This year, we had a close partnership with LZU-CHINA because of the similarity of our projects——colorectal treating probiotics. Therefore, we helped each other in lots of aspects as are shown below:
| LZU->NEU | NEU->LZU | |
|---|---|---|
| Project design | LZU: Sharing opinions for choosing E. coli as drug carrier. NEU: Getting inspiration of using yeast as drug carrier |
NEU: Sharing construction ideas. LZU: Being inspired by the adhension step, so added the adhension part: HlpA |
| Experiment | NEU's need: Improving the accuracy of experiment. LZU's help: Repeat MTT cell growth experiment. | LZU's need: Mycoplasma contamination in RKO cells NEU's help: Providing RKO cells. |
| Education | Hosting education activity in primary school in Lanzhou. | Assistance: 1. Providing cartoon 2. Providing comic |
| Attending | Hosting a debate competition called "engineered product and biosafety". | |
| Inclusive Education | Assistance: 1. Designing the teaching plan. 2. Giving advice. |
Hosting education in rural school. |
| Also for people with hearing impairment: Contacting Sign Language Association and learn it. | For people with hearing impairment: Recording words usually used in synthetic biology into sign language. | |
| Chinese Traditional Lanterns： In the Mid-Autumn Festival, LZU used the method to make hydrogel from NEU to protect fluorescent E. coli, and introduced it to public, then made lanterns. | Mooncake: In the Mid-Autumn Festival, NEU made mooncakes with iGEM and the names of our two teams lettering on it. | |
| HP | We attended the education activity popularizing intestinal health and made an educational handbook with other teams together. | |
| We attended CCiC together and gave advice about the project and presentation to each other. | ||
| Implementation | LZU: Doing experiments testing the possibility of using AC (Alginate -chitosan) as microencapsulation. | NEU: Doing background research of microencapsulation. |
Link for their “Partnership”.
When we were meeting up and sharing our projects, LZU-CHINA was impressed by our design to let our RTAC have the ability to capture RSPOs by adhesion. After discussion and literature finding they then decided to add the adhesion part: HIpA.
See more in “Human Practices”.
When we were wondering how to deliver RTAC to intestine in probiotic form, we had a meetup with LZU-CHINA. They shared their opinions for choosing E. coli, which gave us inspiration in choosing carrier for our RTAC. Then after the exchange, we had a discussion in our team and decided to consider commensal fungi as carrier of RTAC.
Figure 1a meetup with LZU
In the late stage of the competition, LZU-CHINA had mycoplasma contamination in their RKO cells, prohibiting them to continue with their further experiments. At this time, they connected us for help and we sent our RKO cells to them.
Figure 1b Data comparation with LZU
After doing MTT cell growth experiments to demonstrate the function of our RTAC, we wanted to make sure the reliability of the results gotten from our testing instrument. Therefore, we went to LZU-CHINA for help and asked them to repeat the MTT cell growth experiment for us.
Figure 2a LZU went to school in Lanzhou
NEU->LZU:
We provided some supplementary materials such as cartoon and comic as assistance.
LZU->NEU:
LZU-CHINA hosted an education activity in primary school Lanzhou.
NEU->LZU:
We hosted an online debate competition called “engineered product and biosafety”.
Figure 2b NEU held debate competition with LZU about biosafety issue
See more in “Communication”.
LZU->NEU:
LZU-CHINA joined us and give us ideas and advice after discussion.
Figure 3a NEU held online lecture for rural school students in Yunnan
NEU->LZU:
We contacted a rural school in Yunnan and hosted an online education activity to popularize synthetic biology.
LZU->NEU:
LZU-CHINA helped us designing the teaching plan and gave us advice.
Figure 4a NEU went to "Wuzhi" tech company and recorded sign language
NEU->LZU:
We contacted a company called “Wuzhi” and recorded words usually used in synthetic biology into sign language.
LZU->NEU:
LZU-CHINA 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.
Figure 5a Mooncake making
Figure 5b Mooncake showing
Figure 5c Mooncake finished
Figure 5d Mooncake with name of LZU-CHINA
Figure 5e Mooncake with name of NEU_CHINA
NEU->LZU:
In the Mid-Autumn Festival, we hosted an activity of making mooncakes with IGEM and the name of our two teams lettering on them to popularize synthetic biology in a novel way. Plus, we made mooncake by genetically modified soybeans that have been approved for marketing to dispel public misconceptions about genetically modified foods. In the process of making mooncakes, we also explained synthetic biology to the public and everyone tasted our mooncakes on site.
Figure 6a LZU using hydrogel to carry fluorescent E. coli in lab
Figure 6b LZU used latterns as model to popularize EGFP and mCherry to the public
LZU->NEU:
E. coli is one of the most frequently used organism in synthetic biology. In order to let more people know its role in synthetic biology, LZU-CHINA used method of making hydrogel from our suggestion to protect fluorescent E. coli, and introduced it to public by open-lab activity. Then they brought the visitors outside the lab and introduced the history of E. coli in synthetic biology by using green and red lanterns to mimic E. coli with EGFP and mCherry.
See more in their “Inclusivity”.
Figure 7a NEU and LZU attending education activity about intestine health together
Figure 7b Educational handbook cover
We attended this activity together and made an educational handbook with other 3 teams together.
Figure 8a Certificate of participation in CCiC, NEU_CHINA
Figure 8b Certificate of participation in CCiC, LZU-CHINA
In the preparation stage for the presentation in CCiC, we gave advice about the project and method of presentation to each other.
We all need to think about the future implementation of our probiotics and consider about the possibility of making the projects into products. So after discussion, we decided to learn more about probiotic drugs.
NEU->LZU:
After discussing many kinds of probiotic carriers, we finally decided on using method of microencapsulation. Then we did background research and finally decided to use AC (Alginate-chitosan) microencapsulation.
See more in “Implementation”.
LZU->NEU:
After our background researching, LZU-CHINA searched literatures and did experiments to test the possibility of applying AC microencapsulation.
See more in their “hardware”.
Figure 9a LZU, microencapsulation experiment
Sincere thanks to LZU-CHINA for their accompany in the competition. In the process of helping each other, not only can we improve our projects but also can we learn more about synthetic biology form each other.