Image

Human Practices

Interviews

Matchamon (Nam) Pianapitham

We reached out to Nam as a first stepping stone in our iGEM journey. Nam introduced us to engineering concepts and helped deepen our understanding of synthetic biology and iGEM. She recommended a local approach—thinking of a problem we have in Switzerland or exploring areas of study conducted at nearby universities. This led us to a paper from the University of Geneva on the use of EGFR mutation in ctDNA as a target for diagnostics, sparking the start of Aptagenix.

WHO

She shared her experience of starting an iGEM team in high school with no prior experience, showing us that it was achievable, even at our age.

EPFL iGEM Team

WHO

We contacted the EPFL iGEM team to provide us with lab space for our experiments. Throughout September, we shared lab space with their team and conducted our research. We also received advice from graduate students supervising the team:

  • Protect the DNA from phi29 exonuclease activity by adding terminal modifications.
  • Increase the concentration of DNA in the protocols to better detect the DNA after ligation, as there may not be enough DNA quantity to be detected by the plate reader.

Angel Thibault

Angel Thibault provided invaluable advice on the next steps in validating our ideas. After presenting our project, Angel recommended several alternatives to simplify the experiments, such as using premade RCA kits with buffers, DNA ligase, and polymerase. This greatly helped us order the correct materials with the right concentrations, saving time.

Additionally, Angel helped us develop steps in our experiments, such as using gel electrophoresis to validate the success of RCA.

Cancer: A Global Issue

Cancer is one of the world’s most serious health issues. According to the World Health Organization, in 2022 there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths.

WHO

Cancer is especially prevalent in developed countries, where other causes of death—such as infectious diseases and maternal mortality—have been significantly reduced. Throughout our project, we aimed to increase the accessibility of cancer diagnosis and expand the goals of healthy living for various groups of people.

WHO

Two of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) align with our project's objectives:

  1. SDG 3: Good health and well-being.
  2. SDG 10: Reduced inequalities.

Lung Cancer: A Leading Cause of Death

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, with 2.5 million new cases accounting for 12.4% of the total. It is also the leading cause of cancer deaths, with 1.8 million deaths (18.7% of the total).

A global survey by the WHO revealed significant inequities in cancer services. Lung cancer-related services are 4–7 times more likely to be included in healthcare benefit packages (HBPs) in high-income countries than in lower-income countries. For some services, like stem-cell transplantation, the disparity is even wider—12 times more likely to be covered in high-income countries.

Global Impact of Our Project

Our project seeks to address these disparities by providing simple, cheap, fast, and non-invasive cancer diagnostic tools. This is particularly crucial for low-income regions, rural areas, and healthcare systems with limited resources.

Developing Countries

  • Sub-Saharan Africa: Many countries face challenges accessing advanced diagnostics due to limited healthcare infrastructure. A more accessible diagnostic kit would greatly enhance cancer detection.
  • South Asia: Countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have large populations with limited access to high-end medical facilities.

“Countries in the WHO African region had an estimated 811,200 new cancer cases (4.5% of the world population) and 534,000 cancer deaths (7.3% of the total world) in 2018.” - [1]

Remote and Rural Areas

  • Rural China and India: Many areas lack advanced diagnostic facilities.
  • Latin America: Countries like Brazil, Peru, and Colombia face difficulties in gathering data, as only 20% of people lived in areas with a population-based cancer registry in 2014.

Low-Income Urban Areas

  • Urban Slums: Cities like Nairobi, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro face significant income disparities. Low-cost diagnostic options can improve healthcare access for underprivileged communities.

Healthcare Systems with Limited Resources

  • Southeast Asia: Countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have growing healthcare needs, but limited access to advanced diagnostics.
  • Eastern Europe: Nations with transitioning economies, such as Ukraine and Belarus, could benefit from affordable, effective cancer diagnostics.

Conclusion

It is crucial for people to be diagnosed as early as possible to receive timely treatment. Early diagnosis makes cancer easier to combat and control. Our project aims to provide simple, cheap, fast, and non-invasive cancer diagnosis, without the need for expensive equipment like CT scans. This makes our solution applicable anywhere in the world, particularly in underserved and impoverished areas.

Bibliography

[1] Olabode Omotoso, et al. “Addressing Cancer Care Inequities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Current Challenges and Proposed Solutions.” International Journal for Equity in Health, vol. 22, no. 1, 11 Sept. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01962-y.

[2] CANCER CONTROL, ACCESS and INEQUALITY in LATIN AMERICA: A Tale of Light and Shadow.

[3] Rose, Nicole, et al. “Disparities in Access to Cancer Diagnostics in ASEAN Member Countries.” The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, vol. 32, 1 Mar. 2023, pp. 100667–100667, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2022.100667.

[4] “Cancer Today.” GCO.IARC, https://gco.iarc.fr/today/en/dataviz/tables?mode=population&populations=903_904_905_908_909_935&multiple_populations=1&cancers=15. Accessed 2 June 2024.