Our implementation of communication materials related to our project and synthetic biology.
Created an accessible & digestible one-page graphic to distribute to patients at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We collaborated with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Canada (LLSC) to distribute an informative social media graphic to patients. This was done to ensure that the rationale and science behind our phage approach to B-cell lymphoma therapy is made accessible to patients. Breaking it down in an easily digestible brochure will allow patients to understand the science behind this therapy, removing the barrier between patients and accessing scientific information, ultimately allowing patients to understand what novel research is being done and what options could arise in the future. We will also be participating in their podcast to share more about phage therapy as an approach for B cell lymphoma.
In the social-media driven environment of today, we decided to share educational resources related to cancer and phage therapy on our Instagram page, which has 3k+ followers. We used a variety of formats, such as graphic design posters and videos, to spread knowledge about synthetic biology and the impacts of our project. We reached over 10k people and got consistent positive feedback from our audience.
Our graphic design series is called Famous People with Cancer, where we introduced well-known people who have or have overcome cancer such as Sofia Vergara or Hugh Jackman. We included a quote from each of them about how they overcame the challenges of cancer to show how these people are an inspiration for us and the audience. Additionally, we highlighted aspects of their career to showcase their achievements despite their cancer diagnosis. This series is also a reminder that our project will eventually help change the lives of many people with cancer once it becomes an available therapeutic.
In addition to our graphic design project, we created a video series introducing bacteriophage therapy, how it is implemented, and its benefits and drawbacks. We made this series to raise awareness on bacteriophages since this is not a topic that the public knows a lot about. We engaged more than a thousand people per video and we hope we were able to teach them something new about bacteriophages.