Description
Following on from last year, we wanted to retake a topic from the animal kingdom again, with the focus on protein synthesis. Furthermore, we had the criterion to choose another focus with humans. With these framework conditions, we started several rounds of discussions and came to the decision to focus our research on (spider) silks. We found many exciting and promising properties of silks that were useful in medicine, and we also found the ecological disadvantages of using insects as a source to be a compelling starting point to circumvent by using synthetic biology. We combined both aspects, human and environmental, to find a final product in line with a desired economic viability. To achieve a simple reference for our project, we chose to produce a patch as a biocompatible wound healing overlay with the aim to miniaturise to produce patches/fiber for internal organs, cartilage, and nerves.
Many of us felt connected to the potential wound-healing properties from our personal environment. Be it burns, poorly healing wounds in general from grandparents, but also arthrosis with subsequent operations for joint replacements (endoprosthesis) and the subsequent reintegration measures in the private as well as professional environment. With the laboratory goal in mind, we naturally also wanted to introduce the general public to our project and the diverse possibilities of synthetic biology, especially to the younger generations. Some of us prepared and gave presentations about our project in schools and also talked about the experiences and challenges we had during our studies. In addition, one focus was also the question of the job market, which professional and general opportunities exist in the context of synthetic biology in times of health crises and climate change. On the one hand, we found this project appealing for applying our knowledge from theory to practice and for learning new things, as practical implementations were limited within the Corona constraints. On the other hand, the knowledge transfer aspect in the field of learning also played an important role for us, in order to also convey the possibilities within synthetic biology to the younger generations in the STEM field. Entirely in the spirit of nurturing and developing the sciences through research, teaching, and study, but also to convey the practice-oriented professional qualifications.