We are Westlake-China 2024, and this year, we have placed great emphasis on Human Practices, recognizing its instrumental role in refining our project to have a positive impact in the world.

At the outset of our project, we conducted a Stakeholder brainstorming session, where all members of the project worked together to generate ideas for Human Practices. During the topic selection process, we sought sincere advice from several professors at Westlake University and communicated with ZJU-China to gain a deeper understanding of the competition agenda. These valuable feedbacks, whether concise or comprehensive, greatly benefited us. To improve our project, we extensively read literature, reports, conference proceedings, and interacted with over 10 stakeholders, from whom we learned a great deal. We also exchanged ideas with seven universities to inspire each other. The positive impact of Human Practices on our project is undeniable. Please refer to our integrated Human Practices report for detailed information.

To better understand the public's needs, we designed a questionnaire aligned with our project theme and distributed it widely. Recognizing the public's lack of knowledge in the field of synthetic biology, we conducted science popularization sessions in four schools, guided the public on visits to biology laboratories, provided repeated explanations, and held a synthetic biology poster exhibition. We look forward to doing more good work for the world in the future.

We recognized the business value of our project and designed a business plan, which is reflected in our Entrepreneur. To develop a more comprehensive and mature plan for our startup, we would like to communicate with other companies incubated on the Westlake University Entrepreneurship Platform and learn from experienced entrepreneurs and investors.

We feel we should make it a priority to raise awareness of the major disease issues facing the world, such as cancer. All work in this field should be put in the spotlight, and we want to contribute to that.

We recognize that while the public has some understanding of cancer treatment, there is a lack of knowledge about the relationship between bacteria and tumors, as well as the application of synthetic biology in cancer treatment. Therefore, we aim to raise public awareness of cancer knowledge and spark their interest in synthetic biology through our science popularization activities.

We adopted various methods for science popularization, including:

1. Questionnaire Survey: Through a questionnaire survey, we learned about the public's level of understanding of cancer treatment and gene editing technology, as well as their views on using bacteria for cancer treatment.

2. Science Popularization Lectures: We conducted four science popularization lectures targeting primary and secondary school students, introducing the pathogenesis and treatment methods of cancer, as well as the potential application of synthetic biology in cancer treatment.

3. Lab Visits: We organized several lab visit activities for middle school students and participants of biology competitions, providing them with an up-close look at synthetic biology experiments and sparking their curiosity.

4. Poster Exhibition: We held a synthetic biology poster exhibition on campus, introducing the concepts and applications of synthetic biology to college students and the public.

We hope that through these science popularization activities, more people will understand the latest developments in cancer treatment and recognize the huge potential of synthetic biology in the medical field. At the same time, we also hope to inspire young people's interest in science and encourage them to explore the mysteries of science.

For more details, please see our Education Page.

Our project's human practice component involves listening to stakeholders' critical perspectives on our project, integrating their feedback, values, and needs into our planning and solution design. This ensures that they are effective, feasible, and likely to succeed across various domains.

Producing a Salmonella-based bioformulation targeting tumors involves numerous steps, from research and development to production. It begins with the R&D phase, followed by pre-clinical and clinical trials, manufacturing, and marketing. Inspired by the 2023 Zhejiang University iGEM team, we conducted an in-depth investigation along four dimensions: need assessment, scientific exploration, operability, and commercial viability. Each dimension provided unique insights, thus imposing different requirements for our project planning and solution design. Consequently, we pooled the wisdom of an interdisciplinary team to create a positive social impact while also being responsible and beneficial to the world. For more information on the tools we used, please refer to the section on the AREA framework below.

For more details, please see our integrated Human Practice Page.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), characterized by its aggressive nature and high recurrence rate, poses a significant challenge in China. Current treatment options primarily rely on chemotherapy, which often fails to provide long-term benefits. Our project aims to develop an innovative therapy for TNBC, offering new hope for patients.

Our Advantages:

1. Precise Targeting: Our therapy is designed to specifically target the unique genetic features of TNBC, minimizing damage to healthy cells.

2. Highly Effective: Utilizing cutting-edge biotechnology, our therapy effectively inhibits tumor growth, improving survival rates and quality of life for patients.

3. Affordable Pricing: We will implement a pricing strategy that ensures accessibility for patients while maintaining profitability for our company.

4. Scalability: By replacing the antibodies used in the method, this approach can be adapted for use in treating other solid tumors.

We have developed a comprehensive business plan outlining market analysis, revenue model, financing strategy, and regulatory pathway. We invite you to download and read the plan for more detailed information about our project. We believe that our innovative therapy will bring new hope to TNBC patients in China and around the world, contributing to the advancement of entrepreneurial endeavors.

For more details, please see our Entrepreneurship Page.