I'm Annie, a website and animation designer in the igem team. My mission is to visually convey the wonders of biology. Through captivating websites and animations, I transform intricate concepts into accessible and engaging experiences. I bridge the gap between science and the public, making complex research comprehensible and captivating.I create visuals that simplify complex biology concepts, making science more accessible and engaging for all.Together with my team, we make science an art that educates and inspires.
Peng-Lin Chung
Hello, I am Morris, a dedicated member of the Human Practice team, where my primary role is to orchestrate and oversee our team's events, ensuring each one unfolds seamlessly. My professional journey has honed my knack for fostering effective reciprocal communication. I thrive on building connections and leveraging them to secure exciting opportunities for our team, forging partnerships with like-minded organizations. What truly sets me apart is my ability to radiate positivity and inspire those around me. I take pride in being a veritable generator of enthusiasm, infusing every project with a contagious sense of optimism. Colleagues often find that working alongside me is a joy, as my passion for collaboration knows no bounds. Furthermore, I'm a staunch believer in the power of brainstorming and idea sharing. I relish engaging with my teammates in spirited discussions, irrespective of whether an idea is deemed good or bad. For me, every idea is a stepping stone towards innovation and growth. I look forward to contributing my unique blend of skills and personality to our team's continued success.
Tun-Sheng Yang
This is my first year of participating in the Igem. As a member of the team, I mainly participate in the Dry Lab research and the Human Practice work. For me, I thought it was a great chance for me to learn something new. In addition, I hope I can learn some chemistry related knowledge and experiment, which might be useful in the future.
Team Member Contributions
| Name | Role | General Task | Specific Task |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jui-Jen Chang | PI | Conceptualization Supervision | (1) Conceptualization - proposing the topic of this year, proposing that we use the concept of live biotherapeutic product to treat sarcopenia (2) Supervision - participated in and reviewed all the work, make sure we do not lose track of IGEM schedule, project quality control |
| Lovely Pablo Moral | PI | Superviosn | (2) Supervision - participated in and reviewed all the work, make sure we do not lose track of IGEM schedule |
| Chia-Yi Kao | Instructor | Superviosn | (2) Supervision - participated in and reviewed all the work, make sure we do not lose track of IGEM schedule, guide the team through experiment |
| Hung-Yu Lee | Student Leader | Supervision Project Administration Analysis Background Research Data Curation Investigation Safety Wiki Coding Visualization Writing Public Engagement Other |
(1) Supervision - participated in and reviewed all the work, make sure we do not lose track of IGEM schedule, project quality control (2) Project administration - managing and coordinating the project activities, planning, and execution (3) Analysis - analyze colony PCR data, HPLC data, (4) Background Research - literature review for the design of gene construct and experiment (5) Data curation - experimental data maintenance (6) investigation - NMN secretion system construction, performing NMN HPLC, Astaxanthin secretion system construction, bacillus kill switch construction , kluyveromyces kill switch construction, conduct the N2S experiment to test if bacillus kill switch and kluyveromyces kill switch work. (7) Safety - ensure safety during experiment, helped edit safety form, research about safety guidelines (8) Wiki coding - code for team wiki (9) Visualization - wiki design (10) Writing - write for wiki (11) Public Engagement - contact between the team and PI, and the team and iGEM Headquarters, interview with physiatrists, neurologists, orthopedists, consult with gene experts, giving lecture on sarcopenia, synthetic biology, and IGEM, sarcopenia quiz game preparation, health education in elderly day-care center (12) Other - designing NMN secretion system, designing astaxanthin secretion system, designing bacillus kill switch, designing kluyveromyces kill switch |
| Jen-Hsien Liu | Student | Analysis Background Research Investigation Data Curation Notebook Safety Writing Public Engagement Other |
(1) Analysis - analyze colony PCR, HPLC data (2) Background Research - literature review for the design of gene construct and experiment (3) investigation - NMN secretion system construction, performing NMN HPLC, Astaxanthin secretion system construction, bacillus kill switch construction , kluyveromyces kill switch construction, conduct the N2S experiment to test if bacillus kill switch and kluyveromyces kill switch work. (4) Data curation - experimental data maintenance (5) Notebook - writing project notebook to keep track of things (6) Safety - experiment safety, helped edit safety form, develop kill switch for our live biotherapeutic product, research about safety guidelines (10) Writing - write for wiki, finish part registry (11) Public Engagement - contact between the team and PI, and the team and iGEM Headquarters, consult with gene experts, giving lecture on sarcopenia, synthetic biology, and IGEM, sarcopenia quiz game preparation (12) Other - designing NMN secretion system, designing astaxanthin secretion system, designing bacillus kill switch, designing kluyveromyces kill switch |
| Chen-Yu Chang | Student | Conceptualization Project Administration Background Research Analysis Visualization Writing Entrepreneurship Public Engagement |
(1) Conceptualization - helped us come up with the initial idea for human practice (2) Project administration: managing and coordinating the project activities, planning, and execution (3) Background Research: literature review on the sarcopenia market and industry (4) Analysis: analyze sarcopenia industry and market (5) Visualization - wiki design (6) Writing: write for wiki (7) Entrepreneurship: purchasing, develop a business model, (8) Public Engagement: interview with physiatrists, neurologists, orthopedists, giving lecture on sarcopenia, synthetic biology, and IGEM, sarcopenia quiz game preparation, health education in elderly day-care center |
| Meng-Chen Tsai | Student | Background Research Investigation Visualization Writing Public Engagement Other |
(1) Background Research: literature review for the design of gene construct and experiment (2) investigation: HMB secretion system construction, performing HMB HPLC (3) Visualization: filming team video (4) Writing: write for wiki, finish part registry (5) Public Engagement: consult with gene experts (6) Other: designing HMB secretion system |
| Yi-Jing Yang | Student | Visualization Writing Public Engagement |
(1) Visualization: wiki design, video editing (2) Writing: compiling sarcopenia handbook, collaboration postcard for team KCIS-Xiugang-Taipei (3) Public Engagement: public relations, social media management, sarcopenia quiz game preparation |
| Chung-Hsuan Wang | Student | Background Research Investigation Safety Visualization Writing Public Engagement Other |
(1) Background Research: literature review for the design of gene construct and experiment (2) investigation: HMB secretion system construction, performing HMB HPLC (3) Safety: helped edit safety form (4) Visualization: wiki design (5) Writing: write for wiki, finish part registry (6) Public Engagement: consult with gene experts (7) Other: designing HMB secretion system |
| Peng-Lin Chung | Student | Project Administration Public Engagement |
(1) Project administration: managing and coordinating the project activities, planning, and execution (2) Public Engagement: interview with physiatrists, neurologists, orthopedists, giving lecture on sarcopenia, synthetic biology, and IGEM, health education in elderly day-care center |
| Wen-I Chiang | Student | Writing Public Engagement |
(1) Writing: writing document (2) Public Engagement: interview with physiatrists, neurologists, orthopedists, giving lecture on sarcopenia, synthetic biology, and IGEM, sarcopenia quiz game preparation, health education in elderly day-care center |
| Shan-Yu Lin | Student | Writing Engagement Modeling |
(1) Writing: compiling sarcopenia handbook (2) Public Engagement: interview with physiatrists, neurologists, orthopedists (3) Modeling: HPLC model |
| Zih-Lei Ho | Student | Visualization Writing Public Engagement |
(1) Visualization: wiki design (2) Writing: writing a document about Taiwanese animal for collaboration with team Unicrete, compiling sarcopenia handbook, fact-check and verify the text generated by ChatGPT (3) Public Engagement: public relations, social media management |
| Sugiyama Akimizu | Student | Analysis Writing Modeling |
(1) Analysis: analyze the result of sarcopenia questionnaire (2) Writing: construction of sarcopenia questionnaire (3) Modeling: HPLC model |
| Ping-Sen Lu | Student | Background Research Safety |
(1) Background Research: literature review for the design of gene construct and experiment (2) Investigation: PQQ secretion system construction, (3) Safety: writing the safety form (4) Public Engagement: giving lecture on sarcopenia, synthetic biology, and IGEM |
| Tun-Sheng Yang | Student | Analysis Writing Modeling |
(1) Analysis: analyze the result of sarcopenia questionnaire (2) Writing: compiling sarcopenia handbook, construction of sarcopenia questionnaire (3) Modeling: HPLC model |
| Phoebe Ko | Student | Visualization Public Engagement |
(1) Visualization: logo design, graphic design for website and presentation (2) Public Engagement: interview with physiatrists, neurologists, orthopedists, health education in elderly day-care center |
| Pei-Xuan Yang | Student | Visualization Public Engagement |
(1) Visualization: logo design, graphic design for website and presentation (2) Public Engagement: sarcopenia quiz game preparation |
| Sabrina Yeo Samuel | Adviser | Conceptualization Supervision |
(1) Conceptualization: propose that we can do kill switch (2) Supervision - participated in and reviewed all the work, make sure we do not lose track of IGEM schedule, project quality control |
| Hsin-Wei Yeh | Adviser | Conceptualization Supervision |
(1) Conceptualization: gives us some ideas on the human practice activity. (2) Supervision - participated in and reviewed all the work, make sure we do not lose track of IGEM schedule, project quality control |
External Contributions
| 1. Name | 2. Institution Type | 3. Relationship to team | 4. General Task | 5. Specific tasks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TWBIO | Industry | Sponsor | Investigation | Provided the team laboratory and free experimental materials. |
| Xiu Chuan | Industry | External Advisor | Other | Advising the team on the medical aspects of our products |
| IDT | Industry | Sponsor | Investigation | Provided gene fragments to the team |
| Twist | Industry | Sponsor | Investigation | Provided gene fragments to the team |
| Xiuheting | Non profit | External Advisor | Other | Advising the team on the medical aspects of our products |
| ChatGPT | Industry | Contractor | Writing | We used GPT-4 for the initial draft of writing our background and conclusion text. The references were verified and writing was fact-checked and edited by the team. |
| uniCRETE | IGEM team | Collaborator | Writing | Contribute a passage to our handbook |
| KCIS-Xiugang-Taipei | IGEM team | Collaborator | Writing | Contribute a passage to our handbook |
| National Taiwan University of Science and Technology | Academic | External Advisor | Invesigation | assist in doing HPLC test |
Project Timeline
| 1. Project Activity | 2. Start Date | 3. End Date | 4. Total Time (weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lab training | 2022/11/ 12 | 2023/1/19 | 9 |
| 2. Recruit Team Members | 2/13 | 2/26 | 2 |
| 3. Familiarize with iGEM | 3/1 | 3/24 | 3 |
| 4. Development of Project Plan | 3/1 | 4/10 | 6 |
| 5. Background Research | 3/1 | 4/10 | 6 |
| 6. Discussion and Interview with doctors | 3/15 | 6/9 | 11 |
| 7. Discussion and Interview with researchers | 3/10 | 7/15 | 17 |
| 8. Day-care center visit | 6/5 | 6/5 | 1 |
| 9. Collaboration with Unicrete | 5/5 | 5/12 | 1 |
| 10. Collaboration with KCIS-Xiugang-Taipei | 5/3 | 9/10 | |
| Giving lecture on sarcopenia, synthetic biology, and IGEM in school | 7/6 | 7/14 | 1 |
| 11. Handbook | 5/3 | 9/10 | 18 |
| 12. Giving lecture on sarcopenia, synthetic biology, and IGEM in school | 3/20 | 3/20 | 1 |
| 13. Sarcopenia quiz game | 6/2 | 6/2 | 1 |
| 14. Public Survey | 6/1 | 6/30 | 4 |
| 15. Business model development | 6/8 | 7/10 | 4 |
| 16. NMN secretion system design | 4/15 | 5/10 | 3 |
| 17. Astaxanthin secretion system design | 2022/12/24 | 2/28 | 8 |
| 18. HMB secretion system design | 4/15 | 5/1 | 2 |
| 19. Bacillus kill switch design | 5/30 | 7/3 | 4 |
| 20. Kluyveromyces kill switch design | 5/30 | 7/3 | 4 |
| 21. NMN secretion system construction I | 6/2 | 7/15 | 6 |
| 22. Astaxanthin secretion system construction | 3/29 | 5/20 | 7 |
| 23. HMB secretion system construction | 6/2 | 7/1 | 1 |
| 24. NMN secretion test | 9/15 | 9/15 | 1 |
| 25 NMN secretion redesign | 9/16 | 9/30 | 2 |
| 26. HMB secretion test | 9/16 | 9/16 | 1 |
| 27. Astaxanthin secretion Test | 5/27 | 7/1 | 5 |
| 28. Modeling | 10/4 | 10/5 | 1 |
| 29. Building team wiki | 9/1 | 10/12 | 6 |
| 30. Filming Promotion Video | 8/18 | 9/10 | 3 |
| 31. writing project notebook | 2/25 | 10/11 | 32 |