Overview
This year, LZU-CHINA chose to partner with Worldshaper-HZBIOX because both of our teams share the same subject: treating colorectal cancer. Not only that, we also both use E. coli Nissle 1917 as the chassis organism. Even though we are a team of undergraduates and they are a team of high school students, our philosophies are very similar: Improve each other's projects and build a better iGEM community.
Our close collaboration permeates every aspect of the project from education to hardware to part sharing. Even though our two teams are geographically distant and there are recurring epidemics, we basically meet once a month online to share our respective progress. Worldshaper-HZBIOX have compiled a detailed timeline of our journey together as follows.
Picture Book
For the education, Worldshaper-HZBIOX, LZU-CHINA and SZ-SHD planned to launch a picture book about synthetic biology, mainly for children in the second to sixth grade of elementary school, who lack education in biology field. The whole process could be divided into 3 phases: conceptual phase, feedback phase and promotion phase.
Education in Museum for Children
To expand our influence, we launched an offline education program in Hangzhou Low-Carbon Science and Technology Museum of China together with Worldshaper-HZBIOX and SZ-SHD. To get everyone on the same page, we attend webinars online before the program was carried out.
Given that our audiences are school-age children, we fragmentize the concepts in synthetic biology and then merge them into specially-designed games. Children at this age begin to show interest in nature and science, but it is almost impossible to satisfy their curiosity in school where exam-oriented education is advocated. Fortunately, our education program allowed them to explore science themselves.
Our activity started with the accompanying video from NWU-CHINA-A, introducing the basic concept of the human intestinal tract. Our first game is making a DNA model using bamboo sticks and gummy candies of multiple colors, which was a brilliant idea by Worldshaper-HZBIOX. The jelly strips on each side symbolize the frame of DNA while the gummy bears in the middle stand for the basic groups. When the children were doing their handwork, we explained how DNA carries genetic information, and how they pair and replicate in such a precise way. This game enlightened our audiences on the basic structure of DNA and equipped them with the most fundamental knowledge in synthetic biology.
The second game is pipette drawing. SZ-SHD contributed this great idea that introduces the basic operation of a biological lab to our audiences. We are glad to see them enjoying themselves in the process and learning how to use pipettes correctly.
The last game is making an E.coli balloon. Our team, LZU-CHINA, designed the game. We prepared paper rings representing plasmids and paper cards representing gene segments. At the beginning of our game, we made a brief introduction about the gene segments and gave some clues on the order of their connection. When they finished building their plasmid, we will put them into a balloon in the shape of our good friend: E.coli. In the end, we taught them how these little creatures built by synthetic biology technology function and benefit us, humans.
It was such a pleasure to see how excited people were when they get involved with synthetic biology. It is our honor to be part of this motivating education partnership activity.
Self-Media
To raise citizens' awareness about synthetic biology, Worldshaper-HZBIOX and LZU-CHINA set up a synthetic biology column on the WeChat official account, posting articles and videos on it weekly.
For the first part, we did research about immunotherapy and synthetic biology, and Worldshaper-HZBIOX paraphrased and posted onto self-media.
For the second part, Worldshaper-HZBIOX invited an immunotherapy expert and we interviewed her together. Then, they summarized the given suggestions and posted them on self-media.
In the end, we reaped a large number of readers for this article. At the same time, we also received many messages from readers in the background, such as “does immunotherapy have the same effect for each cancer? Will the price of immunotherapy go lower?” to which we have replied one by one.
Killing Switch
In out integrated human practice, the patients were concerned about safety. So we collaborated with Worldshaper-HZBIOX did experiment about killing switch. We borrowed this part from them and tried to use a medium copy rate plasmid vector, unfortunately it failed. It should appear 1315bp after PCR, but only 500bp appear. However, Worldshaper-HZBIOX repeated the experiment using pGLO-lysin plasmid, and finally succeeded. More detail can visit their web page.
Hardware
After discussing about implementation and we interviewed Prof. Shouliang Dong, our two team, Worldshaper-HZBIOX and NEU_CHINA decided to made AC (Alginate-chitosan) microencapsulation. So our team was dedicating in how to make it real in lab, and found method from literature. More details can visit hardware.Worldshaper-HZBIOX did background research with NEU_CHINA, which provide a great convenience for us.
Overview
We also have a close cooperation with NEU_CHINA in addition to the Worldshaper-HZBIOX. Since our two teams have been working together since last year and the team members know each other, and it so happens that their project this year is also related to colorectal cancer treatment, so we have established a partnership since April. The table below summarizes the different aspects of our partnership.
Project Design
LZU$\rightarrow$NEU
When we knew that NEU_CHINA was also doing a project topic on colorectal cancer treatment, our two teams immediately discussed for the experimental design. When we learned that their initial idea was to deliver RTAC to intestine in probiotic form, we thought about the negative impressions they had of E. coli during interviews with patients, so we suggested that they could use yeast as a chassis organism. More details can visit NEU_CHINA's web page.
NEU$\rightarrow$LZU
During the meeting, we were inspired by the their design let their RTAC have the ability to capture RSPOs by adhesion. After discussion and literature finding we then decided to add the adhesion part: HIpA. More details can visit our integrated human practice.
Experiment
LZU$\rightarrow$NEU
After NEU_CHINA doing MTT cell growth experiments to demonstrate the function of RTAC, they wanted to make sure the reliability of the results gotten from our testing instrument. Therefore, they contacted us for help and asked us to repeat the MTT cell growth experiment for them. The repeated experiment result in our lab are shown in the following picture.
NEU$\rightarrow$LZU
In the late stage of the competition, our RKO cells were contaminated with mycoplasma, advisors speculated that the problem might be in the bovine serum. However, mycoplasma is difficult to remove and the epidemic outbreak experimental materials were difficult to turn around at the time. Without the RKO cells our experiments would have been halted. Since both our project and NEU_CHINA's project this year is to treat colorectal cancer, the cell lines used were discussed together. After they heard about our situation, they immediately sent RKO cells, and fortunately the stalled experiment for a week did not affect the later stage too much.
Education
LZU$\rightarrow$NEU
As both of our two teams' project are about colorectal cancer, so we can promoted it achieved the effect of one plus one more than two. We took the opportunity of attending Technology and Science Week of Lanzhou University Affiliated Primary School to promote NEU_CHINA’s project at the same time. They provided their supplementary materials such as cartoon and comic as assistance, which also enriched our content. More details can visit communication.
NEU$\rightarrow$LZU
They hosted an online debate competition about engineered product and biosafety and invited our team as guests and judging.
Inclusivity
Rural School
NEU_CHINA contacted a rural school in Yunnan province and hosted an online education activity to popularize synthetic biology. We helped them designing the teaching plan and gave them advice.
Surdomute
NEU_CHINA contacted a company called “Wu Zhi” and recorded words usually used in synthetic biology into sign language. We contacted Sign Language Association and learnt some regular sign languages. Then with their knowledge, they discussed with us and we finally decided on which words to record and how to record them. More details can visit inclusivity.
Culture Diversity
Mid-autumn festival is a traditional Chinese festival, both of our two teams would like to integrate traditional Chinese element into synthetic biology. NEU_CHINA made mooncake by genetically modified soybeans that have been approved for marketing to dispel public misconceptions about genetically modified foods. They also explained synthetic biology to the public during the making process, and everyone tasted the mooncakes on site after making them, with the logos of our two teams on them.
Our team wanted to use lantern this traditional Chinese element symbolize E. coli, we started with a tour of the fluorescent bacteria encased in the hydrogel to give people an initial insight into E. coli and transgenics. The recipe of hydrogel provided by NEU_CHINA. Just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival, we used the lantern to symbolize the E. coli carrier. We made lanterns that glow with light color same as the protein, GFP and RFP, which the whole lantern is a symbol of transgenic E. coli. More details can visit communication.
Human Practice
Gut Alliance
We both participated into the Gut Alliance to increase our influence and made an educational handbook with other 3 teams together. More details can visit communication.
CCiC
We both attended CCiC in August. In the preparation stage for the presentation in CCiC, we gave advice about the project and method of presentation to each other.
Hardware
LZU$\rightarrow$NEU
After discussing about implementation and we interviewed Prof. Shouliang Dong, our two team and Worldshaper-HZBIOX decided to made AC (Alginate-chitosan) microencapsulation. So our team was dedicating in how to make it real in lab, and found method from literature. More details can visit hardware.
NEU$\rightarrow$LZU
Why and how we finally chose this form of capsule is not only depend on our interview to Prof. Shouliang Dong, NEU_CHINA also did background research.