PTX and other targeted drugs are currently very common methods for cancer treatment. Cancer, as a challenging and difficult-to-treat disease, affects a wide age range, not only middle-aged and elderly people but also yonger populations. In light of this, our current education focus is on cancer awareness and prevention. We are dedicated to disseminating cancer-related knowledge to the general public in an accessible manner. We have planned three offline events and two online series of activities. This initiative not only serves to raise awareness but also contributes to our ongoing research efforts from a different perspective.
In order to disseminate the knowlege of synthetic biology and cancer to a yonger audience, our iGEM team came to the Kangjian community center. Our event for chidlren aged 7-12 lasted an hour and a half.
To cater to the learning interests of kids in this age group, We designed several activities. This included introducing them to symptoms of cancer through drawings, familiarizing them with cancer-relate vocabulary through word searches, explaining the characteristics of cancer cells through clay making, and introducing them to targeted drugs through a falling ball activity.
In addition to the warm-up quiz, we divided the whole course into two parts when planning. In the first part, we focused on explaining what cancer is and its symptoms. In the second part, we focused on cancer prevention and treatment, and educating the children about targeted drugs!
Figure 1a&b. Education slides
(Click here to view our educational project attachment-1)
Clearly, our course was very well-received by these lovely kids. We could see their happiness reflected in their smiles and their enthusiastic participation during our activities and teaching sessions. More than ten kids joined our course, and they demonstrated excellent engagement both during and after the class.
Figure 2. Having the lesson
Figure 3. Knowledge testing quiz
Figure 4. Group photo
Roll up banner
The first item we prepared was the roll up banner, which was used to attract passers-by and participants. On this roll up banner, there was an introduction of our project, team introduction and background knowledge about cancer. It also displayed the location and time of the event, and the contact information of our team. It promotes our team while spreading the knowledge of science.
Figure 5. roll up banner
Stickers
We prepared a large number of stickers. In order to make the children more active during the lesson, we used the stickers as rewards. During the activity, the children behaved much better than we expected in order to get the stickers. These stickers not only have our team's logo on them, but also pictures of cancer cells, which is also a form of publicity.
Figure 6. stickers
Warm-up game-‘You Draw, I Guess’
Before the official start of the science class, we prepared a warm-up game called ‘You Draw, I Guess’. In this game, one person draws something, and the others try to guess what it is. We wrote down some of the symptoms of cancer on small cards, such as fatigue and vomiting, so that the children could learn about cancer in an entertaining way.
Figure 7. The words on the cards represent various symptoms associated with cancer, such as fatigue, vomiting, weight loss, headaches, and more.
A word search game
We prepared a word search game about cancer, which was a great way to practice the children's English skills and to learn English words about cancer. In this game, the children were provided with a grid of letters where they had to find and circle English words associated with cancer, such as 'DRUG,' 'TUMOR,' 'THERAPY,' 'HEALTHY,' 'PACLITAXEL' and more. This not only made learning fun but also facilitated the acquisition of medical terminology in English."
Figure8. The grid of letters
An educational game
One educational game was pinching clay. We first gave pictures of cancer cells with our own models of cancer cells for the kids to pinch with us. The children were able to make a very good image of a cancer cell. This process allowed them to learn about the shape of cancer cells first hand.
Figure 9. Clays
On August 15th, we organized a small art exhibition to promote cancer awareness. This time the art exhibition was open to all age groups, whether it is children, or the elderly can come to see. We hope that through this kind of art, we can better popularize science to the public.
The theme of this art exhibition was cancer. The first part of the exhibition was the modeling of cancer cells made of clay. These models were made not only by our team members, but also by the children who participated in the previous offline activities. The second part was our hand-drawn posters addressing various aspects of cancer, including the difference between normal cells and cancer cells, the harm caused by cancer, and foods that may cause cancer. In the last part, we drew the principle of targeted drugs against cancer and modeled the ELISA kit with clay.
We organized a competition on cancer for secondary school students aged between 12 and 18, with the main objective of educating them about cancer and the fight against it, as well as testing the prevalence of such knowledge. Registration forms were distributed to all classes on September 4th and collected on September 5th. On September 6th, we conducted a preliminary test and selected suitable candidates to participate in the competition. From September7th to September 8th, we educated them and allowed them to prepare on their own, and the final competition was held on September 9th. The winners received prizes from us!
Online Lecture
We conducted an online popular science lecture for middle-aged and elderly people (40-60 years old), and provided them with more possibilities and methods to avoid and treat cancer by introducing the current situation of cancer, prevention methods, treatment methods and related suggestions. As the most important group of cancer patients, such people are relatively likely to suffer from cancer, and their relatives around them may be suffering from cancer. Our popular science lecture hopes to further enhance the middle-aged and elderly people's attention to cancer and promote our research products from another angle, and at the same time contribute to one of the sustainable development goals-health and well-being.
Wechat Official Account
Figure 10. Screenshots of the first post
Figure 11a-d. Screenshots of the members' introduction
After our WeChat Official Account was on the air, we posted our first article. This article has garnered 1,213 views and provides information about cancer, the top ten types of newly diagnosed cancer cases in China, and global cancer incidence.
In this article, we also introduced our team composition to help people get to know us. We introduced the origin of our team name. Our iGEM competition team is officially named Paclisa, a combination of 'paclitaxel,' a chemotherapy drug, and 'ELISA,' a method for quantifying antibody antigen levels. The article explains the meaning behind our logo, which prominently features a yew tree branch as paclitaxel is derived from yew trees. The logo also incorporates our team name, Paclisa. Our team's slogan is 'Discovering PTX's Hidden Depths with ELISA Proficiency.
Figure 12a&b. Screenshots of the second article
In our second article, we condensed insights from our conversation with Dr. Zhang, a cancer expert, into several key takeaways:
l Paclitaxel, a widely-used cancer drug, is generally safe and unlikely to be replaced soon.
l Various paclitaxel formulations with different properties exist, reducing costs.
l Patients consider effectiveness, side effects, and cost when choosing treatments.
l Our team conducts outreach on cancer prevention and health knowledge.
l Precise cancer drug targeting remains challenging.
l Although efforts reduce side effects, they persist.
l Paclitaxel, originally from yew trees in the UK, is now synthesized.
Our article has been read by nearly 400 people, emphasizing the value and power of sharing professional knowledge to help more individuals access practical information.
Figure 13. Screenshots of the third article
We have since published an article to give the public some TIPS on combating cancer, including daily diet, lifestyle habits, and more. Our purpose is to make the public aware of anti-cancer strategies their potential impact on our social life. We hope expand their understanding on cancer and further understand our project. To date, this article has been read by over 190 people.
Xiaohongshu Channel
Figure 14. Homepage of our Xiaohongshu account
In addition to WeChat, we also created our own Xiaohongshu account for greater reach. Xiaohongshu is a social platform that has gained popularity in China recently, with a highly engaged user base, spanning from young adults to middle-aged individuals. We posted some of our daily routines on it, as well as some with logos and slogans about our team and so on. Some members of this online community have responded positively to our project.
Through different educational events, including science classes for children, offline art exhibition, campus quiz, and the development of an online platform, we have been able to spread knowledge about cancer and related sythetic biology knowledge. By targeting the elderly to children, we were able to engage the general public and better inform them about the fight against cancer and our project.