Due to the limitations of the epidemic, we did not attend the Conference of China iGEMer Community this year but we participated in multiple teams' online discussions group, where we had extensive discussions with other teams about the design, progress, and difficulties of their respective projects. These discussions provide us with many new ideas and thoughts. Because of the relevance of the project and the history of long-term cooperation with some teams, this year we have in-depth collaboration with two teams.
1.Collaboration with CSU_China
In-depth communication on project optimization and improvement
Following the long-standing friendly relationship, the CSU_CHINA team and the NUDT_CHINA team exchanged many times online and offline. Adequate communication and exchange has not only improved the cooperation ability of both sides but also really promoted the development of our respective projects. CSU_CHINA’s recommendations on characterization methods and NUDT_CHINA’s recommendations on the selection of detection targets have essentially helped each other’s projects to move forward smoothly. (See partnership page for more details)
Also, with its diverse HP experience, CSU_CHINA provides many reference cases for NUDT_CHINA members. NUDT_CHINA provided CSU_CHINA with many constructive suggestions, such as academic presentation methods and contextual improvements. NUDT_CHINA mentioned its experience with ethical and legal issues in previous years, which was a great help and reference for CSU_CHINA.
Figure 1. Discussion between two teams on project optimization and improvement
Together with CSU_CHINA for a mini-science class on synthetic biology and iGEM.
National Science Popularization Day is a major science popularization event held by the Chinese government to promote science communication. Due to the large scale of the event, a single team is difficult to achieve excellent display in the event, after contacting and coordinating with the Science and Technology Bureau, the NUDT_CHINA team participated in the National Science Day with the CSU_CHINA team, aiming to popularize synthetic biology knowledge to the public.
The activities mainly included synthetic biology classes and biology experiments designed for children. CSU_CHINA team prepared beautiful promotional materials in advance and arranged them in the venue. At the beginning of the event, we first introduced the basic principles of synthetic biology to the public, and then took the children to perform experiments together. In the end, we distributed synthetic biology and iGEM-related brochures to the audience（click here for details）.
Figure 2. Two teams collaborated to make poster for science lecture
Help CSU_CHINA design cas12a assay proteins
During many exchange activities, NUDT_CHINA and CSU_CHINA formed a good friendship and established a partnership. In the subsequent collaboration, the two teams exchanged needs and ideas. CSU_CHINA mentioned that the CRISPR Cas12a protein purchased from NEB was used extensively in this year's project. The prospect of their project is to apply the results to more remote pastoral areas, so cost control becomes a pressing issue. And in this year's project, their experimental team focused on exploring and stabilizing the RPA amplification system and CRISPR Cas12a detection system and did not focus on plasmid design, so the plan to independently express CRISPR Cas12a protein was put on hold. Coincidentally, NUDT_CHINA has been focusing on building efficient expression systems for many years, which is what CSU_CHINA needs, the NUDT_CHINA team guided CSU_CHINA for an efficient CRISPR Cas12a protein expression system and designed expression plasmids to fill the gaps in the project design to help CUS_CHINA advance its future projects.
Figure 3. Cas12a assay proteins we designed for CSU_CHINA team
2.Collaboration with Fudan
TheFudan team help the NUDT_CHINA team clarify the complicated scale data
This year, NUDT_CHINA is concerned with the ubiquitous social phenomenon of chronic stress, so the accuracy of people's self-assessment of stress becomes a very important question. In terms of project background, the rationality of the questionnaire and data analysis became the top priority. For our questionnaire, we chose a stress measurement scale with proven high reliability and validity to quantify respondents' stress. For example, it was difficult for respondents to determine whether the statement "I always think that something has to be done" represented high or low stress, and the scores were the same for all five levels of perceived stress. NUDT_CHINA encountered difficulties in analyzing the reliability and validity of the questionnaire and the scale data.
The Fudan team's project this year focused on skin problems, and the range of skin problems caused by stress was one of their main concerns. Based on this, we two teams launched a survey questionnaire data sharing and common data analysis. In the analysis of the reliability and validity of the scale, the Fudan team separated the positive and negative descriptions of stress from the original scale, verified the reliability and validity of the scale respectively, and suggested eliminating the statements with unclear affective tendencies to ensure the reliability and validity of the scale questions. As for the analysis of the scale data, the Fudan team pointed out that the scores of positive and negative statements should not be the same, but the opposite, because the scale measures the degree of self-perception of stress, for the five levels of "never", "occasionally", "sometimes", "often", and "always", the higher the score, the greater the stress. The statements that mean "I am very stressed" should be assigned scores of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, while those that mean "I am not stressed" should be assigned scores of 5, 4,3,2, and 1. The Fudan team helped the NUDT_CHINA team to adjust the scoring method, and the NUDT_CHINA team came up with promising results.
Figure 4. Two teams discuss the optimization of data analysis
The in-depth exchange between the NUDT_CHINA team and the Fudan team gives Fudan team a new perspective
The Fudan team focused on the synthesis of skin care molecules this year, while the NUDT_CHINA team's emphasis on the stress situation of the population gave the Fudan team a valuable perspective: the stress situation largely affects skin health, so under the increasingly fast-paced life and heavy stress in modern society, what new skincare methods will emerge? Based on this, the Fudan team redesigned a new version of the questionnaire and found that "compensatory skin care" and "first aid skin care" are closely related to people's stressful conditions in the questionnaire analysis. Since the purpose of "compensatory skincare" and "first-aid skincare" is very clear, and in this case, consumers may have higher expectations for results, so they may be more inclined to focus on the efficacy of skincare products, especially the key active molecules, which will lead consumers to "efficacious skincare", and this is what every team engaged in the R&D and synthesis of skincare molecules, including the Fudan team, would like to see.
Figure 5. In-depth communication on project optimization of the Fudan team