Throughout this project, we actively contributed to the ongoing efforts to optimize iPSC culture, gaining critical insights into the specific challenges and nuances of this delicate process. Early on, we encountered significant obstacles in maintaining optimal growth conditions and ensuring the sustained pluripotency of the cells. These initial hurdles underscored the complexity of iPSC culture, but through persistent collaboration and targeted research, we developed and refined advanced techniques to improve our methods.
Maintaining iPSCs can be particularly daunting and sometimes disheartening, especially for those new to the field. The cells are sensitive to various culture conditions, and even minor changes in media composition, oxygen levels, or techniques can lead to spontaneous differentiation or reduced viability. These setbacks can be frustrating, as they may feel like significant obstacles to progress. However, with experience comes a deeper understanding of the nuances involved in iPSC maintenance, making it easier to troubleshoot and optimize conditions over time.
Recognizing the importance of sharing knowledge gained from our experiences, we created a comprehensive guide to iPSC culture. This resource outlines best practices, common pitfalls, and effective techniques we discovered along the way. By compiling our findings, we aim to support others in the field, helping them navigate the complexities of iPSC maintenance with greater confidence and success. Through collaboration and shared learning, we hope to make the process more accessible and less daunting for future researchers.
Our research has expanded the understanding of oxygen conditions necessary for bone marrow organoid formation by demonstrating that organoids can thrive under both 3.5% and normoxic 20% O₂ levels, challenging the traditional view that strict hypoxic conditions (1-5% O₂) are essential. This finding suggests that organoids can maintain key characteristics across a wider range of oxygen levels, offering potential improvements in the scalability and accessibility of organoid production for research and therapeutic applications.
The in-silico model created by our team provides a rigorous base for understanding the time evolution of a bone-marrow organoid in response to a multitude of infectious states. Fitted loosley to existing clinical data, our model can be used to identify expected trends in cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and cytokine levels in response to varying levels of pathogenic injury and initial cytokine levels. This allows us to predict the expected behavior of the Wet Lab bone marrow organoid. In the future our model can be further refined to fit data generated by the organoid, which can increase its predictive power even further. Our model also allows us to output real-time visualizations of the system and its evolution over time, making the software much more accessible to researchers hoping to use it.
Our Human Practices team conducted stakeholder interviews and created educational materials for individuals throughout the education pipeline, which other iGEM teams can utilize.
We conducted a series of interviews with academics and professionals in the field of synthetic biology and sepsis research. Not only did this initiative enrich our understanding, but it also provided valuable information for other teams. By compiling and sharing these interviews on our team Wiki, we created a collection of expert opinions and insight on synthetic biology ethics, regulation, education, and policies that can guide future iGEM projects.
In collaboration with the QGEM, ASU, BevaTech, and Stanford University iGEM teams, we created a 54-page Ethics Handbook detailing business, research, medical, education, and global health and equity ethics. This document can serve as a resource for best practices, regulatory guidelines, and ethics considerations to all individuals involved in synthetic biology. As our teams discussed case studies relevant to our projects, this resource is especially relevant to future iGEM teams. It is crucial to assess the ethical issues and considerations that may arise in teams’ projects, and the Ethics Handbook synthesizes key topics in an accessible, detailed form.
Through our initiatives, the Human Practices team has not only advanced our project but also contributed to the larger iGEM community. Our outreach and distribution of resources continues iGEM’s culture of collaborative innovation.