Introduction

Our team started to work on the potential approaches to responsibly implement integrated Human Practices into our workflow in the early stages of our project. We based our initial ideas on extensive literature reviews and consolidated the acquired knowledge by gathering the essential information from meetings with business, science, laws & regulations, safety & ethics, and society representatives. 

By integrating expert opinions, we created a strong backbone that allowed us to further explore the versatile nature of Synhesion, which focuses on creating a sustainable, hypoallergenic, and robust technology in the form of adhesives. Throughout the project, our team confronted a variety of obstacles that forced us to question the fundamental values we as a team, wanted to pursue and promote to achieve excellence in synthetic biology.

Values

Throughout our project, we encompassed values that showcased our teams’ efforts in engaging with the public through interactive, education-based initiatives and reinforced our own understanding of responsibility and safety associated with lab processes. The following fundamental values served as a trajectory for the further work we planned throughout the project.

1. Accountability 

During our project, we placed the utmost importance on conducting our activities with honesty, as well as interpreting the results ethically. As ambassadors of synthetic biology, we recognized the significance of sharing science-based information and maintaining transparent communication with stakeholders. Our primary goal was to document every aspect of our work comprehensively, enabling others to build upon it.

2. Integrity

By becoming the ambassadors of synthetic biology, we understood that the education, research, and other project parts we wanted to pursue must be done honestly by building a credible backbone, which others can build upon. Our team’s understanding of this value gradually became more and more apparent while pursuing science communication when we had to present our own project and, in general, communicate the relevance of synthetic biology to the public. We understood that the research we conducted must be transparent and available to all, and in parallel, the research should be communicated in an accessible way that would incentivize open dialogue. 

3. Improvement 

From the beginning, we recognized the importance of engaging with stakeholders to broaden our perspective. We consciously tried not to become too attached to our initial idea and remained open to suggestions. This openness allowed us to make a meaningful impact by helping individuals use diabetes care devices. While staying flexible, we committed to incorporating feedback for ongoing improvement and implementing a reflection (GROW) model to guide our progress.

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4. Responsibility 

From the start, we aimed to create a responsible project that would benefit humanity without causing harm. Environmental sustainability was a key consideration from the very beginning. By opting for synthetic biology over chemical synthesis, we developed a greener production technology that resulted in a biodegradable, non-toxic adhesive. Once we chose our focus - an alternative adhesive for diabetes care devices - we prioritized identifying the necessary tests for our adhesive. To offer an effective alternative to the adhesives currently used in medicine, we consulted with people with diabetes, conducted a thorough literature review, and interviewed endocrinology specialists at Santaros Clinics.

Inclusivity

During the course of our project, our team aimed to find authentic ways to connect to our local community and identify and understand the barriers that were in place in our education system. By consulting with expert institutions in education, such as Vilnius University academic staff and non-formal education representatives, we were able to address the current challenges faced in lifelong learning possibilities. By focusing on the integration of synthetic biology into the Universities of the Third Age curriculum as well as introducing other target groups, such as kids and younger teens, to the potential of higher education through participating in outreach initiatives by collaborating with the first Therapeutic Farm in Lithuania. By pursuing this collaboration, we were able to learn and engage with young people from risk groups who’s aim is to reintegrate into the education system or the labor market by working in a team whilst interacting with the natural environment and pursuing meaningful farm work.

The fundamentals of our project thoroughly followed these values and implemented them responsibly. This allowed our team to critically evaluate the key obstacles and establish a responsible and sustainable strategy to engage with our stakeholders. By pursuing this tactic in our Integrated Human Practices section, we were able to see a direct impact and apply it to other parts of our project.

Our project emphasized the importance of mutual learning and overall improvement of our audience’s understanding and our team’s comprehension of the basic principles of synthetic biology and the responsible manner in which to apply them.

Stakeholder analysis and adaptation

We identified 5 distinctive stakeholder groups, which played a vital role in helping us implement our fundamental values and shaped our development strategy by providing feedback and showcasing interest in our progress: 

How do I navigate this page?

We begin by sharing our story, then showcasing our consultations with different people and the reflection sessions that accompanied them.

For better understanding, our stakeholders are divided into: 

• Business:
  These include organizations or individuals with a commercial interest in the activities or outcomes of our project or company. They consist of three groups: 1) prospective suppliers, 2) customers, and 3) partners who are interested in the profitability, market expansion, competitive edge, and long-term viability of the company.
• Science:
  Stakeholders in this section are scientists, academics, or research institutions. They focus on innovation, advancing knowledge, and ensuring that practices, products, or services are based on sound scientific principles and evidence-based research. Their input is on the technical, scientific, and environmental parts impacts of the project.
• Laws & Regulations:
  This includes government agencies, regulators, and legal bodies overseeing compliance with laws, regulations, and policies. Stakeholders here ensure that activities adhere to legal standards and contribute to societal governance. They are concerned with the legal risk, liability, and regulatory frameworks we must follow.
• Safety & Ethics:
  Safety and ethics stakeholders are those concerned with our project's ethical conduct and safety practices. Their focus is on promoting responsible, safe, and ethical practices.

Society:
The society category includes the general public, communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other groups affected by our project's societal and environmental impact. These stakeholders are concerned with environmental stewardship and the broader impact of our project on quality of life and sustainability.

The Story Begins

Our research led us to a shocking realization: adhesives, essential in countless everyday products, are mainly non-recyclable, often toxic, and contribute to environmental pollution. Nearly 24.7 million tonnes of adhesives are produced annually, and there is a clear need for sustainable alternatives [1].

Fig. 2. The global production of adhesives annually compared to the weight of approximately 68 Empire State Buildings (365,000 tonnes each).

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), acrylic glue, which makes up ~23% of all adhesives produced, is considered hazardous by the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard [2].

Fig. 3. Types of most abundant adhesives individually.Adhesives Market Report – World. Adapted fromCeresana (2024, February).

Acrylic glue may cause drowsiness or dizziness, skin and eye irritation, respiratory issues, and damage to blood and liver through prolonged or repeated exposures, and is suspected of causing cancer [3].

Millions worldwide experience direct health problems from adhesive exposure. This incentivized us to explore various industry sectors and government institutions that could provide better insights into the current effects of adhesives.

Our team contacted local environmental protection agencies, government institutions, and adhesive manufacturers through questionnaires to understand the regulations and assess both local and international impacts. We also contacted furniture manufacturers to introduce our biodegradable, bio-based glue idea. While the interest from manufacturers was limited, we received responses from environmental institutions. Our team also learned that our goal was to produce an eco-friendly glue aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production [4] [5] since our project aimed to reduce the environmental impact of harmful adhesives.

Throughout our journey, we met Viktorija Kralikienė. She had Type 1 diabetes and wore diabetes care devices that contained adhesive to stick to her skin, but skin reactions plagued her. It turned out the adhesives were causing her continuous discomfort. We investigated the adhesive content in diabetes patches and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. Our research showed that skin reactions are common among diabetes care device users.

Fig. 4. Prevalence of diabetes worldwide in 2021, data adapted from IDF Diabetes Atlas. (n.d.). https://diabetesatlas.org/

Multiple studies identified isobornyl acrylate and N-N dimethyl acrylamide as the main allergens causing allergic contact dermatitis [6] [7]. One study found that 38.1% of patients had to discontinue insulin pump or glucose monitoring use due to adverse skin reactions [7]. Our research showed that children often experience skin reactions from diabetes care devices, likely because they’re physically and mentally active. These effects cause them a lot of discomfort and distress.

That’s when we realized our bio-based adhesive, holdfast - made from polysaccharides - could offer a solution. Our solution could improve people's lives and directly contribute to the European Union's Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being while promoting environmentally friendly alternatives [4] [8].

What began as an environmental concern had now evolved into something more personal: the chance to help millions of people like Viktorija while promoting sustainability. Our main objectivewas to understand the scope of adhesives issues, delving deeper into the medical sector and diabetes care devices to provide the community with a measured solution. We were ready to make our idea stick.

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