Online meeting with Mr. Yang, CRAG Barcelona Group Leader

• Overviewing our new project to the experts
• Get some adivse about microalgae transformation method

Result: We talked about our current research direction and, in particular, delved into troubleshooting related to microalgae and yeast transformation. Additionally, we had a detailed discussion about the challenge of matching the expression rates of toxin and antitoxin and received recommendations for promoters that could help with this task. Overall, I found our discussion to be very helpful in various aspects of our research.

Researching about the current challenges facing the Korean bio-industry

• Lack of business model (BM) that leads to performance.
• Declining economic feasibility due to high input costs throughout the value chain
• Gap in technological capabilities between leading companies and latecomers

Result: We can solve the input cost problem in the white bio field through our own items. In addition, it is possible to capture a larger share by taking advantage of the lack of a white bio business model and the fact that the domestic market is in its early stages.

Teaching basic synthetic biology experiments to high school students

Communication and education are especially important in synthetic biology, where misinformation about genetically modified organisms can hinder the advancement of research. Synthetic biology has the power to change the real world, and the work that scientists do in the lab has the potential to be used to drive positive changes in perception from governments and the general public. For this to happen, these studies need to be properly communicated!

Interview company C, which has a big pie in the domestic Bio industry

Biosafety issues, both domestically and internationally,

are very important things in researching GMO research.

The Korean domestic company C, operating in the bio-GMO sector,

is a leading player in the field of biochemistry, with its flagship product being PHA (biodegradable plastic).

Activity: They have submitted GM notifications for some of the amino acid products developed through GMO in the United States and are progressing with their product development.

Interview Contents: They noted, "Even in the United States, where GM regulations are relatively lenient compared to other countries, proving that the genes inserted for strain development do not undergo horizontal gene transfer to the environment or other organisms is the most challenging aspect due to complex regulatory procedures.

Meeting with synthetic biology research center of Korea Research Institute of Biology and Biotechnology leader Dr. Dahee Lee

The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology is a Korean government-funded biotechnology research institute established in 1985. In 2013, it established a synthetic biology center centered on microbiology majors, and was promoted to SBRC in 2022.
This research institute has been leading national life science technology innovation and bio-industry development by establishing domestic and international research bases, basic research, building infrastructure, and creating a bio-ecosystem. Currently, it is conducting genome synthesis, directed evolution, solving carbon neutrality issues, and standardization.
There are research areas in biomedical application, plastic upcycling, methanotroph engineering, cultured meat, and biofoundry.

Adivsor Dr. Dahee Lee:
Interview Contents: The public's perception of LMOs in Korea is still negative because the media has mainly covered negative issues about LMOs with provocative article titles to attract attention. In the case of the United States, even if the drug is a microorganism, as long as its safety and effectiveness are verified, clinical trials can continue with FDA approval, investment can be received, and related research can become active.
On the other hand, in Korea, sanctions are severe simply because the drug is a living organism, so countries with open possibilities, such as the United States, are further ahead in the technological competition. He said that it is a very difficult situation for synthetic biology to be researched, and that in order for us to conduct synthetic biology research in this situation, we must first change laws and systems and refinance.

Interview Contents: They noted, "Even in the United States, where GM regulations are relatively lenient compared to other countries, proving that the genes inserted for strain development do not undergo horizontal gene transfer to the environment or other organisms is the most challenging aspect due to complex regulatory procedures.

Surveying the public's perception of LMOs in Korea

Awareness of genetically modified organisms in Korea is low. But there are great concerns about safety.

Contents: Depending on major, 39 people in the humanities and social sciences field, 40 people in the natural sciences field, 86 people in the engineering field, 14 people in the arts and physical education field, and 3 high school graduates participated. Of these, 17 people were in life-related occupations. About GMO awareness, 26% of people responded that they did not know, 45% of people responded that they knew to some extent, and 29% of people responded that they knew to some extent. When thinking about genetically modified organisms, 78 people (43%) responded that food was the most common, followed by GMO and LMO with 37 people (20%), and 22 people (12%) had a negative perception. In addition, 22 people (12%) responded to innovative technology, 14 people (8%) to modified animals, 2 people (1%) to other opinions, and 7 people (4%) to don't know.

Visiting ABLE Labs to learn about lab automation

ABLE Labs is a rookie startup for lab automation, which offers automatic liquid handlers at a reasonable price. We visited there and earned their insight on lab automation.

Advisor Ph. D. Seungheon Kim: through the interview with Ph. D. Seungheon Kim, who is responsible for the solution team. We realized the specification of the machine is not only important, but also operation plan also matters. There are many automatic handlers in the market and some products function slower than manual works. However, this is still beneficial as its operator coordinates his schedule in the way of minimizing repetitive work. Without sophisticated operation planning, the introduction of automatic machines may not increase workflow efficiency much if further steps are still manual. Therefore, understanding the concept of lab automation is crucial for the operator to maximize its utility. In addition, we also noticed that the interests of customers not only aim for speed and precision, rather their desires are various such as they also want to operate quietly when it comes to working together in the same room. To meet the desires of customers, a trade-off with cost is needed. A smaller number of sensors leads to better cost but less robustness. ABLE Labs has been concerned about its position in the market, compared to its competitors. As it decided to offer economical products with enough robustness, the number of sensors for its handler was implemented compactly.

We also asked how they work. Lab automation is the interdisciplinary domain where biotechnology meets mechanical engineering. Since it is highly difficult for a single person to earn all knowledge related to this, communication between two different groups is mandatory and crucial during product development. Dr. Kim said that a manager is required to know them up to a certain level since comments from one team need to be translated into the compatible academic language of the other team. Of course, this is hard but necessary. We heard that the experience is also a good solution for hardware engineers to understand actual biological lab experiments. Dr. Kim said that engineers had experience in manipulating pipets for a better understanding of cell handling.