Schools
Team iGEM IIT Roorkee as part of its extensive Human Practices Outreach conducted a workshop on 31st August 2022 in Montfort School, Roorkee on Scientific Communication.
The Purpose of the workshop was to raise awareness on the new developing field of synthetic biology(SynBio) and its massive applications in tackling issues both on a local and global scale in innovative and sustainable ways.
A Strong Contingent composed of 6 of our team members undertook the workshop and discussed a variety of topics including SynBio, Applications of SynBio, Machine Learning and its applications, iGEM competition and Our Problem statement and the solution for the same. Each member of our team explained in thorough details the aforementioned topics which really captured the attention of the students gathered there.We also discussed our iGEM problem statement and the solution for the same as students were made aware of the raging yet unnoticed problem of Cervical Cancer.The Audience majorly composed of students from Class 10th to 12th. As our team discussed the modern-day exciting applications, The Future Potential and scope of innovation in the emerging field of SynBio, the students were fascinated and in awe as we captured their undivided attention. The students were made aware of the exciting projects in the field of SynBio as we tried to ignite the fire of innovation in the minds of the youth, and left them with a message that Youth can be Pioneers in this emerging field.All-together, The experience was enriching. The school authorities were extremely cooperative and helped in the smooth running of the workshop. Students particularly enjoyed the workshop, which captured their inquisitive nature as they asked lots of high-quality,out-of-the-box questions which our team answered quite fervently.
Link to workshop presentation : https://static.igem.wiki/teams/4434/wiki/school-presentation.pdf
Glow in the dark workshop
A workshop was conducted by our team as a part of a workshop series which briefed about iGEM and its approach towards solving both the local and the global issues. We gave a brief introduction to what synthetic biology is and its outrageous applications such as Redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities.
As a part of the workshop, we explained about the 2020 iGEM project of the previous IIT Roorkee team which was named PYOMANCER. The project was aimed at creating novel antibacterial protein complexes, designed to specifically bind and kill species of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
As a part of the workshop, we also conducted a quiz which consisted of some match the following type questions based on the applications of synthetic biology.
Following the workshop, we mentioned a fascinating concept with which we can produce yeast that glows in the dark. We explained how we can genetically modify naturally existing yeast by using DNA-cutting enzymes and reagents to make it glow.
Survey
Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among women in india and yet it a widespread perception that women don’t need to or shouldn’t be vaccinated until they are married, a euphemism for being sexually active. Our team wanted to validate every possible hypothesis around HPV vaccine, screening and cervical cancer. We did this by conducting a short survey amongst the Indian population, over a range of age groups. We got 517 responses. Our aim was to educate and at the same time understand the level of awareness of HPV and Cervical cancer among Indian women.
The results of the survey showed that 72% women were not aware of the symptoms of Cervical cancer and 56.9% did not know the cause of cancer. One good insight was that our hypothesis that people didn't know that it was preventable, was proven wrong. Majority
(approximately 90%) knew that it is preventable with timely diagnosis.
This survey gave us major insights about the pre existing knowledge and mentality of the population about HPV and its vaccine.
UBA Collab
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Human Resources with the aim of bridging developmental gaps between rural and urban India using local resources and decentralized, eco-friendly technologies. The programme enables India’s higher education institutes to work with the people of rural India to identify challenges and opportunities for developmental change and develop solutions for sustainable growth.
Recognising how closely aligned the UBA IITR Team’s goals were with our own with regards to increasing awareness among women from rural areas about Cervical Cancer, we approached them for a collaboration. We discussed our research, and surveys with them, and brainstormed a plan of action to tackle the problems.
With the intention of creating awareness in rural areas, a group of UBA volunteers and an iGEM representative visited Chandpur Village in Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. We spoke to the women about the most common symptoms of Cervical Cancer and HPV infection and encouraged them to keep an eye out for them and seek out testing immediately if they ever experience similar symptoms. We explained to them the importance of getting tested early, and the scope for treatment if screened in time. Along with this, we educated them about the development of a new more affordable vaccination, and available treatments.
Workshop on synthetic biology in IIT Roorkee
Continuing with the workshop series, our team conducted a workshop in the institute on the topic: ‘Synthetic Biology: Principles, Scope, and Interdisciplinary Applications.’ The workshop focused on disseminating knowledge about synthetic biology as an interdisciplinary field to a body of future engineers. Through this workshop, we worked on digressing from the belief that biology is only about cells and organisms while instilling the fundamental rules of biological systems in designing genetic circuits, programmable cells, engineering complete metabolic pathways, and so on. Students could witness the technological boom through advances in genome sequencing and editing, DNA and protein engineering, which ultimately served as the driving force for this exciting field. The workshop also focused on biosensors, a product of synthetic biology, and drew upon their applications in the food sector, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, etc. A comparison between the traditional technique of non-directional gene cloning and BioBRICKs was done to give an insight into ways through which limitations are being addressed with newer technology. Overall, we witnessed over 100+ participants and received great feedback from this workshop.
Here’s the link to the workshop content : https://static.igem.wiki/teams/4434/wiki/synbio-workshop.pdf
PBNS Magazine Article
Team iGEM IIT Roorkee collaborated with Prasar Bharti News Services (PBNS) and published an article to spread awareness on untimely diagnosis of cervical cancer in India. The article was released through the PBNS website, social media and is also featured in the 2nd october 2022 edition of the PBNS daily magazine. PBNS is an Indian Government owned nationwide news broadcasting service that publishes magazines and news articles through their digital platform. The article published is directed towards the masses across the nation and delves into the problem of cervical cancer diagnosis in India. It sheds light on the grim cervical cancer statistics in India and discusses the problem with the invasive nature of pre-existing diagnostic methods such as PAP smear test. The article attempts to inform people about the importance of diagnostic tests and how regular testing can prevent cervical cancer from affecting such a large percentage of the population. It also discusses the basic concept behind Crisprly, discussing its benefits over the existing diagnostic methods. The article explains the workflow of our kit and the novelty of the concepts involved in the working of the kit in a simple, reader-friendly manner to ensure the article can be comprehended by readers easily.
Patient Interview
To understand the hidden intricacies of Cervical Cancer and its life-changing effect,We conducted an interview with a brave soul, whose will to live far superseded the heinousness of Cervical Cancer, a Cervical Cancer Patient.
https://static.igem.wiki/teams/4434/wiki/patient-interview-2.pdf
Policy review
Setting up the project story by conducting webinars, surveys, and interviews of successful stakeholders from different organizations, we also deep dived into the efforts taken by the government bodies to tackle this issue. Our review summarizes all the initiatives our Indian Government has taken so far to overcome the challenge of Cervical Cancer . This review helped us map different aspects of those policies with our project. For instance, the efforts taken to plan Nationwide screening programs, awareness programs and vaccination policies.
https://static.igem.wiki/teams/4434/wiki/policy-review-merged.pdf
References
1. https://newsonair.com/2022/10/01/crisply-iit-roorkees-cost-effective-easy-to-use-cervical-cancer-testing-kit/
2.https://newsonair.com/2022/10/02/birth-anniversary-special-the-country-is-paying-tribute-to-bapu/
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