A Journey to Primary Schools of Synthetic Biology

Abstract

Through the fantastic journey of exploring synthetic biology, we ignite the passion for science among primary school students at the Affiliated Primary School of Jilin University. Through interactive lessons and hands-on crafts, we inspire their spirit of exploration and innovative thinking.

Activity Introduction

In our in-depth exploration of science, we found that primary school students were full of curiosity and enthusiasm for natural science. To stimulate their interest in synthetic biology, we chose the Affiliated Primary School of Jilin University as the starting point of our educational activities to conduct a lively and inspiring Synthetic Biology lesson. Through this interaction, we aimed to offer the students the preliminary understanding of the cutting-edge field and ignite their passion for exploring the unknown.

Purpose

In the process of our iGEM project, we recognized that the seeds of science education need to be planted at an early age, especially in the innovative and rapidly growing field of Synthetic Biology. We chose the Affiliated Primary School of Jilin University to perform our educational activities since we believed it was crucial to stimulate the interest and enthusiasm of the next generation of scientists. Our goal was to inspire curiosity in science for our students while demonstrate how scientific practices can solve real-world problems and enhance their problem-solving skills.

Overall Implementation

The design of course focused on the interactions and meaning of education. We explained the complex scientific concept of drug resistance in cancer treatment in clear language, comparing the tumour with drug resistance to an enemy in armour, and our project was to find a way to crack the armour. In the children's sparkling eyes, we see their thirst for knowledge. We then showed how our project reduce drug resistance and enhance drug targeting through an innovative approach, striking with precision like a targeted missile.

To deepen the children's understanding of bacterial forms, we introduced a creative and interactive session: ask students to simulate Salmonella with coloured clay to help them understand the basic structure and characteristics of bacteria. This hands-on approach not only deepened their understanding of scientific concepts, but also allowed them to experience the fun of science in the process of creation.

At the end of the course, we organized a salon on the theme of ‘biohackers’. Through the vivid interpretation of films and dramas, the tangible expression of synthetic biology was conveyed. And we encouraged the children to express their thoughts and feelings freely. This activity not only enhanced the children's oral expression ability, but also made us deeply infected by their vigor and innocence, as if we had returned to the carefree childhood, and felt the enthusiasm and innocence of children again.

Feedback and Reflection

This activity successfully planted the seeds of scientific exploration in the children's minds. Through their questions and feedback, we realized that the education of science is not only about imparting of knowledge, but also about stimulating potential and curiosity. We expected these little scientists to bravely pursue their scientific dreams in the future and keep exploring the wider world of science. This educational activity made us realize that true education should be interactive and inspiring rather than one-way knowledge reiteration.

At the end of the lesson, the children showed us their clay‘Salmonella’. Although the structure was not standard, we could clearly feel the children's passion for synthetic biology from their elaborate handiwork.

Children also gave us some childlike feedbacks:

‘Today's Synthetic Biology class was so fun! We made Salmonella by coloured clay and I learnt a lot about bacteria. ’

‘It was interesting as the teacher compare the tumor with drug resistance to an enemy in armour. It made me feel like I was playing a game.’

‘This activity made me curious about science, and in the future I want to do more experiments and keep going to discover wonderful world!’

One of the children's parents told us:

‘As a parent, I was very impressed with today’s activity. I was appreciated to see the children making salmonella with coloured clay and excitedly discussing how to combat cancer. The teachers' explanations were lively and interesting while children not only learnt about science, but also their curiosity and spirit of exploration were raised. I was pleasantly surprised by the children's enthusiasm to talk about science when they went home, and I was sure this activity will be a great boost to their interest and study in science in the future. Thanks the team for providing such a meaningful experience for the children!’

In this way, JLU-NBBMS not only conveyed the knowledge of synthetic biology, but also gained a deeper understanding of the power of education and inspired children's infinite imagination for the future of science. We firmly believe that through such activities, we can inspire more young people to plunge into the ocean of science, confront the challenges and explore the unknown.

Teaching Support in Rural Primary School

Abstract

JLU-NBBMS enlightens Dongjian'an kids on synthetic biology with English posters and stickers taking our team mascot as the prototype.

Introduction

While the JLU-NBBMS team has successfully disseminated knowledge pertaining to synthetic biology and cancer prevention among a diverse audience, spanning high school, middle school, primary school students, as well as international learners, our recent health promotion efforts in Jianan Township, Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, have unveiled a crucial insight: Residents in remote regions of China often grapple with inadequate health consciousness, constrained access to pertinent health information, and notably, a dire lack of awareness and knowledge surrounding cancer prevention and treatment methodologies.Therefore, the Education team decided to visit the only primary school in the township to bring more cutting-edge science for education and health popularisation to local children.

Purpose

In July 2024, our team members orchestrated a health promotion event in Jianan Township, located within Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. During their interactions with local children, they discovered that the area boasted just a single primary school, where students were unable to access English and science classes until reaching middle school. Recognizing the scarcity of educational resources as a significant hurdle for these rural children, JLU-NBBMS aims to seize this moment to ignite their curiosity in synthetic biology, imparting an initial glimpse into its marvels. We aspire for this experience to foster a positive impact on their future endeavors.

Preliminary preparations

Firstly, we gained a deep understanding of the local educational resources and the children's current learning situation, especially their basic knowledge of English and Biology. We learnt that local children had never learnt English and Biology during their primary school years. In order to integrate biology and English learning, we designed an English handwriting programme with the theme of ‘Exploring the Wonderful World of Synthetic Biology’. To realize it, we collected a large amount of information about synthetic biology in English and translated it into a comprehensible version for the children to ensure that the contents were both accurate and interesting.

Besides, our team also customised a series of stickers about team mascot, these cartoon characters not only serve as decorative elements to add fun to the handbills, but send our encouragement and blessings to local children. In the process of preparation, we had been repeatedly reviewing the design of the stickers in order to meet the theme of the activity while to attract the attention of children.

To facilitate engaging learning, we equipped ourselves with an array of vibrant pens, paper, and essential tools, ensuring every child's full participation in the creative process. Additionally, we devised a comprehensive teaching plan and activity sequence, meticulously outlining how to steer children through designing informative handbills, articulating scientific ideas in English, and collaborating as a team. These meticulous work ensure the smooth progress of our work.

Overall implementation

From 9 July to 15 July 2024, JLU-NBBMS conducted an education assistance activity at Dongjianan Primary School(Dongjianan Village, Jianan Township, Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province). In this activity, we guided the children to make their own English handbills under the theme of Biology, combining their English knowledge with the wonderful world of Synthetic Biology.

We prepared stickers of the team mascot for posting on the English handbills in particular. The beautiful stickers were a rare surprise for the children in the remote mountain villages. With the help of their teachers and team members, the children used colourful pens and stickers to create imaginative pieces of artwork.

Feedback and reflection

After the activity, we received positive feedbacks from children and local teachers. The children were interested in this novel way of learning, and their curiosity about the brand new field of Synthetic Biology was greatly stimulated. The teachers in rural areas appreciated our teaching methods and believed that such activities were important to rasie the children's interest in learning and creativity.

JLU-NBBMS team realised that for these children in the remote areas, who seldom contact with new things from the outside world, every contact is a valuable learning opportunity. Therefore, we hope to provide more similar chances to benefit more children in our future educational activities. Education is the power to change destiny. We hope to bring knowledge and hope to the children in remote villages through our efforts, make them enjoy learning and raise their inspirations and enthusiasm to explore the world.

iBSRC-High Schools

Abstract

The iGEM Biomedical Science Research Course for high school students, organized by JLU-NBBMS and four iGEM teams, provided an in-depth introduction to synthetic biology and cutting-edge biomedical research. Through a series of live-streamed sessions, students explored key scientific concepts and gained insights into iGEM and its applications, preparing them for future academic and research pursuits.

Introduction

The iGEM Biomedical Science Research Course for High School Group (iBSRC-High schools) is an event specifically designed for high school students. Initially, JLU-NBBMS only considered offering scientific research courses for college students when planning iBSRC. However, during a discussion at the [iHP] collaboration night, we realized that we underestimated high school students' enthusiasm for learning cutting-edge science and exposure to scientific research. Consequently, from July 22 to 27, JLU-NBBMS, together with four other iGEM teams, organized the iBSRC for high school students interested in biological science and iGEM.

Purpose

Many high school students around us are interested in biomedical science. They are excited about their future professional paths and are willing to learn cutting-edge scientific knowledge in various ways. Thus, iGEM is both mysterious and attractive to them. Our goal is to create an open, objective, and public-spirited platform where we, as their seniors, can share our experiences with learning and choosing academic paths, while introducing them to synthetic biology and iGEM competitions. We hope to lead future iGEM participants into this fascinating world, navigate the ocean of science, solve real-world problems, and ultimately become true innovators.

Overall Implementation

Following the collaboration night at CCiC, JLU-NBBMS gathered the teams interested in the educational activity to work on the preparation. We jointly developed a plan that included submitting promotional posters on July 18, submitting the course PPT on July 20, and officially launching our course from July 22 to 27.

The course was live-streamed every night at 8:00 from July 22 to 27. Live streaming enabled more people to join in our sharing, and the interaction during live streaming will also improve the fun of the course, making the course more engaging for high school students. Notably, we recorded the live sessions, edited them, and posted them so participants could watch, review, and share them with others.

Five teams- WHU-China, JLU-NBBMS, CAU-China, BNUZH-China, and PekingHSC -carefully prepared the course from the perspective of high school students. We thought about what high school students are interested in, what they truly need, and how can we help them. After considering these three factors, we combined the characteristics of each team's project and carefully designed the course. On July 22, Professor Li Xu from the University of Science and Technology of China explained the era of biology in the context of gene editing. WHU-China followed on July 23 with a session on the classical principles of synthetic biology. On July 24, JLU-NBBMS discussed advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment through iGEM. CAU-China addressed the regulatory features of synthetic biology on July 25, On July 26, BNUZH-China explored synthetic biology and bioremediation. PekingHSC explained bacterial therapy on July 27.

To maximize the impact of this public welfare course, we developed a comprehensive publicity plan. We organized three warm-up activities and employed various publicity channels, including official accounts, communication groups, WeChat Moments, LittleRedBook, TikTok, Bilibili, and other new media platforms.

Feedback and reflection

This science journey with high school students brought us an impressive experience. Their desire for scientific knowledge and exploration in the course exceeded our expectations, and their enthusiasm invigorated us for future educational endeavors. We were also surprised to see how much they reflected our own experiences just a few years ago. The pursuit of biological science by successive generations has never ceased. We will also continue to consider "what they are interested in, what they truly need, and how can we help them", as we refine and enhance our educational activities.

SLI Workshop Round-table Conference

Abstract

This is a platform serving as a hub for unrestricted communication among iGEMers, where we get together to learn , to inspire, and jointly discuss the path of independent learning and the future of innovative design.

Introduction

On July 28th, after the iBSRC-High schools was successfully held, we look forward to the possibility of convening additional iGEMers to share experiences and advance collectively.. There were 13 teams attending the roundtable, and we also invited two seniors to join us. Here, we honestly share the challenges and solutions encountered in the iGEM journey, covering many fields of wet experiment, dry experiment, wiki, and hp.

Purpose

The roundtable provided a platform for free communication, connecting the 13 teams involved. Through frank sharing with each other, we learn together, get inspiration, and find new angles and solutions for next project.

Overall Implementation

At 4pm, July 28th, we met online and focused on hp, dry experiment, and wet experiment.

First, we shared our own hp ideas and the difficulties encountered in the implementation process. ZQT-Ninjing mentioned the problem of limited resources as a team of high school students. BNUZH-China presented their "museum alive" concept, and was achieving their goals through three stages: get interested, get inspired, and get involed.

Then, the discussion was about dry experiment data collection and hardware selection. Both JLU-NBBMS and CPU-China pointed out the complementarity of dry experiment and wet experiment.

Next, BNUZH-China shared how they minimized the error during the experiment and their experience in the selection and manipulation of the experimental methods. JLU-NBBMS also shared his journey of project design. "The whole process is bumpy, but it is very happy to help and encourage each others as a team", our team members sincerely commented.

Finally, the two seniors gave us some advice. They encouraged us to express ourselves actively, and urged us to complete the project step by step.

Feedback and reflection

This was a frank exchange and sharing, and we got together to share our experiences like long-lost friends. This roundtable brought together iGEMers from various age groups and from across the nation.And we JLU-NBBMS will definitely move on carried with this harvest.

High School Student Summer Camp

Abstract

Inspired by the Medicine Summer School of the University of Manchester, we adopted the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach to ignite high school students' interests in synthetic biology. By designing a short medical storyline of a simulate patient and a series of interactive courses, students were able to experience the full process of diagnosis and treatment after bacterial infection. Throughout the experiments, participants have gained insights into synthetic biology, research procedures, and the iGEM competition.

Purpose

In July 2024, one of our members attended the Medicine Summer School of the University of Manchester, where she engaged in fruitful in-depth discussions with professors such as Prof Mahesh Nirmalan and Prof Margaret Kingston. In Dr Ryan Peers' class, he adopted a PBL approach to delve into clinical cases with students. The learning style that combined group cooperative learning with independent thinking inspired us greatly. For more details, see HP.

Meanwhile, during the round-table discussion at the sli workshop, after discussions with other teams, we realized that unilateral output of knowledge alone cannot captivate the target audience's interest in synthetic biology. Therefore, after communicating with teachers from the Basic Medical Experimental Center, a summer camp for high school students based on PBL (Problem-Based Learning) teaching method was born. We integrated curricular knowledge, experimental operation, and frontiers in technology into the summer camp course.

The overall planning and implementation of the project have been recorded in detail to serve as a reference for future iGEM teams to carry out better educational activities.

Overall Implementation

From August 13th to August 15th, 2024, JLU-NBBMS held a PBL-based summer camp for high school students with the theme of "The Magical World of Synthetic Biology: Creation and Breakthrough". We were honored to invite 40 students from the Sixth high school of CAIDA.

During the summer camp, we designed a short medical storyline of a simulate patient that immersed students in a scene where every choice they made led to a unique outcome, fostering an interactive learning experience. The options and outcomes we designed mirrored real-life scenarios (There are people who take cephalosporins as soon as they get sick with a no brainer!), showcasing scientific issues encountered in daily life. Within this context, we designed a series of experiments that allowed high school students to experience the entire diagnostic and treatment process of bacterial infections from a doctor's perspective.

Following this, we introduced synthetic biology, iGEM, and our project, encouraging students to maintain interest and appreciation for scientific research while always prioritizing their family's and their own health.

At the beginning of the course and before each experiment during the activities, we invited experts to emphasize and teach laboratory safety issues. All experimental operations were conducted in compliance with relevant regulations, and were supervised and guided by laboratory technicians throughout the process. Additionally, we provided students with full protective gears including masks, gloves, shoe covers, and other protective equipment. During the process of bacterial strain inoculation and identification, we informed students of their potential hazards and supervised them to strictly adhere to aseptic techniques.

safetyAt the end of the summer camp, we distributed elaborately designed graduation certificates and our team’s merchandise sticky notes to the students, who later wrote down their thoughts and feelings.

Pre-experiment

The summer camp featured several experiments, such as culturing Staphylococcus aureus , drug sensitivity test, simulated feces inoculation, and serological identification (Salmonella, Shigella dysenteriae). In order to provide students with a better experience, we made thorough preparations a few days before the start of the summer camp.

Under the premise of strictly enforced laboratory safety requirements, we conducted autoclaving for all petri dishes, test tubes, and inoculating needles used in the experiments; performed bacterial resuscitation for each bacterial strain used in the experiments, and cultured them under appropriate temperature, humidity, and time to ensure that the bacterial strains used in the experiments were in good condition; for drug sensitivity test, we prepared different concentration gradients of each antibiotic in advance; and prepared a culture medium that simulates the environment of feces.

After all the preparations were completed, we conducted each experiment once in advance to ensure that the experimental steps were rigorous and feasible, providing good experimental experience for high school students.

Course Structure

A comprehensive plan was prepared before the project started, and feedback was collected afterward for refining our programme in the future. The full version is available in the file at the end.

Feedback

At the end of the event, we distributed our elaborately designed merchandise sticky notes, and the students enthusiastically wrote down their thoughts.

"It was fantastic! I hope I have the opportunity to participate in similar activities again in the future!"

"I gained so much from this activity and have grown even more passionate about biology. The experiments were truly fascinating!"

"After school, I'm going to tell my parents and friends about the importance of avoiding antibiotic abuse and the significance of health check-ups!"

"The protective gear was really suffocating."

We accept all voices and understand the feelings of the students, but protection is also necessary. We apologize for the lack of comfort and pay tribute to the students who persisted.

"This activity has given us a glimpse of Jilin University and set learning goals for our students."

"It's evident that you have put a lot of thought and effort into preparing the content, with many aspects that align with high school teaching."

"You presented the information so well! It was both scientifically rigorous and engaging for the general public. As teachers, we also learned a lot."

"Our students will continue to learn many biological concepts in the future, and we hope they can come back here to experience more!"

This summer camp not only benefited 40 high school students, but also established long-term exchanges and cooperation between the College of Basic Medical Sciences Jilin University and the Sixth high school of CAIDA. We look forward to these children taking over the torch of synthetic biology in the near future.

Biohackers Synthetic Biology Salon

Abstract

At an innovative Synthetic Biology Salon, we engaged with middle school students from the Jilin University Affiliated Middle School, exploring the intersection of science and ethics and sparking their imagination about the possibilities of future science.

Our primary goal was to delve into the fascinating intersection of science and ethics, igniting their imaginations and inspiring them to ponder the limitless possibilities of future scientific advancements.

Introduction

The Biohackers Synthetic Biology Salon represents a junction between Bio-Camp and Bio-Art in our educational activities hosted by JLU-NBBMS. Inspired by our collective viewing of the series "Biohackers," we decided to introduce a film and TV series salon format to our science outreach efforts for the first time. The event combined screenings and interactive discussions to popularize synthetic biology, igniting students' passion and curiosity for science. During these discussions, students displayed unique insights and creative ideas, and they recognized the importance of ethical responsibilities in scientific advancement.

Purpose

Aiming to devise a new method of communication that combines science and art, we ventured to utilize cinematic perspectives to not only entertain but also provoke thought. We chose to conduct this distinctive synthetic biology salon at the Jilin University Affiliated Middle School to offer students an innovative learning experience.

Overall Implementation

In preparation for the salon, our team extensively searched various platforms to find a film that resonated with our objectives. We selected "Biohackers," a series centered on Mia Akerlund's university experiences, which gradually reveals her family history linked to a secret, illegal genetic editing experiment. The storyline touches on ethical dilemmas, debates about the boundaries of scientific research, as well as personal and familial relationships. After thorough planning and discussion, we designed interactive segments to consolidate knowledge acquisition in a fun and engaging atmosphere for the students. The event started with captivating scenes from "Biohackers," immediately drawing the students' attention. As the plot unfolded, the students' initial curiosity shifted towards profound contemplation and lively discussion. Our team led by sharing their reflections, and encourage the students to ponder the future transformations possible through synthetic biology. This process nurtured critical thinking, enhanced comprehension via dialogue, and instilled an idea of tolerance for diverse viewpoints during group discussions.. We also incorporated an ethics discussion segment to debate the ethical quandaries posed by synthetic biology. Students were encouraged to boldly express their views on the relationship between scientific technology and human morality. Thanks to the ethical issues presented in "Biohackers," the students had already formed a basic ethical understanding of the scientific field, thereby facilitating active participation and sharing of their thoughts and confusion from the viewing.

Feedback and reflection

After the event, we received enthusiastic feedback from the students. The salon enriched their understanding of science, emphasizing that science transcends mere cold laboratory data and is intimately intertwined with humanity and society. Many students cherished this salon and looked forward to future interactions with us. "Having the opportunity to share my ideas in front of my classmates, even if they were fanciful, and being accepted in this salon was incredibly encouraging. I am eagerly awaiting the next salon," one student remarked. However, we also recognized areas for improvement, such as some students' hesitation during the ethical discussions. We have analyzed various factors contributing to this and are committed to addressing these issues in our next educational event.

Everything goes well

Abstract

What kind of sparks can be created when social science and natural science collide? We actively communicated with students from the Jilin University School of Philosophy and Sociology and initiated an open laboratory day for humanities and social sciences majors.

Introduction

In order to better promote the work of the White Paper and obtain thoughts and suggestions on bioethical issues, we actively communicate with the School of Humanities and Sociology of Jilin University. We hope to break down disciplinary boundaries and spark a multidisciplinary fusion, allowing synthetic biology to encompass more fields. Thereby, we initiated an open laboratory day for students majoring in the humanities and social sciences.

We explained the precautions related to laboratory safety and helped the participants wear lab suits, hats, and gloves. During the activity, we guide them to complete a series of small medical experiments and create their own culture medium paintings. We hope to introduce them into the world of iGEM from both scientific and artistic perspectives. At the end of the event, we guided them to engage in philosophical reflection on bioethical safety regulations, inspiring them to become future policymakers. In turn, we also gained a new perspective for improving project design.

Preparation

In order to ensure the safety of the laboratory, the iGEMers of JLU-NBBMs actively participated in the early design and pre-experiment. Before the activity, our teachers provided systematic training. All culture dishes, test tubes, and inoculation needles used in the experiment were sterilized in advance using high-pressure steam. We also completed a series of pre-experiments and familiarized ourselves with standard operations. To insure a good experience for the students from the School of Philosophy and Sociology, we resuscitated the bacteria and coated them ahead of time during the pre-experiment process to determine the suitable growth environment and cultivation time for the bacteria.

Before the formal experiment began, we first distinguished between the contaminated area and the clean area, and instructed the participants to wear protective clothing according to the specifications (see safety). We also explained the laboratory’s safety protocols. Each experiment was demonstrated in detail, ensuring the rigor and success rate of the experiment.

Overall implementation

The first part: "Bio-Art Spark"

iGEM is interdisciplinary, imaginative, vivid, and far from rigid. The artistic expressions in iGEM are diverse, and art draws inspiration from all aspects of life. Painting is not limited to brushes and pens. Students from the School of Philosophy and Sociology used their imagination to create drawings on the culture medium with the help of inoculation loops, allowing the brush of science to showcase the aesthetic beauty of art.

The second part: "The dangers of not washing hands"

By inoculating finger bacteria into a culture medium and conducting microscopic observation, we have vividly illustrated the importance of washing hands frequently, which also reflects the necessity of washing hands before laboratory operations.

The third part: "Dark Side of The White Teeth"

How many unknown aspects of the seemingly white teeth are there? In this session, participants can observe the bacteria growing on their teeth through dental plaque smears, and thus detect whether their brushing habits are correct.

The fourth part: "The Past and Present of Synthetic Biology"

With the support of the College of Basic Medicine of Jilin University, participants view intact specimens of various species of flies, mosquitoes, and parasite samples collected, sorted, and preserved by the school over the past decades across the country.

Before the event concluded, participants were asked to orderly tidy up the equipment and left the lab full of interest. We specially designed commemorative tickets for the visiting students, looking forward to their opportunity to embark on the journey of synthetic biology again.

Feedback and reflection:

After the event, the Humanities and Social Sciences students shared their thoughts:

Liu Jixuan: As a liberal arts student, I was thrilled t experience hands-on lab work. After the medical students explained the importance of protection against bacteria, I carefully followed their lead. Despite my lack of theoretical and practical knowledge, the team's patient guidance helped me appreciate the precision and rigor of scientific experiments. I'm excited about my fingerprint and the culture medium we prepared! One minor regret is that during the oral plaque experiment, the water pressure washed away the cells, so I saw nothing under the microscope. But I did get to see fascinating parasite, fly, and bee specimens. This activity was truly enjoyable!

Yin Hongyao: Participating in this "六六大吉" event brought me joy from start to finish. The beautiful scenery and shared laughter made the trip worthwhile. Of course, the highlight was the experiment. What I once only read about in biology books, I was able to perform under professional guidance. This experience connected me with my younger self, as I used a loop to collect samples and inoculate them on a culture medium. I stained them with various reagents and marveled at the specimens gathered by previous researchers. This safe, engaging environment showed me the importance of hands-on practice and the dedication of our predecessors. As young people in a new era, we must combine theory and practice, study diligently, and strive to be the pillars of our country.

For those of us used to the lab environment, constantly aiming for perfection, it's easy to forget the simple joy each step brings. Through the eyes of our liberal arts friends, we rediscovered the wonder of science. Their feedback surprised us, breathing new life into long-forgotten specimens and showing us the public's deep respect for life and science.

Talking with students of philosophy and social sciences also opened fresh perspectives. They asked thought-provoking questions about public acceptance of using microorganisms for treatment, commercialization, and the adequacy of related laws. This gave us valuable ideas for future consultations and interviews.

This event marked the beginning of JLU-NBBMS' initiative to open medical labs to diverse groups, using simple experiments to connect with students from various fields and understand their real needs and ideas.

When the students first entered the laboratory, they were excited but lacked proper safety awareness and standard operating procedures. However, after our explanations and guidance, they developed a deep respect for biological science, began to prioritize experimental safety, and improved their operational skills. Moving forward, we will continue to use this interactive approach in the lab, enhancing our teaching methods, organizing similar activities, and encouraging students from various disciplines and age groups to engage in scientific practice through hands-on experience.

Ethics Salon

Abstract

In this journey of ethical exploration, we dissect cases together, stimulate the collision of ideas, and build bridges of knowledge.

Introduction

Aiming at the shortcomings of the public's knowledge in ethics, we organized a unique activity to popularize ethics. The activity skillfully integrates theories and cases, leading participants to think deeply about the core of ethics, especially focusing on the ethical issues in synthetic biology. We also adopted a teacher-student interaction and group discussion format, hoping to create a more professional and open discussion.

Purpose

Through the feedback results of the orientation survey, we realized that the public's and students' knowledge of ethics is generally insufficient. In order to enhance the public's knowledge related to ethics, we decided to carry out an ethics popularization activity, aiming to popularize the basic concepts of ethics and its importance. Through this activity, we hope to stimulate participants' interest in ethics and enhance their ability to think and judge when faced with ethical issues, especially in the field of synthetic biology, where issues such as gene editing and the ethical boundaries of synthetic organisms are the main focus of the discussions we hope to trigger.

Overall Implementation

In order to ensure that the Ethics Salon truly achieves its goal of popularizing science, we have made a detailed implementation plan, and the activities are designed to be interactive and engaging. We chose a format that combined theory and clinical cases to help participants better understand the practical application of ethics in healthcare and life sciences.

We first constructed a systematic flow of activities covering the basic concepts of ethics, core principles of medical ethics, and practical case studies of ethical decision-making. By introducing real clinical cases, participants were able to more intuitively understand the complexity and importance of making ethical decision. In particular, we have selected cases related to oncology treatment, which involve ethical issues such as patient autonomy, informed consent, and resource allocation, aiming to allow participants to have in-depth discussions in a familiar context.

To enhance the professionalism of the event, we invited a teacher of medical ethics to give a talk. He shared ethical dilemmas encountered in real life and work, and engaged in in-depth interactive discussions with participants. The participation of the ethics teacher enhanced the authority of the event and broadened our thinking perspectives, encouraging them to actively ask questions and participate in the discussion.

A group discussion session was also set up in the event, in which participants could choose the cases they were interested in to discuss and share their views and understanding. The discussion was open-ended and the conclusions were not right or wrong. This format encourages participants to think positively and develops their critical thinking and teamwork spirit. During the discussion, participants were not only able to listen to different viewpoints, but also to deepen their understanding of ethics through sharing.

In addition, we also introduced ethical issues related to synthetic biology, such as whether the application of gene editing technology will lead to the ethical controversy of "designer babies" and the possible impact of synthetic organisms on the ecosystem, etc. These issues are not only of practical significance, but also of important ethical considerations for future scientific development.

Feedback and reflection

After the event, we collected feedback from the participants through communication in order to assess the effectiveness of the event and to reflect on it. Most of the participants highly appreciated the content of the program and found it lively and interesting and able to stimulate their in-depth thinking about ethics.

Participants generally indicated that the lectures combined with practical cases gave them a deeper understanding of ethics, especially the application in the medical field and synthetic biology, and made them realize the importance and complexity of ethical decision-making. At the same time, many participants mentioned that the group discussion sessions greatly facilitated their opportunities to express their views and enhanced their sense of participation.

On reflection, we realized that the success of the event lies in the integration of theory and practice, which enabled participants to understand the importance of ethics in real-life situations. We also realized that more case studies and interactive sessions could be added in the future to further enhance the participants' sense of engagement and learning. In addition, considering the backgrounds and needs of different participants, we plan to provide more diverse topics and cases in future events to cover a wider range of ethical issues.

Through Ethics Salon , we have not only popularized the knowledge of ethics, but also enhanced the public's concern and understanding of ethical decision-making, laying a good foundation for future ethics education activities. We look forward to continuing to explore more effective forms of education in future activities to promote the dissemination and application of ethical knowledge, especially in the rapidly developing field of synthetic biology, to ensure that scientific progress and ethical responsibility go hand in hand.

iBSRC-College

Abstract

The iGEM Biomedical Science Research Program (iBSRC) at the School of Basic Medical Sciences of Jilin University introduces university students to the fundamentals of synthetic biology and the basic skills of biomedical science research through interactive lectures, expert speeches, and comprehensive tutorials.

Introduction

The iGEM Biomedical Science Research Program (iBSRC) at the School of Basic Medical Sciences of Jilin University is a dynamic and inclusive program that provides students with cutting-edge knowledge and the latest research advances in biomedical sciences in a one-week program. Participants will reap the benefits of a multi-faceted learning experience, including a synthetic biology lecture series, a research mentorship program, and a research group workshop. iBSRC is organized and run by JLU-NBBMS, and we have also invited PekingHSC, BNUZH-China, and WHU-China to participate in the synthetic biology lecture series.

Specifics

Abundant teaching resources

Taught by professional master teachers, students from the four universities worked closely and reaped the rewards of full mentoring.

Research opportunities

The program provides students with the opportunity to try their hand at research and share research success with participants.

Professional Development

Provides training in information retrieval skills, introductory tutorials on biosignatures, basic tutorials on scientific mapping, and an in-depth study of synthetic biology in a lecture series, which is a key skill for future professional development in the biomedical sciences.

Career Growth

Provides guidance on career planning for undergraduates and shares real-life experiences.

Accessibility

Participants are not limited by geographic location, and we have chosen to broadcast live online while saving recorded images.

Inclusiveness

This is a public service course program, and the whole course is free of charge.

Overall Implementation

To cultivate world-facing and future-leading iGEMers, enhance students' competitiveness and mobility, and satisfy their desire for knowledge, the JLU-NBBMS team conducted an iBSRC from August 5 to August 11, 2024. This program explained knowledge related to synthetic biology and cutting-edge developments, and simultaneously led students to master skills in medical information retrieval, scientific research mapping, and for those interested, the intersection of bio-medical and industrial fields.The iBSRC also provides an introductory course on biosynthesis for those who are interested in the intersection of biomedical and industrial fields. In addition to traditional lectures, we have arranged group discussions, on-site teacher-student interactions, and hands-on exercises to help students understand the daily routine of scientific research, and to cultivate their independent thinking and cooperative communication skills.

At the end of July, JLU-NBBMS took this valuable opportunity to organise a wonderful Collaboration night during the 11th China Regional iGEMer Exchange Conference (CCiC) in Suzhou [link]. Here, we exchanged ideas with other teams about the iBSRC program and finally reached a collaboration with PekingHSC, BNUZH-China and WHU-China.

After the CCiC, through negotiations between several teams, we finally succeeded in developing the course schedule.

The iBSRC program started with an opening ceremony on the evening of August 5th at 7:30 pm, where JLU-NBBMS team leader Wang Yingtong gave a detailed introduction of the course program to the students and highlighted the course completion requirements at the end. We also invited Wang Fang, Dean of JLU-NBBMS, to give a message to the iBSRC students at the end.

In the following four main courses, JLU-NBBMS of Jilin University trained the participants in information retrieval skills and taught an introductory course on bioconfidence and a course on scientific mapping, PekingHSC of Peking University Medical School introduced bacterial oncology therapy in detail, BNUZH-China of Zhuhai Campus of Beijing Normal University lectured on the deep degradation of microplastics in mangrove soils, and WHU-China of Wuhan University lectured on the deep degradation of microplastics in mangrove soils. WHU-China lectured on the classical principles and technological prospects of intestinal delivery.

In addition to the training of professional skills, this program also focuses on the overall quality of the students. In the grand finale class, JLU-NBBMS, School of Basic Medical Sciences of Jilin University, introduced university life to the freshmen and talked about a vivid career planning class.

In the last class, JLU-NBBMS invited Professor Wang Yishu from the Department of Pathology of the School of Basic Medical Sciences of Jilin University to introduce the cutting-edge knowledge of tumour to the students, and Mr Wang's passionate class harvested unanimous praise from the trainees.

In order to prove the participants' dedication during the holiday period and to congratulate them on the successful completion of the course, we produced a certificate of completion.

Feedback and reflection

The iBSRC attracted 344 applicants from 12 different disciplines. In addition to students from the School of Medicine, there were also students from the School of Computer Science, the School of Economics, and the Animal Medicine Cadets.

We set up questionnaires before the start of the program and at the end. The pre-course questionnaire helped us to understand the background of the participants, their level of knowledge about synthetic biology and what we planned to teach. The post-course questionnaire helped us to understand how satisfied the participants were with the iBSRC and invited them to make suggestions. This helped us to optimize the course experience.

We're thrilled to see that, after undergoing iBSRC training, the participants have made tremendous strides in mastering synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and information retrieval skills. An impressive 70% of them have attested to the course's immense value in their learning process. The progress they've demonstrated is incredibly motivating for us.

“I have a deeper understanding of literature search, raw letter analysis, and the learning process in this area is no longer ambiguous afterwards.”

“Through the meticulous sharing and explanation of the academics in this course, I have benefited from a better understanding of the knowledge related to information retrieval and raw letter analysis, and moreover, it has stimulated my passion and interest in scientific research!”

“Overall, I learnt a lot of basic research skills today, which lays a certain foundation for my future research path.”

“Today's course is again full of dry goods, the seniors share particularly detailed, called the new student entrance guide.”

“I am very grateful for this opportunity to hear such a good explanation, which is very helpful for my future career choices and planning.”

“Thank you to all teachers and senior students for their careful preparation. This summer holiday is destined to be extraordinary.”

In order to deepen students' understanding of the knowledge points of this course and exercise their scientific writing ability, this course set up a session of final paper/assignment (information retrieval, raw letter, scientific research graphing). The students' progress can be seen from their attentive final assignments, and we believe that this program will bring them more growth than that.

The iBSRC demonstrates our commitment to nurturing the next generation of iGEMers. We hope that every student who participates in the iBSRC will continue to explore their possibilities in synthetic biology and biomedicine, and get a small spark here that may one day bring you a magnificent firework.

To strive, to seek, to find. We would like to send this poem to each participant, wishing them continual breakthroughs on their scientific journey.

International Student Summer Camp

Abstract

JLU-NBBMS International Student Summer Camp: Bridging science and art, linking knowledge and culture

Introduction

The JLU-NBBMS International Student Summer Camp aims to foster the integration of science and art, facilitating the transmission of knowledge and the blending of cultures through the organization of a captivating program. We are dedicated to establishing a diverse and inclusive platform that enables international students from various countries such as Iran, Malaysia, and India to gain insights into the field of synthetic biology while experiencing the rich cultural heritage of China. Through a series of elaborately planned activities, we strive to broaden international perspectives and foster cross-cultural communication.

Preliminary Preparations

We have elaborately planned every aspect of the summer camp to ensure its smooth execution. From inviting experts in the field of synthetic biology to engaging intangible cultural heritage inheritors, we provide invaluable learning opportunities for students to delve deeper into Chinese culture, fostering mutual understanding and respect among students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Our goal is to offer international students an immersive experience that combines traditional Chinese culture with modern technology, while promoting frontiers in scientific knowledge in areas such as synthetic biology, thereby enhancing their awareness and interest in these fields.

Overall Implementation

Synthetic Biology Education

We have designed a series curriculum tailored for international students, covering courses such as Anatomy, Histology & Embryology, Genetic Engineering, and Genomics.

In Human Anatomy, detailed lectures provide students with a visual understanding of human body structure and function.

The Genetic Engineering course delves into the principles and applications of DNA recombination technology.

The Genomics course introduces the structure, function, and variation of genomes, along with the use of bioinformatics tools for analyzing and interpreting vast amounts of genetic information. The application of genomics in disease diagnosis, personalized medicine, and evolutionary biology is also explored.

Additionally, we facilitate discussions on ethical and societal issues related to synthetic biology, engaging students from diverse disciplines like biology, ethics, law, and sociology in a thought-provoking exchange. Topics include ethical principles, potential risks, and societal impacts of synthetic biology, such as genetic privacy, biosafety, the threat of biological weapons, and long-term environmental consequences. These discussions encourage the exploration of balancing technological innovation with ethical norms to ensure that progress benefits humanity.

To complement theoretical learning, we organize visits to the university's specimen museum, where students observe authentic biological specimens ranging from microscopic cellular structures to macroscopic human organs, enhancing their comprehension and sparking their interest.

Cultural Exchange

Cultural Exploration: In the Cultural Zone at Qilehui, students experienced the diversity of Chinese culture, from traditional ceramics and lacquer fans to contemporary artworks. We encourage interaction among participants from various backgrounds, fostering cross-cultural understanding and inclusivity.

Seal Cutting Art: At the Seal Cutting Museum, students admired exquisite inkstone carvings and participate in rubbing inscriptions from stone tablets. The intricate craftsmanship of seal cutting embodies the pursuit of perfection and precision, resonating with the rigorous demands of scientific research. This experience instills in students the importance of precision and craftsmanship in their research endeavors.

Four Great Inventions & Intangible Cultural Heritage Sugarcraft: Visits to the Printing Arts Space allow students to appreciate China's ancient inventions, and sugarcraft workshops offer a fun introduction to intangible cultural heritage. The Four Great Inventions represent China's technological innovation in ancient times, while synthetic biology, a modern-day innovation, they could draw inspiration from past technology achievements, and explore how synthetic biology can address modern societal needs, and create new technology achievements.

A visit to the Confucian Temple: At the Confucian Temple, students admired its unique architecture and learn about traditional Chinese culture and Confucianism. Confucian values of social responsibility and ethical norms guide participants in considering the relationship between technological advancement and societal responsibilities. Provide guiding principles on ethics and social responsibility for research project design, ensuring that their scientific research is not only innovative but also beneficial to society and ethically sound. Meanwhile, the Confucian idea of inclusiveness encourages the absorption and integration of diverse viewpoints, which also inspires us to transcend disciplinary boundaries in scientific research and promote communication and collaboration across different fields.

Features and highlights

During the event, many experts and intangible cultural heritage inheritors are invited to give explanations and guidance. The participation of these professionals provides valuable learning opportunities for students, allowing them to better understand and learn about Chinese culture, and promoting mutual understanding and respect among students from different cultural backgrounds. Through these exchanges, international students not only learn knowledge, but also establish friendship with iGEM team members.

Our emphasis on combining theory with practice enhances learning engagement and effectiveness. Hands-on activities like rubbing inscriptions, sugarcraft, and Manchu embroidery allow students to intimately experience the unique charm of Chinese culture.

Feedback and reflection

Our emphasis on combining theory with practice enhances learning engagement and effectiveness. Hands-on activities like rubbing inscriptions, sugarcraft, and Manchu embroidery allow students to intimately experience the unique charm of Chinese culture.

Jilin University School-Enterprise Joint Presentation

Abstract

To promote university-industry partnerships and campus-wide communication, five iGEM teams from Jilin University have teamed up with Shanghai Yanyin Technology Company to host a collaborative seminar. This event invites attendees to follow the teams' path, starting from their initial inspiration, through experimental design, and delving into the fusion of artificial intelligence and biomedical research digitization.

Introduction

Inspired by the 11th China Conference on iGEM (CCiC), the five iGEM teams from Jilin University have established a cordial and collaborative relationship with Shanghai Yanyin Technology Company, a pioneer in the field of digital research and writing platforms for biomedicine. Aiming to promote university-industry collaboration and foster intra-campus communication, we lead students from Jilin University in a step-by-step exploration of synthetic biology through joint seminars, bringing them closer to our projects. We cordially invite everyone to follow in the footsteps of teams, traversing from inspiration to experimental design, offering fresh perspectives on cancer treatment, and gaining valuable insights into the integration of artificial intelligence with the digitization of biomedical research.

Purpose

In August 2024, JLU-NBBMS initiated the iGEM Biomedical Scientific Research Course (iBSRC), to educate participants in molecular biology and disseminate cutting-edge knowledge in synthetic biology. The course aims to engage students in the excitement of scientific research and foster intercollegiate collaboration for the iGEM competition.

Building on this foundation, we also hope to communicate and exchange with the Jilin University iGEM team for mutual progress. We believe that such an approach can enhance the students' understanding of the iGEM competition at Jilin University and enrich their knowledge in the field of synthetic biology. Therefore, on the eve of the seminar, the JLU-NBBMS team members had ample communication with their advisor, Professor Zhang Ling, and decided to delve into modular design to truly guide the students into the world of synthetic biology, based on sharing their project experiences.

At the same time, at the CCiC conference, our team learned that Shanghai Yanyin Technology is committed to creating a new generation of digital research collaboration platforms for biomedicine, which provided new ideas for our project to move towards commercialization. Our team member, Sun Jicheng, actively contacted Shanghai Yanyin Technology and became the ambassador of Shanghai Yanyin Technology at Jilin University. Taking this seminar as an opportunity, we not only inject new inspiration into our project but also promote good university-enterprise cooperation, building a platform from project design to research and development.

Overall Implementation

On September 8, 2024, the JLU-China team, in collaboration with the Jilin-China team, JLU-CP team, CJUH-JLU-China team, JLU-NBBMS team, and Shanghai Yanyin Technology, launched the "Introduction to Synthetic Biology — Jilin University × iGEM University-Enterprise Joint Seminar" event. This event not only provided a better platform for iGEM teams to communicate and exchange ideas but also further promoted the project of the Jilin University Basic Medical College iGEM team JLU-NBBMS, which is based on the bacterial iterative engineered biological targeting system to assist drug delivery and enhance chemotherapy sensitivity.

JLU-NBBMS is consistently dedicated to pioneering new methods and possibilities for cancer treatment. In this seminar, we began by examining the current state of cancer, guiding students to delve into our project step by step from the perspective of researchers, rather than merely as an audience. We dissected the two major challenges currently faced in cancer therapy from the project background—tumor drug resistance and the side effects of chemotherapy drugs. Having established our research direction, we tackled each issue one by one. Addressing these two significant problems, we elaborated on the project design in detail, ensuring that every idea and inspiration could be captured by the students, ultimately forming a complete experimental plan. This approach not only enriches the students' knowledge in synthetic biology but also fosters a strong collaboration between academia and industry, creating a platform that spans from project design to research and development.

What is the modular design concept of synthetic biology? On the basis of simply presenting the entire project, we break down the project design. Each small module can independently perform its own functions, and at the same time, because its "parts" can be replaced, it achieves an iterable personalized design, providing possibilities for treating different types of cancer. Each small module also interacts with other modules, producing a magnified effect.

At the culmination of this seminar, as the ambassador of Shanghai Yanyin Technology at Jilin University, our captain Sun Jicheng not only presented the company's attitude but also explained the current research and development focus. He introduced the immense potential of AI as an assistive learning tool in a way that was easy to understand yet profound, stimulating everyone's interest in artificial intelligence technology.

Collaborating with the Jilin-China team from Jilin University's College of Life Sciences, we've embarked on advocating Yanyin Technology's philosophy. At its core, Yanyin Technology endeavors to pioneer a fresh generation of digital collaboration platforms tailored for biomedical research. This platform's inception seeks to streamline bio-pharmaceutical R&D processes and catalyze industry-wide progress.

Yanyin Technology offers a dual-pronged approach: an AI-powered research collaboration platform and a suite of tailored solutions for biomedicine. By seamlessly integrating AI technology with biomedical research, these solutions elevate both the efficiency and quality of scientific endeavors. They provide biomedical researchers with a comprehensive, agile, and intelligent collaboration ecosystem, enabling them to overcome scientific hurdles and make significant contributions to development human health.

At the end of the presentation, we distributed our well-designed brochures, as well as key rings and fans to the students. We hope that this will spark their passion for synthetic biology and deepen their understanding of the project.

Feedback and reflection

After the event, many students keenly added our contacts, and expressed their wish to be part of our team, eagerly embarking on the exciting voyage of synthetic biology alongside us.

The interactive exchange and engaging presentation between the students of Jilin University and the iGEM team have ignited their curiosity in synthetic biology. We look forward to the upcoming sessions where these students will eagerly share their personal joys and insights gained from their project experiences.

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Bridging Disciplines: Mathematical Modeling Applications in Medicine – A Collaborative Seminar at Jilin University

Abstract

Jilin University hosted an interdisciplinary seminar showcasing function interpolation's application in medical modeling, engaging mathematics and medical students through lectures, MATLAB demonstrations, and hands-on problem-solving workshops.

Introduction

The School of Mathematics at Jilin University, in collaboration with the JLU-NBBMS team from the School of Basic Medical Sciences, organized a seminar to explore the applications of mathematical modeling in the medical field. The lecture was delivered by Associate Professor Song Haiming, an accomplished researcher specializing in numerical algorithms and PDE-constrained optimization. He has extensive experience in applying mathematical methods to real-world problems and has been recognized for his excellence in teaching and research.

The seminar, attended by undergraduates from both the Mathematics and Medical Sciences faculties, provided a unique platform for interdisciplinary learning. Professor Song introduced the concept of function interpolation and demonstrated its practical applications, particularly in medical imaging and the modeling of tumor shapes. By bridging mathematics and medicine, this event aimed to expose students to the use of mathematical models in solving complex medical problems, sparking interest in cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Purpose

The primary goal of this seminar was to introduce students from both the School of Mathematics and the School of Basic Medical Sciences to the value of mathematical modeling in solving real-world medical problems. By focusing on function interpolation and its application in areas like tumor shape modeling, the event aimed to show how mathematical techniques can contribute to medical research and practice. Additionally, the seminar fostered interdisciplinary dialogue, encouraging students to think beyond their fields and explore how collaboration between mathematics and medicine can lead to innovative solutions for complex healthcare challenges.

Implementation

The seminar, co-hosted by the School of Mathematics and the JLU-NBBMS team, began with an insightful introduction by Associate Professor Song Haiming. He started by explaining the crucial role of mathematical models in solving complex medical problems, emphasizing how mathematical methods can be directly applied to fields like oncology. The primary focus of the lecture was on function interpolation techniques, such as Lagrange interpolation, piecewise linear interpolation, and cubic spline interpolation. These methods, as discussed by Professor Song, are not just abstract mathematical concepts but have real, practical applications in medical research.

Using examples from tumor shape modeling, Professor Song demonstrated how interpolation methods are essential for reconstructing and analyzing tumor structures from discrete medical imaging data points. By employing techniques like cubic spline interpolation, researchers can generate smooth and accurate representations of irregular tumor shapes, allowing for better diagnosis and treatment planning. Throughout the lecture, Professor Song used MATLAB to showcase these interpolation techniques in action, solving real-time medical modeling problems such as reconstructing 2D tumor shapes from scattered data points.

In one demonstration, Professor Song utilized Lagrange interpolation to explain how data points from a tumor’s surface can be used to generate a smooth curve that accurately represents the tumor's boundary. He then transitioned to piecewise linear interpolation, emphasizing its simplicity and effectiveness in medical contexts where computational efficiency is essential. Finally, cubic spline interpolation was introduced as a more advanced method that ensures smooth transitions between data points, especially useful in applications requiring high precision, like surgical planning or radiotherapy modeling.

The session was highly interactive, encouraging students from both the mathematics and medical schools to ask questions and share their thoughts. This open dialogue led to interesting discussions about how these mathematical models could be applied in other medical areas. For instance, students explored potential uses in predicting the spread of infectious diseases, modeling blood flow dynamics, and improving medical imaging technologies.

In the second half of the seminar, students participated in a hands-on workshop. Divided into interdisciplinary teams, they were tasked with solving a simplified medical modeling problem using interpolation techniques. Each group used MATLAB to apply different methods of interpolation to a dataset representing a tumor’s surface. The exercise highlighted how theoretical mathematical models could be translated into practical tools that solve real-world medical problems. Professor Song and other faculty members facilitated the workshop, providing guidance and insights as students navigated through the problem-solving process.

By the end of the seminar, students left with a clearer understanding of how function interpolation and other mathematical models are vital tools in medical research. The event demonstrated the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, providing participants with both practical skills and fresh perspectives on the intersection of mathematics and medicine.

Feedback and reflection

The seminar received highly positive feedback from both students and faculty. Many participants appreciated how Professor Song successfully bridged the gap between mathematics and medicine, making complex concepts like function interpolation accessible and directly relevant to real-world medical challenges. Students from the medical school found the mathematical techniques surprisingly intuitive and valuable for understanding medical problems such as tumor modeling. Likewise, mathematics students expressed newfound interest in how their field could contribute to healthcare innovation.

Several students mentioned that the hands-on workshop was particularly impactful. Working through a real medical modeling problem with MATLAB gave them practical experience and helped solidify their understanding of the interpolation techniques they had just learned. Many remarked on how eye-opening it was to see how mathematical tools can be applied beyond traditional boundaries and directly improve patient outcomes.

In reflecting on the seminar, the organizers noted that this kind of interdisciplinary exchange offers tremendous potential for both fields. The event sparked curiosity and laid the foundation for future collaborations between the mathematics and medical faculties. As a result, plans are already being discussed to host similar workshops and seminars that deepen the connection between these two areas.

National Tumour Awareness Week

Abstract

On the occasion of the National Tumour Awareness Week, JLU-NBBMS collaborated with the University of Macau to understand the level of awareness of cancer among local residents related to tumors and the differences in healthcare insurance policies between mainland China and Hong Kong and Macau with the aim of exploring the social security services for cancer patients in different regions.

Introduction

On the occasion of the National Tumour Awareness Week, JLU-NBBMS collaborated with the University of Macau to reach out to the community to understand the level of residents' knowledge related to tumours, as well as the current main concerns of the community about new drugs, and to understand the differences in healthcare policies between mainland China and Hong Kong and Macau. We hope that with the opportunity of cooperation between the two teams, we can have a deep discussion on the differences in healthcare policies in different regions as well as social security services for cancer patients in different regions.

Purpose

The National Cancer Prevention and Control Awareness Week (4.15) was initiated by the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association in 1995, and has been successfully held for 29 times so far. It has become the popularization activity of cancer prevention and control in China with the longest history, largest scale and strongest influence.

Through online communications with team University of Macau, we compared health insurance reimbursement policies in the mainland China and Hong Kong and Macau, and identified questions for the interview of residents about the implementation of health insurance.

We decided to collaborate on a series of HP and educational activities to stimulate more people's understanding of the basic knowledge of cancer through innovative formats. Through the communication platform of the community service centers and the experience of the community workers, the focus attention on specific populations is better achieved.

Through interviews, we learned about the health services provided in the community, such as psychological counseling for cancer patients or psychological and humanistic care for some patients with chronic diseases.

Overall Implementation

We began with an introduction of symptoms worthy for notice for and living habits that can prevent cancer. Combined with the exhibition boards we made in advance, we popularized general medical knowledge to the community in lucid language, and enhanced the residents' awareness of cancer prevention practically. In the process of communicating with the residents, we learned more about the basic understanding of cancer among the middle-aged and elderly people, and all of them expressed that they had gained a lot.

At the same time, through the knowledge quiz, we found that most community residents still have many misconceptions about cancer prevention in living habits, such as whether vegetarianism can prevent cancer, whether organic food is healthier than ordinary food, whether drinking soup can replenish nutrients, and whether nutritional supplements can prevent cancer and so on. During the quiz, we helped the residents to dispel many common misconceptions and learn more tips about cancer prevention that are close to their lives, thus raising their awareness of cancer prevention and the fight against cancer.

Afterwards, we interviewed two community workers separately on several issues, including health-related activities currently being implemented in the community and concerns about new commercially available drugs. Once a new cancer drug was invented and put in use, the community staff were more concerned about the mental health of the patient, ensuring the patient's daily life, and whether the patient's social function could be restored or improved, such as the resumption of work.And for us, on the other hand, gave the staff a generalization that in the face of a new type of drug for cancer treatment, the first thing to consider is its safety and toxicity since we need to be responsible for the health of the residents. The second is the price and whether the community residents can afford it. Finally, the difference between the new drugs and the traditional drugs should be understood.

The staff also emphasized psychological attention and humanistic care for patients with chronic diseases such as oncology. We discussed with the staff combining with the contents of bioethics white paper on how to better focus on the psychological health of cancer patients and provide guidance. Cancer patients are usually fearful, anxious, depressed, lose hope in life and confidence in recovery which greatly affects the treatment effects and prognosis of recovery. Therefore, we hope to provide timely comfort and companionship to them from a professional perspective, so that patients can receive equal respect and care.

We also enquired about the relevant health insurance policies, as well as the usage and needs of the residents. After the activity, we further compared the policies with those of Hong Kong and Macao, combining it with the summary of the currently marketed targeted drugs and their usage to improve our “Health Insurance Brochure”.

Feedback and reflection

Finally, we also ask the local residents for their opinions on several topic, results are as follows:

1. Do you think that the community healthcare services are complete, and what can be improved and supplemented?

--I feel that our community is doing quite well, and activities such as regular clinics and lectures have formed a relatively standardised system. However, We were still sometimes limited by funds and manpower.

2.Do you think it is necessary for the government to put in more welfare subsidies or resources for cancer prevention and early screening activities in the community and nursing homes?

--I think it is necessary. According to the people I know who have cancer, their financial burden is very heavy and for ordinary families, it's reaaly hard to afford. However, parts of the burden can indeed be shared with the help of some health insurance and community support.

Through this activity, we popularized health knowledge about cancer prevention to the community residents, compared the differences in healthcare insurance between mainland China and Hong Kong and Macau, and understood the public's needs for cancer healthcare insurance reimbursement. Through communication with residents and community staff, everyone gained a lot and our activities received positive responses!

Rural Health Science Popularization

Abstract

JLU-NBBMS has extended its outreach to remote regions by delivering a health seminar and aid education for the community of Dongjianan Village.

Introduction

Concerned about the lack of resources and knowledge in remote areas of China, JLU-NBBMS team travelled to Dongjianan Village to hold a health promotion activity for the local villagers. With the theme of ‘Popularize the knowledge of tumour prevention to and build a health line for defense together’, the event aimed to break down the information barriers and impart scientific health knowledge and practical medical insurance policies to every villager.

Purpose

In China's vast remote areas, the health awareness of citizens is generally weak. Due to the limitations of both geographical and economical challenges, they can hardly gain comprehensive and effective health information, especially there is a noteworthy cognitive gap in tumour which is a significant health issue for prevention and treatment. JLU-NBBMS team is committed to the idea of inclusiveness and determined to pursue the popularization and accessibility of oncology science.

Preliminary preparations

We focus our attention on Dongjianan Village - a village located in the middle of Jian'an Township, Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. The education resources of Dongjianan village are deficient ,medical conditions are limited and the average income level is relative low. The villagers' knowledge of tumours mostly remain vague and false while they lack effective preventive means and scientific treatment concepts.

In view of this, JLU-NBBMS team decided to take Dongjianan Village as a starting point, and innovatively adopted the mode combining learning by participation and popularize by interactions, transforming the complex knowledge of tumour prevention and treatment into vivid and lucid language and examples, designing a series of health mini-theatre and interactive workshops close to the villagers' lives, as well as explaining the latest healthcare policies in details, so as to enable the villagers to learn by participation and grow by learning, and to gradually build up a better understanding of tumour.

At the same time, our team has also listed an inventory of networks for obtaining health information, such as mobile medical APPs and social media platforms to broaden the channels of dissemination for health information and to ensure that every villager can conveniently obtain scientific and accurate health information, so that together we can move towards a healthier and better future.

Overall implementation

In July 2024, JLU-NBBMS team went deep to the grassroots and successfully organized a series of education activities about oncology prevention and treatments for the local people under the theme of ‘Building Healthy Lines Together - Tumor Prevention and Treatment Knowledge Popularization Action’.

During the activities, our team elaborately planned and printed brochures on cancer prevention and treatment, covering the prevention, early identification and scientific treatment of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, skin cancer and other common cancers, ensuring that the information was comprehensive and easy to understand.

These booklets were distributed one by one to the villagers as a small guide to guard their health.

At the same time, we organized a number of on-site health lectures, where we explained profound tumour prevention and treatment knowledge in simple language to enhance the public's health awareness and self-care ability. In addition, our team paid special attention to the application and promotion of modern technology in tumour prevention and treatment. We introduced a number of practical mobile medical APPs and social media platforms to the villagers, which not only provide rich health information and professional medical services, but also enable villagers to obtain health guidance and achieve self-health management anytime and anywhere. The lectures were interactive, with the public actively participating in the Q&A session and the experts patiently answering every question, making the atmosphere warm and powerful.

In response to the common concern of people in rural areas about health insurance reimbursement and the cost of new treatments, JLU-NBBMS team held a special lecture on China's health insurance policies that we have compiled. Through example analysis and policy interpretation, we helped the public understand and enjoy the dividends of national policies, which effectively alleviated their concerns about the financial burden of oncology treatment, and lit up the light of hope for them.

Overall implementation

In addition, our team focused on the interaction and participation of the activity, encouraged the public to share their health stories and confusions and created a good exchange of knowledge and emotional resonance. The crowd participated enthusiastically and recounted their own or their family member's journeys of fighting against cancer.

‘Everyone in the village knows conditions of my father. Last year at this time, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and it felt as if the sky had fallen. The resources here were limited and the citizens were poor, so when we heard of a serious illness, we were scared. We asked around to learn how to take care of him and how to cook nutritious meals for him. Villagers also organized a campaign to raise funds for us for relieving parts of the financial pressures. More importantly, the specialists from the medical team came regularly to explain the disease to us, teach us how to prevent recurrence and how to stay optimistic. My father said he wanted to see his grandson grow up and witness the changes in our village.’

At the end of the event, we gave away medicines to those who actively participated and guided them to write down their feelings and expectations on tumour prevention and treatment. We witnessed this warm journey of health

Auntie Li: ‘Hoping this kind of activity can be organized a few more times, so we country folks can know more about health. I hope there will be more medical resources in the village in the future, so that it will no longer be difficult for people to see a doctor and they will no longer be afraid.’ Xiao Wang (young man): ‘Through this activity, I am deeply aware of the importance of prevention. I hope to have more opportunities to learn a scientific and healthy lifestyle in the future and to motivate my family and folks to put their health in the first place.’

Lao Zhang (family member of a cancer patient): ‘Thank you for bringing hope and strengths! I hope that with the development of science and technology, more effective treatments and medicines for tumours will be invented, so that more patients like my father can overcome their illnesses and regain their health.’

Auntie Zhao (enthusiastic villager): ‘I hope that young people in the village can pay more attention to the senior citizens in their families and take them for regular medical check-ups so that illness can be detected and treated early. At the same time, I wish that the government and society can pay more attention and support so that the prevention and treatment of tumours in remote and poor areas can be improved.’

XiaoMing (child): ‘I hope everyone can be healthy and free from diseases. I will study hard and become a doctor in the future to help more people.’

This activity not only deepened the local people's understanding of tumour prevention and treatment, but also inspired them to pay attention to their own health and prevent diseases actively. JLU-NBBMS team will continue to uphold the concept of‘Knowledge Changes Destiny, Health Achieves the Future’for bringing scientific health knowledge and warm care to more areas.

iGEM—AZUL

Abstract

On the surface, it looks like a game centered on placing and collecting blocks, and the beautiful 3D-printed biological components are eye-catching enough. But in fact, it hides a story of saving and being saved, alleviating the pain of patients through synthetic biology.

Introduction

For the general public, the knowledge of synthetic biology is inevitably obscure and difficult to understand. In order to improve people's understanding of synthetic biology, we choose to use games to achieve the purpose of combining education with entertainment.

When designing and adapting the game, the public's acceptance became an important factor for us to consider: we wanted to start with a game that was not difficult and had simple rules. Therefore, we focused our attention on the table game AZUL, which is very suitable for entertainment in daily gatherings. We chose to help the public increase their interest and cognitive level of synthetic biology by adapting this game.

We use 3D printing to make synthetic biology components and base plates, combining technology with art to spread synthetic biology. In addition, we want to cultivate players' scientific concepts through this game, so in terms of setting rules for how to determine the winner of the game, we tend to choose the winner as the participant who contributes the most to the final synthesis, rather than the participant who completes the synthesis first.

Content

The 21st century is widely regarded as the century of life sciences, providing new ways and hopes to solve many challenges mankind are facing. Despite many achievements, our society today still faces many unsolved challenging diseases. In places we cannot reach, there is a group of outstanding scientists who stand at the forefront of biological research, using synthetic biology, a cutting-edge technology, as a weapon to bravely build target products that benefit mankind and save patients suffering from diseases.

A is a patient diagnosed with advanced cancer. His family is not wealthy, so they could not afford the high cost of immunotherapy and targeted therapy in the early stage of treatment,. They had to choose traditional chemotherapy drugs in the hope of repelling the disease. However, A soon developed resistance to chemotherapy drugs and the treatment effect became worse and worse as well as his fitness condition. Just when the family was almost swallowed by despair, a ray of hope quietly shone into their lives. A's attending physician brought them an exciting news: a cutting-edge research group is using advanced synthetic biology technology to study how to improve chemotherapy resistance. Although this research is still in the experimental stage and has not yet been fully successful, after careful consideration and countless discussions, A's family bravely and firmly chose to seize this last ray of hope and make A the first patient to try this innovative therapy.

As a member of the research team, you are fully aware of the mission and responsibility you are shouldering. You have to try your best to synthesize the final product and save A’s life.

Reflection

The game we designed is based on the background of synthetic biology, hoping to synthesize the target product to cure diseases. In the conception of the background, we hope to reflect the application and value of synthetic biology. Although there is a winner in the setting, the ending of the story is open. We don’t want to promote that synthetic biology is omnipotent and can definitely save the world. "Can A be successfully saved?" This is the suspense we left.

The way the game identifies the winner is also a decision we made after careful consideration. As we all know, some scientists may not have reached the peak of research and reaped the final fruits of success, but it is undeniable that their hard work and unremitting exploration in their respective fields have laid a solid foundation for the road to success, and their contribution to the field is worthy of reward. Therefore, we tend to choose the one with the highest score in the game as the winner. Although he/she has not synthesized the target product, the accumulation of each component in the synthesis process deserves recognition and respect.

Running Youth

Abstract

In an exciting cross-country race, integrate scientific challenges and let everyone enter the synthetic biology journey through sport.

INTRODUCTION

The dopamine and endorphins we get from exercise are hard to resist, and now that more and more people are taking up regular exercise, we hope to use this enthusiasm to introduce it into our educational activities. We introduce participants to the world of science through the prism of movement. Inspired by the Lithuanian team 2023, our campaign started with the aim of showing the long road of scientific research through the challenges of cross-country running. The event provides an easy way for people from outside the natural sciences to actively participate in our activities. In the process of thinking about how to combine sport and science, we first thought about the form of running, which is not limited by the site, technical restrictions of the way of movement, so we held the "running youth" directional cross-country running activity. .

Purpose

We hope to live through this race to enhance the public's understanding of synthetic biology, we designed the synthetic biology knowledge quiz and plasmid relay to encourage participants to interact with us. Since most of the participants were students from the Medical Faculty of Jilin University, we also designed a Q&A session on laboratory safety knowledge to enhance students' awareness of laboratory safety and protection. Be active in Held in Nanhu Park, Jilin Province, we want to collect people's views on bioethical issues through questionnaires, and their feedback will help us further improve the project.

Overall implementation

The activity requires the participants to start from a set starting point and eventually return to the starting point, and the members of the group need to complete the cross-country run together. We want to infiltrate the knowledge of synthetic biology to the participants during the trail running. We designed nine punch points in the trail running route, which was inspired by the board game Synthetic biology production and research Monopoly [Link Monopoly] we designed. Each punch point represents a different technology, and corresponding tasks need to be completed after participants arrived at a punch point. In order to obtain this technology, you can obtain the punch card stamp.Upon arrival at the destination, the nine technologies will be combined into one result, so that participants complete the challenge of the cross-country race. At the check-in point, we designed interactive sessions to encourage the participants. All participants will receive an exclusive admission ticket designed by JLU-NBBMS and will also receive a commemorative perimeter, which is the embodiment of our Bio-Art philosophy. Tickets were issued to students and members of the public who were interested in the event but did not register in advance, and they cooperated with us to complete the questionnaire.

This was not only an educational event, but also a way of presenting science. It was our first attempt to make a deep connection between sport and science. It was the most enjoyable chapter of our iGEM journey.

Feedback and reflection

This engaging event offers the public an opportunity to embark on a journey into the world of science. In the campaign, we collected questionnaires to understand the public's views on medical ethics. According to the results of the questionnaire, the public is not familiar with bioethics issues, which also confirms that our team's writing of bioethics white paper is very valuable, which provides great motivation for the birth of the white paper. Some students hope to learn bioethics through a combination of classroom teaching and clinical practice. In response to the results of the questionnaire survey, we will continue to conduct educational activities in the field of bioethics to improve public understanding of the subject.

We look forward to welcoming more participants into iGEM journey.

Hongfeng Cup

Abstract

Exploring the integration of natural science and humanities, the "Hongfeng Cup" Medical Drawing Salon was born. This occasion presented an opportunity to delve into the fascinating convergence of science and art, and to engage in discussions with participants.

Introduction

Our team is committed to exploring the integration of natural sciences, such as synthetic biology, with the humanities and arts, especially the concept of "Bio-Art" that combines synthetic biology with art (See"Bio-Art"). As part of "Bio-Art", we organized the "Hongfeng Cup" College Student Medical Drawing Salon, taking this opportunity to discuss the intersection of science and art with college students.

Purpose

The French writer Gustave Flaubert once said, “As we move forward, art becomes more scientific, and science grows more artistic. The two, having parted ways at the foot of the mountain, reunite at its summit”. (“L'art sera scientifique, de même que la science deviendra artistique. Tous deux se rejoindront au sommet après s'être séparés à la base.”) JLU-NBBMS believes that education requires not only rigorous scientific spirit, but also rich creativity and multidisciplinary integration. And that is why we organized this medical drawing salon to explore the aesthetics and depth of science through artistic forms.

Overall implementation

Our team spread the concept of "Bio-Art" to a wider audience through extensive online and offline publicity: science is not equal to boring papers, but also beautiful paintings and poems.

We have also formulated detailed criteria for evaluating the works. We encourage students to use their professional knowledge and artistic talent to explore the aesthetic and scientific mysteries of medicine from an artistic perspective, and create works that can reflect the beauty of medical science.

We advocate the artistic quality of the works, that is to say, works should have artistic beauty, attract the attention of viewers and strike a chord with audiences. We encourage the use of innovative artistic techniques and forms of expression, such as color matching, composition design, lighting effects, etc., to enhance the artistic appeal of the works.

Furthermore, we pursue the scientific accuracy of the works, which means that the works should be based on accurate knowledge of medicine or biology, and capable of clearly expressing the scientific concepts or phenomena. We encourage participants to let their creativity run wild and produce works with unique perspectives and innovative expression methods. These works can either be reinterpretations of traditional medical images or imaginative depiction of future medical visions.

In this event, our team's creation, "Mr. Salmonella", successfully enabled more students to comprehend synthetic biology through an artistic way.

During this salon, we guided the students to illustrate the beauty of synthetic biology through they imagination. The works of other students in this salon also embodied their deep understanding of basic medicine and their unique artistic perspectives, showcasing the solid academic foundation and keen artistic sensibility of medical students.

Feedback and reflection

The success of this salon is significant for the team. We deeply realize that scientific research is not only the accumulation of technology and data, but also requires interdisciplinary thinking and creativity. The combination of science and art not only provides new perspectives and inspiration, but also builds a bridge between academic and artistic expression, promoting mutual inspiration and understanding in different fields.

In the salon, we also experienced the collision of views: as medical students, whether the main task is to concisely convey scientific content, pursue rigor and objectivity, or to show the beauty of biology through exquisite illustrations, allowing a slightly artistic interpretation of scientific significance? We had a heated discussion with other participants around this topic.

The event made us realize that showing complex scientific concepts through artistic forms can not only convey scientific ideas more vividly, but also stimulate more interest in science and medicine in a larger crowd. Future science education and research need more such interdisciplinary activities to broaden students' horizons and thinking. As an iGEM team, we will continue to promote the concept of "Bio-Art", organize more activities, and actively cooperate with other iGEM teams and "Bio-Art" supporters to cultivate a fertile ground for the integration of art and science.

Synthetic Biology Monopoly

Introduction

Games are a great way to relax, and it’s something almost everyone enjoys. A well-designed game can immersee players in it, even substituting into the identity of the game characters. Meanwhile, our team aims to introduce more people to synthetic biology in some simple and engaging forms, so we would like to design a Synthetic Biology card game in order to allow more people to feel the fun of synthetic biology during the game. Monopoly is a globally popular and easy-to-understand trivia game, and we believe most people have heard of it and understood its rules, so Synthetic Biology Monopoly was born!

Synthetic Biology Monopoly is a game that can popularise the knowledge of Synthetic Biology among the general public, based on the classic Monopoly game with revised rules and contents. It provides a more engaging way for the public to open the door to synthetic biology, helping them understand what it is and how it affects our lives. Through the guidance of the rules and the procession in games, participants can gradually deepen their understanding of synthetic biology.

Preparations and contents of the game

During the creation process, the team members frequently discussed the modifications of the rules and contents of the game, for example, what knowledge should be introduced so that participants of different ages and knowledge levels could gain a deeper impression. Meanwhile, we discussed with team WHU-China about the design of maps and cards, aiming to make the game more interesting for participants. These aspects posed significant challenges for our team. We sincerely hope that players can learn in a clearer and more vivid way. In the game, players will assume different identities, using the money in hand to leverage technology or develop applications within the game’s rules, cooperating with others to win. In the game, scientific research requires the support of multiple technologies, which requires the consent of other holders who own technology patents (the person who buys the grids), and if players do not have permission, they will receive severe penalties (boom!). After several rounds, the player with the most money wins. The process of punishment and reward is often the most memorable part of the game, and through it, we believe that each player will absorb the core message we aim to convey, with the importance of intellectual property protection firmly ingrained in their minds.

Game implementation and reflection

During the activity, we introduced our Synthetic Biology Monopoly to the participants. It was a quick process since our rules are not complicated. After the immersive gameplay, we conducted a brief interview with the players, and it was clear that they had developed a deeper understanding of synthetic biology. At the same time, they showed great interest in how synthetic biology could be applied in our lives. We hope that, in the future, they could have more direct contact with synthetic biology products. Meanwhile, we received some valuable feedback. For example, there is still a bit of distance between certain technologies and the players, they struggled to understand the principle of the technology only with a brief explanation, and they found it challenging to understand how these technologies could be applied in our lives based solely on text descriptions. We also encountered loopholes in the game rules, such as unreasonable pricing of technologies or applications, resulting in a less satisfying game experience. This experience highlighted the need for more thorough and careful preparation before implementing such activities. We need to verify the logic of the game, ensuring that the rules are understandable enough to popularise the game to the general public, avoiding the impairment of some players’ experience due to varying levels of knowledge. With more diligent preparation, we can inspire more people to take an interest in synthetic biology, we also believe that through the implementation of the project, we can design a better and more meaningful game, that will further promote the development of synthetic biology.

The specific design and rules of the game are in the PDF below, so feel free to play with us!

Bio-field Synthetic Biology Cartoon

Abstract: Welcome to the Bio-field comic strip serial! We're introducing to you what synthetic biology is in comic form and how it's wonderfully changing our world!

Introduction

During the activities of Tumor Awareness Week, we learned that the public's knowledge of synthetic biology is still relatively blank, or there are big misunderstandings. Therefore, we would like to introduce the application of synthetic biology in various fields to the public in an easy-to-understand and acceptable cartoon way, so that the public can really understand what synthetic biology is and how it can make our lives better.

Preparation

We gathered six teams through communication meetings, online networking, etc., and introduced our concept to all the team members and artists, and reached a consensus right away. After that, we held several meetings to finalize the details of the comic strip - story line, 3:4 ratio, etc. We also set up a Bio-field Comic Strip Audit Committee to review the progress of the teams on a regular basis, so as to complete this big task in time.

Specifics

In the end, we formed seven serial comics on JLU-NBBMS synthetic biology x tumor formation & treatment, CAU-China synthetic biology x health care, PKUHSC synthetic biology x bacterial therapy, HainanU synthetic biology x cosmetics of hair loss treatment, JLU-CP synthetic biology x fashion, XJLUP-China Synthetic Biology x obesity, DKU-iGEM Synthetic Biology x Medicine. Although this collaboration did not reach full track coverage, it did provide new ideas for future iGEM teams to popularize and promote science in the form of comics. Our preview as well as the cartoon received high views as soon as it was posted on new media platforms, and you can find the entire collection below.

Feedback and reflection

The original purpose of the Bio-field cartoon was to introduce the synthetic biology to the general public and all the iGEM team's commitment to "making the world a better place", and we have found that the general public's perception of synthetic biology is deficient, and that it's not easy to try to change that. We found that the public's perception of synthetic biology is inadequate and skewed, and that trying to change that is not easy. The public tends to look distrustful at the mention of "genetically modified" and "synthetic bacteria". Fortunately, as many people viewed the cartoon, we gained a lot of new fans, and perhaps the problem is not the technology itself, but how to get people to critically accept it for what it is, both good and bad. We never asserted that we could "save the world," but rather objectively showed the public the attractions and shortcomings of synthetic biology. In addition, we also realized that this way of publicizing science can only reach people who are skilled in using cell phones and willing to browse the news on new media platforms, but it is not friendly to people in remote areas, so we have also reflected on this and further promoted a more accessible way of publicizing science to people in remote areas.

JLU-NBBMS Medicare Research Report

Abstract

In this report you can get the current status of cancer, a summary list of targeted & immune drugs and the current status of Chinese and foreign health insurance and its outlook. We hope this information can help patients, doctors and future iGEMers.

Introduction

After discovering that drug resistance in tumors is a very serious problem, we focused our project on this goal. After talking with clinicians, we learned that drug resistance is only one aspect of the problem for patients, but more realistically, the cost of treating tumors is often referred to as "catastrophic healthcare expenditure". Therefore, the purpose of JLU-NBBMS team to present this section is to visualize the current status of cancer load and drug resistance in the world, and to provide a list of indications for targeted and immunological drugs and health insurance. Further, through the presentation of typical health insurance patterns at home and abroad, we found that cancer treatment is also expensive in a global perspective, especially when more advanced drugs are desired. This finding also fed directly into our project tracing - we decided to develop potentiators to address drug resistance and try to alleviate the economic pressure.

Preparation

After the Tumor Awareness Week, we found that people in the community were more willing to use medicines in the health insurance list and less willing to try or learn about new medicines. Based on the public's reliance on the health insurance list, we were curious about the health insurance field and the idea of exploring the field. In addition, as our ethical inquiry deepened, we conducted in-depth interviews with clinicians and patients at the first and the third Bethune Hospital of Jilin University, and learned that financial pressure is one of the mountains on the backs of the majority of patients, and that after having the money to pay for the treatment, the other mountain to face is drug resistance. The vast majority of imported, cutting-edge drugs are not covered by health insurance, and to access more advanced treatments – “sorry, you'll have to spend more”. It's exciting to know that our program is "targeting" patient concerns with such precision, but in the meantime, and with further ethical considerations, we think it's time to develop an accessibility profile.

Specifics

We conducted site visits to hospitals, asked about health insurance reimbursement for patients with several major cancers with informed consent, and searched and organized information under the guidance of clinicians and teachers. In the end, we developed a report that is both an inventory and a prospective report. This report includes the global cancer burden and drug resistance status based on WHO data, a summary of the indications of currently marketed targeted and immunological drugs and the corresponding reimbursement in China, a summary of the prognosis of malignant tumors and the common sites of metastasis from the U.S. SEER database, as well as the current status of health insurance and future outlooks based on the typical patterns of domestic and international health insurance and tumor scenarios. We hope that this cancer-specific and easy-to-access information can provide certain guidelines for patients, show the latest cancer data for doctors and researchers, provide suggestions and outlooks in the field of healthcare insurance for the corresponding administrative departments, and provide guidelines for future iGEMers to think in this area.

Feedback and reflection

We were overwhelmed by the knowledge and research on the state of healthcare and the world of oncology, and the formation of this guideline caused the JLU-NBBMS team to reflect and ultimately formulate the project's desire to use bacteria to develop drug synergists that will alleviate the financial burden on patients. Through the medicare research, and through our project, we hope to be able to provide new ideas for future iGEMers - it's important to make the most of what's available. We also want to call more attention to third world countries, to areas where healthcare is not as developed as it should be - sadly, we want to improve cisplatin because it's all that's available in some places. This report allows us to think more closely about the real economic problems of each patient, so that our programs can actually make a difference in the real world and not just on paper. We also hope that we can look at the imbalance in the medical scales and see the people who need help, the financial pressures, and another important reason why the average person talks about cancer.

Biosafety & Ethics White Paper

Abstract

Under the appeal of JLU-NBBMS, this three-hundred-page masterpiece, incorporating the wisdom of 18 teams, will provide you with the necessary guidance on safety and ethics.

Introduction

When we initially established our research direction, we virtually "turned over" the iGEM official website! We are well aware of the emphasis on biosafety and ethics in iGEM and the entire scientific research field. However, faced with a complex system of safety and ethics, we found that we did not truly understand many issues. Why do these bacteria belong to the whitelist? Why not those others? In the process of exploration, we flashed with a thought, why not let our thoughts benefit more teams, and even future iGEM teams? Therefore, we united nearly 20 teams to delve into and explain the connotations of biosafety & ethics in iGEM, and carried out outreach activities, hoping to help more iGEMers clarify concepts and reflect on themselves.

Hence, we orchestrated an alliance of approximately 20 teams, embarking on an in-depth exploration and elucidation of the nuanced implications of biosafety and ethics within the realm of iGEM. Furthermore, we orchestrated outreach endeavors, aspiring to enlighten a broader spectrum of iGEM participants, fostering conceptual clarity and introspection.

Preliminary preparation

At the beginning of our project, our focus was directed towards devising and implementin the safety and ethical content writing exclusively for the tumor track. However, soon we realized that the importance of safety control, ethical exploration, and the current ambiguity of available guidance could be potentially pose challenges for all teams across all tracks. Therefore, we embraced to actively contact teams from all tracks online and offline. Through discussions, we truly found that everyone was in the same situation - apart from knowing this so-called "official name", we actually didn't understand what bioethics was. And we also didn't understand why we had to fill out such a long safety form - safety is just adding a few control elements to the plasmid. Therefore, there was a unanimous desire among us to do this, and we all wanted to know why safety and ethics were so important. The JLU-NBBMS team first provided a reference outline (you can find this part in the table of contents of the white paper for future team reference), and we finalized the writing content and even the final format details of each track through countless online meetings, striving to avoid repetitiveness in content.

Specifics

The Biosafety & Ethics White Paper proposed and primarily written by JLU-NBBMS covers almost all tracks of the 2024iGEM, with a particular focus on the annotation of new tracks and the development of new rules. Our white paper is divided into two volumes, the upper volume is jointly written by 14 teams in track logic, hoping to serve as a reference blueprint for ourselves and all future iGEM teams. The lower volume is written by the XJTLU-Software team leading four software track related teams to write about AI-related Biosafety & Ethics considerations - “Safety is not limited to the experimental bench. In the rapidly changing development and application of AI, ethical and safety constraints seem to be slow enough”. We hope to fill this gap and inspire future iGEMer to continue exploring based on this. The content written by each track team in the white paper covers track introduction, project introduction, and case analysis, where you can find the meaning of the track, the analysis of bioethical regulations, countless clever biosafety switches, and even the best project examples. Are you curious about cutting-edge technologies such as organoids? No problem! You will also encounter discussions on organoids and prospects for changes in the whitelist. We are committed to providing future iGEMer with a complete guide from choosing tracks to referable excellent projects, spanning experimental design and regulatory exploration. Even if you are starting from scratch or don't understand the differences and meanings of each track, our report will still bring you some inspiration. It is difficult for us to achieve perfection in this big task, and we are well aware that synthetic biology and the development of the whole world are so fast. This white paper is a sincere reflection and inspiration given by the eighteen teams of 2024iGEM based on the present, and the key to future knowledge and thinking is firmly in your hands. We hope that future iGEMer can continue to enrich this material, leading this three-hundred-page giant from the present of synthetic biology to the future.

Feedback and reflection

This precious compilation is the culmination of the ethical and safety considerations of the JLU-NBBMS team, a testament to the collective efforts and collaboration of 18 teams. In the process of crafting this white paper, our thoughts gradually transcended the things beyond the workbench. We not only acquired knowledge, but more significantly, honed our skills in cooperation, sharing, communication and exchange. We constantly communicated with professors and enterprises leaders, allowing ethics to transcend the boundaries of theory and address real-world and urgent challenges. The purging of concepts led us to the island of regulations, and in the process of studying regulations, we found that the legal system was complicated from the perspective of science students, and we also discovered stark disparities in domestic and international understandings. Consequently, we turned to classmates and professors of the School of Philosophy and Social Sciences, resulting in a wonderful collision between natural and social sciences. The collaboration stands as one of the pivotal origins of the "Six Sixes" activity. We delight in realizing that in the process of learning, we are becoming more and more clear about the entire security and ethics world and its importance, and constantly feed our gains back to the entire project and even future projects. In addition to what be referred to in the white paper, we also want to convey to future iGEMer the importance of critical and systematic thinking. The white paper is not only a starting point or an end point. It looks like it just lies here quietly, but when you feel carefully, upon attentive contemplation, reveals a shimmering chain of profound thought.

List of recommendations based on ethical learning

Abstract

Ethical education is a lengthy yet essential process. This list of recommendations outlines the ethical inquiry journey and intellectual outcomes of JLU-NBBMS.

Introduction

JLU-NBBMS has always recognized the significance of ethics from the beginning of our project. We understand that ethical exploration guides the team to consider social responsibility and potential risks during project implementation to ensure that technological advancements align with human well-being. In a laboratory setting, technology exists independently, but when introduced to communities and societies, it presents various challenges. We recognize that synthetic biology possesses exceptional capabilities to develop highly complex and modular systems designed to address some of humanity's most pressing issues. As one of the fastest-evolving fields today, the ethical standards governing synthetic biology are not always comprehensive. With rapidly advancing technologies and tools, we urgently need a robust bioethical framework capable of addressing diverse emerging challenges.

Preparation

Immediately upon deciding to embark on ethical learning and inquiry, we began reaching out to experts and relevant enterprises to the best of our abilities. Ethics is a highly intricate system, and we desperately needed a clear learning and feedback strategy. Through discussions with Professor Wei Jun (link to iHP Professor Wei Jun), we not only reshaped our ethical perspective but also recognized that significant issues still exist within the current ethical framework. Therefore, we aim to internalize knowledge while disseminating learning outcomes as our ethical inquiry progresses. This will help reflect the support provided by experts and enterprises into optimizing real-world applications, gradually leading to the development of this list of recommendations.

Specifics

Throughout the entire project, we continuously enriched ethical learning and reflection, gradually forming a logical cycle of inspiration, problem discovery, problem analysis, solution implementation, and feedback and education. By engaging with all the ethics experts and student teams we could connect with, we systematically enhanced this list. It serves as a record of JLU-NBBMS's ethical exploration journey. Through communication with other iGEM teams and accessible student organizations, we identified a common issue among iGEMers and the wider medical education system: the lack of ethical exploration and confusion regarding the intricate ethical framework. Therefore, this list is not merely a simple set of suggestions but a replicable path for ethical exploration and a source of inspiration. In this list, you can discover inquiries into healthcare ethics, ethical learning and regulation, research institution and subject protection, as well as discussions on the ethics of emerging technologies. We have created multi-faceted problem identification and recommendations, spanning from government officials to medical managers, and from education to iGEMers. We welcome everyone interested in ethical exploration to download and utilize this document, enriching the list while discovering their own path of ethical inquiry.

Feedback and reflection

JLU-NBBMS's commitment to ethical learning manifests in various aspects. Through an extensive journey of ethical exploration, we increasingly recognize the close relationship between scientific research and ethical reflection. As we continually pursue advances in synthetic biology technology, we must maintain an acute awareness of ethical issues to ensure we are genuinely benefiting humanity rather than bring about potential and unforeseen disasters. For all iGEMers, the responsibility to assess the impact of our creations should not reside solely with governments and ethicists. We believe every iGEMer has a responsibility to analyze our experiments and HP and education activity designs from an ethical perspective, uphold scientific principles, and demonstrate that we are making a responsible impact on the world. (You can find the entire ethical learning process in iHP Bioethics, which we hope will inspire you!)