Sustainability
The United Nations stated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) [1] leading the development of our society and protection of our planet. These objectives concern countries within a global partnership, however each initiator of a new project can rely on them to build the most sustainable project possible. Our project met five of the main objectives which are:
Figure 1: The 17 goals.
- • n°3: Good health and well-being
- • n°8: Decent work and economic growth
- • n°9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
- • n°12: Responsible consumption and production
- • n°17: Partnership for the goals
Figure 2: Sustainable Goal Development n°3. Good health and well-being.
The third SDG [2] aims to improve well-being and quality of life through good healthcare for all. Knowing that cancer was the second leading cause of death in 2020 in France, CALIPSO is anchored in this objective, with the aim of offering a more targeted and less invasive approach to cancer treatment.
Cancer is a disease that affects every gender and all age groups. Heavy treatments have a major impact on patients' physical and mental well-being. Offering a treatment with reduced toxicity means fewer side effects for patients. Their healthy cells will be spared as much as possible, causing less pain and fatigue, which help the body in its fight against cancer. Moreover, the liposome is an abiotic transporter which can not replicate, being safer to the body than microorganisms or viruses.
The perspective of offering a treatment that can be adapted to different cancers and diseases also meets this objective. Like its contents, the liposome is a modular carrier. Therefore, it will be accompanying research related to existing diseases, and can be applied to new ones once new receptors or specific metabolites have been discovered.
In addition to safeguarding patients' health, CALIPSO also addresses their well-being (“Target 3.4” of this SDG). Chemotherapy is a life-changing experience which brings new challenges such as getting used to the debilitating effects of treatment. By reducing those side effects, we hope to help patients get through this phase more easily, without feeling disabled or left out, and allow them to live a better life with cancer.
Figure 3: Sustainable Goal Development n°8. Decent work and economix growth.
The eigth SDG [3] recognizes the importance of sustained, shared and sustainable economic growth to provide decent, quality employment for all. In the current economic and environmental context, we would like to implant ourselves in Toulouse, a dynamic cancer research center. This would give us the opportunity to take advantage of all the infrastructures already in place to help new start-ups in the cancer field, such as the Pierre Potier Center where we plan to set up shop. Bringing innovation into this sector would help maintain productivity, by creating new jobs such as research engineers, human resources, technicians. It will reinforce Toulouse’s economic growth and allow us to grow correctly (“Target 8.2” of this SDG).
Apart from economic growth, CALIPSO joins the fight for inclusiveness in the world of work. As a diverse team from the outset, we grew together understanding that diversity is beneficial. Therefore, we make a point of guaranteeing equal pay for work of equal value, and make sure that nobody would feel discriminated. That is why we plan to train our employees against discrimination and harassment. We are committed to maintaining equality and respect among all our employees, as mentioned in “Target 8.5” of this SDG.
Figure 4: Sustainable Goal Development n°9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure.
The ninth SDG [4] aims to reinforce infrastructures and industrialization in an inclusive and responsible way. Technological advances also make it possible to develop sustainable solutions to economic and ecological challenges, such as job creation and the promotion of energy efficiency.
As mentioned in the eigth SDG, we would bring innovation to Toulouse’s cancer field. According to “Target 9.5” which promotes enhanced research and upgraded industrial technologies, the use of liposomes is an innovation which would be a new source of productivity and economic growth. To develop research into the use of liposomes against cancer, we need to procure ourselves all electronic equipment dedicated to liposomes (rotavapor, microscopes, etc.) which will reinforce the corresponding sector.
By implementing ourselves in the Pierre Potier Center, we would also promote and support domestic technology, our start-up living in a city district where research on cancer blooms. We also want our infrastructures to be inclusive by supporting human well-being, and sustainable by being resilient for the years to come.
Figure 5: Sustainable Goal Development n°12. Responsible consumption and production.
The twelfth SDG [5] encourages sustainable use and production to avoid exceeding what the planet can provide us. It is important for actual and newest industries to adapt their functioning to available resources and limit their environmental impact.
We are committed to actively participating in the global movement to create a more sustainable future for humanity. This is why we chose eco-friendly facilities to implement our start-up. The Pierre Potier Center recently led a transformative project focused on sustainability, which notably involved using energy-efficient LED fixtures, upgrading HVAC systems, and improving roof insulation. In agreement with “Target 12.5”, they implemented a recycling program for cardboard, paper, white polystyrene, and even for organic waste through anaerobic digestion.
As mentioned in “Target 12.8” which promotes universal understanding of sustainable lifestyles, we will encourage the use of public transportation and cycling among our employees and aim to make our business trips more environmentally friendly.
Figure 6: Sustainable Goal Development n°17. Partnership for the goals.
To reach a certain goal, it is often necessary and important to collaborate with experts or other institutes to help get all the pieces of information required as mentioned in “Target 17.6” of this SDG [6]. These partnerships fuel the project and must cover all its aspects.
Meeting with experts in the cancer field was vital to help define the project and its importance nowadays. We first met with oncologists and doctors to understand current issues in oncology. Our partnerships with TBI, TWB or CBI enabled us to regularly discuss with experts in microbiology or molecular biology to improve our techniques while experimenting. In terms of dry lab, we collaborated with the LAAS to conceive a structural model and make sure that our idea was possible in vivo. Finally for entrepreneurship, we were followed by Le Catalyseur, a start-up pre-incubator from Toulouse, our sponsors, and a consultant in entrepreneurship who helped us define our business plan and understand the implementation process. In the future, we'd like to maintain these relationships with experts to continue developing a project that's best suited to patients. It will be important to be surrounded by these people to be aware of new developments and innovations.
Finally, it is also enriching to partner with other iGEM teams, living the competition as we do, who could give us real time advice and vice versa. A joint agreement with iGEM Patras Medicine put forward the idea of creating a Safety guide on cell culture, since both our teams use it for their manipulations. This guide will be accessible for the next iGEM teams and help in advancing their project. In agreement with “Target 17.H” of this SDG, we encourage future teams to participate in these resourcing partnerships.
