We are well aware that the research of synthetic biology is not only a knowledge in the laboratory, but also a process of serving and interacting with the society. Therefore, in addition to the experiments, our team also carried out a wealth of Integrated Human Practices, which deepened our understanding of society and gave us confidence in our project. Specifically, we carried out several parts such as questionnaire survey, offline public interview, expert consultation and project publicity.
The research, development and launch of a product require more background research and social market investigation. In order to investigate the public's awareness of oral vaccines for young children, we put two questionnaires on public communication platforms, such as WeChat. One questionnaire was distributed in the early stage of our research, while the other was distributed in the middle and late stages of the research. Therefore, the two questionnaires have different emphases and different help to us.
As a preliminary investigation in the early stage of the project, it is very important to determine our research direction, product type and potential customer base.
Because this is the first survey questionnaire, we look forward to finding our development direction from the individual differences. Therefore, the investigation of basic demographic information is more detailed. First of all, we received 284 results from different age groups. Among them, more than 71.48% were women. Most of them were middle-aged people in 30-45, however, to our surprise, a high percentage of people in the sample were interested in the subject of our questionnaire. And the average person was a parent who participated in the results survey. Also, 46.61% of people who have not had children have no future plans to have children.
Survey results about some basic information of respondents
The second part of the survey mainly focuses on the public's perception of enterovirus 71 and rotavirus. This is also the basic part of our questionnaire survey, which also points out the direction for how we carry out education and communication. There is a low level of understanding of gastrointestinal diseases in infants and children that can be caused by enterovirus 71 and rotavirus. When children have clinical symptoms such as fever, hand, foot and mouth disease, herpetic pharyngitis, and viral diarrhea, it can lead to neurological diseases, heart disease, and even death in severe cases. 48.59% of the people who participated in this research had little knowledge of the diseases caused by these two viruses. As for the benefits of oral vaccines, there were 284 people who answered this question, and half of them chose the option of having heard a little bit, which shows that the popularity of oral vaccines is not as good as that of injection vaccines. This result was actually much lower than our expectations, which also led us to focus our educational video on the harm and prevention of these two diseases.
Public awareness regarding HMFD and viral gastroenteritis
The third part of the questionnaire is to investigate the public's acceptance of our proposed oral vaccine products, which is also the part that directly serves our product positioning and achievement promotion. Our team believes that oral vaccines are promising. That's because 68 percent of people chose to receive oral vaccines that can treat children with gastrointestinal diseases. Although many people will receive oral vaccines, most people will have concerns (effectiveness of oral vaccines, side effects, immaturity of technology, dosage, etc.).We also asked about the price range consumers prefer. According to the online questionnaire survey, the largest proportion is 100-200 CNY, so it also provides important reference information for us to write a business plan later on.
Consumer's opinions on our final product
In the middle and late stages of the study, we still reflected on some of the questions that we were confused about and formed a second survey questionnaire, which was distributed online. This time we conducted in-depth research around some issues, such as obtaining information on disease prevention and treatment. We also investigated whether respondents and their children had ever been exposed to EV71 and RV. Similarly, we also set up open-ended questions to understand everyone's concerns about dual oral vaccines. In the second round of questionnaires, we expanded on the original questions. Here, we no longer analyze the questions that are consistent with the previous questionnaire, but conduct a detailed analysis of the new questions supplemented this time. Our second questionnaire was in English, we opened the survey not only to Chinese mainland, but also to overseas areas, and we finally obtained 71 valid samples.
Firstly, we investigated public awareness of EV71 (Enterovirus) and RV (Rotavirus). Two-thirds of the respondents said they had heard of these two viruses, but only 15.79% of the respondents had ever suffered from EV71 (Enterovirus) or RV (Rotavirus), but 17.54% of the respondents' children suffered from them.
Survey result of the question: Have you ever heard of EV71(Enterovirus) or/and RV(Rotavirus) before?
Survey result of the question: Have you ever experienced an EV71 or RV-related disease?
Survey result of the question: Have your children ever experienced an EV71 or RV-related disease?
At the same time, we were also curious about how respondents learned about the diseases caused by EV71 (Enterovirus) and RV (Rotavirus). More than 40% of respondents get relevant information from modern social media, with friends and family members being the second largest source after it. The role of TV and public advertisement are also worthy of attention, which shows that many local governments have adopted very active strategies to prevent and treat them.
Survey result of the question: If yes, where did you learn this concept from?
Based on this, we also have questions about the parenting concepts and habits of contemporary parents. We believe that parental perceptions of a child's health and development have a direct impact on vaccine acceptance. We found that about three-quarters of parents have the habit of giving their children regular checkups, although some may not be timely enough. At the same time, parents' responses to hand, foot and mouth disease and viral gastroenteritis in infants and young children are not strong enough, which may affect the child's recovery.
Survey result of the question: How often do you do a physical examination to your children?
Survey result of the question: What would you do if a symptom of EV71 or RV appears on your children?
Finally, we also investigated parents' preferences for the form of vaccines for children. We found that injectable vaccines have been accepted as a classic method, and 30% of the audience is interested in oral vaccines. Of course, 30% of the audience believes that efficacy is the most important, and the specific method is not the primary consideration. Nearly 80% of the respondents are willing to vaccinate their children on the basis that the safety of the vaccine can be guaranteed, which has to be said to be an encouraging figure. In the final open question, almost all the audience mentioned the issues of safety and side effects, which also makes our project focus on explaining the safety of vaccines in the specific promotion.
Survey result of the question: If no, what form of vaccination would you prefer?
Survey result of the question: Would you let your children accept vaccination despite its adverse
effects?
Our street surveys took the form of a combination of textual and oral interviews. We set up some basic questions, and based on the basic questions, we had in-depth exchanges with each interviewee, which benefited us a lot. To understand how depression is perceived by the general population, our team designed a street interview questionnaire consisting of nine questions. These basic questions not only allow us to understand the opinions of the interviewees but also provide an opportunity for in-depth exchanges with the interviewees.
Below lists the nine questions we asked during our street survey:
We were interviewing the public especially parents passers
Our team ultimately collected over 50 responses, including interviews and completed questionnaires. After analyzing this feedback, we have the following key findings.
Followings are the survey results of this street investigation.
The purpose of our interview is to solve some problems that we have not been able to solve in public research. For example, we hope to understand the medical principles of the experiment, the progress of vaccine virus research and development, and the feasibility of the follow-up development of the experiment. At the same time, we believe that research cannot just stop in the laboratory, the professional insights from experts shall be part of our research. We are also eager to continue exploring the possibility of commercializing the late-stage results of the experiment and to receive advice on the technical progress of the experiment.
On August 23rd, we interviewed Ms. Li Aifang, who is the doctor of pediatrics in a secondary hospital and is very authoritative.
We were in the online meetup with Doctor Li
According to Doctor Li's sharing, in recent years, fewer and fewer children are infected with the EV71 virus and RV virus, which is actually closely related to the development of health care in China. As for the Popularity of EV71 and RV vaccines, Dr. Li said that because these two types of vaccines do not belong to the state, they are self-funded vaccines. Therefore, it is very unpopular in rural areas, and basically, no one knows about it.
We are very concerned about the need for infants and young children to be vaccinated against these two diseases. Doctor Li said it was definitely safer to get vaccinated because there would be less risk of infection. It can be very dangerous if not vaccinated. For example, children with hand, foot, and mouth disease may develop heart failure, pulmonary edema, and shock, which is very dangerous, which means children who are not vaccinated are at great risk.
We also consulted the times of vaccinations, because the antibodies brought by the vaccine are time-sensitive. Doctor Li said that she personally thinks that one vaccination is enough, because the vaccines for rotavirus and hand, foot, and mouth disease are age-restricted. The price of the two vaccines currently on the market is also a topic of our concern. The price of the RV virus vaccine is 178 CNY. The price of The EV71 virus vaccine is 290 CNY. Of course, the necessary injection costs must be paid. Generally speaking, the labor cost is 25 CNY.
Per Doctor Li's opinion, there is essentially no difference between oral and injectable vaccines. Oral vaccines can reach the mucosal lining of the digestive tract, where they activate mucosal and systemic immunity. Injecting a vaccine stimulates the lymphocytes that prime the body's immune system. Doctor Li said she felt the oral vaccine was better. Because children are more receptive.
Trough the conversation with Doctor Li, we learned more knowledge about the HFMD, viral gastroenteritis, and their vaccines. We not only obtained much valuable information as a reference for our product implementation but also acquired scientific knowledge which will be shared through our social media for public education.
On August 24th, we interviewed Professor Han from Wuhan Polytechnic University and Ph.D. from the University of Lübeck in Germany. He is an expert in virology, industrial enzymatic catalysis and transformation. We hope to understand the progress and achievements of EV71-RV virus related research through interviews, understand the difficulties and advantages of developing multiple vaccines against this virus, and obtain suggestions for the development of EV71-RV combined oral vaccine in this project.
We consulted Prof. Han through online meeting app
First of all, we consulted Professor Han about the current development progress of the EV71&RV vaccine. Professor Han explained that there is no specific drug for these two viruses at present, and the virus itself is different from bacteria. From the perspective of drugs, it is difficult to achieve the same effect as the treatment of bacteria. There is no specific drug for such diseases as poliomyelitis, but rather some symptomatic treatment in clinical practice. Although there are some antiviral drugs, they are not specific to EV71, so it is very difficult to produce drugs, there is a lot of room for development.
Professor Han also shared with us that the protective effect of the vaccines on children is very good, which can reach more than 90 percent. The combined vaccine has always been a research hotspot, and scientists are also making continuous efforts to make the vaccine cover more viruses. But at the same time, each country's virus strain will be somewhat different and the efficacy might vary, so each country will have to develop a vaccine against its own local strain.
Speaking of strains, we asked Professor Han about the main strains of EV71 and RV viruses currently prevalent in China. We learned that large hospitals in different countries collect clinical cases, send them to the laboratory for gene sequencing, form a monitoring network, and post them online. The virus strains are not consistent every time in our country, but at present C genotype is popular in our country and even in the whole of Asia.
Regarding whether EV71/RV vaccine has an impact on the risk of intussusception, we asked Professor Han whether there is a such potential risk. Professor Han replied that there would be adverse reactions after an early vaccine injection, but researchers remade the vaccine, and the disease of intussusception did not occur in the later clinical stage.
Often the emergence of the virus is accompanied by other complications, Professor Han answered this question to us, from the name of the virus, there will be some complications, such as oral ulcers, rash, herpes, and so on, in general, that will heal itself. If children's immune system is weak, or the virus is very aggressive, can also lead to some more serious diseases: central nervous system damage, cardiovascular disease, serious may also be paralyzed and is likely to leave some sequelae. However, as long as the disease is treated in a timely manner in the early stages, according to modern medical standards is not a problem.
According to Professor Han's experience in relevant research, there were several main factors that affected the immune efficacy of the EV71 or RV vaccine. As for the immune effect of the vaccine itself, the first thing we should consider is the effect of the vaccine itself. If the integrity of the virus is defective, this can greatly affect the effectiveness of a major factor in immunity. Moreover, individual cases vary greatly, for example, the mother will pass antibodies into the child's body through breast milk and other ways.
After that, we compared the effect between the oral vaccines and injection vaccines with Professor Han. First, the vaccine has to be developed well. And the next question is whether this vaccine is easy to operate. Third, whether the cost of the vaccine is low, and affordable for the general public. The first question actually relies on advancing research and development inside the laboratory. But the latter two are based on different circumstances, such as whether the government has enough money to promote the vaccine. Secondly, from a professional point of view, oral vaccines do not require a dedicated nurse to give you the injection, so it will be much more convenient. In some developed cities, it may be more convenient to inject vaccines, but for some remote areas, where medical resources and equipment are relatively backward, oral vaccines are undoubtedly the most ideal.
Anyway, techniques were the still main difficulties in developing a multiplex vaccine. Now, one of the difficulties with vaccines is that once the immunity has entered the body, it causes the immune system to produce protection and the mechanism of the antibody may be a little different. Professor Han encouraged us to continue to work hard on this issue, to stick to our dreams, and to contribute our own strength to the development of this cause.
On August 25th, we interviewed Mr. Zhang Andong (Anthony), Senior Risk Control Manager of COSCO SHIPPING, who is also the company's Chief Medical Officer. He is primarily responsible for the review of medical industry projects, including API, pharmaceutical intermediate manufacturing and medical device manufacturing. We hope to know the mode and characteristics of commercial operation of the vaccine through interviews, and obtain suggestions for the EV71&RV virus dual oral vaccine product of this project from the commercial level.
We had a virtual meetup with Mr. Zhang (Anthony)
The promotion of vaccine products is a key issue that plagues our team. Mr. Zhang introduced several online publicity methods to us. First, we can look for online platforms specializing in medicine such as Jingdong Health or Ping An Good Doctor for promotion. Offline, you can find high-end maternity hospitals and chain pharmacies for cooperation, and you can also promote through the online platforms of these hospitals or pharmacies, such as Little Red Booklittle and Tiktok.
At the same time, he cited a good example to give us a concrete illustration of the particularity of drug promotion. Mr.Zhang always referred to a rapid burn as a topical treatment burn medicine, he put forward a few elements of success, the first is effective, the medicine itself quality, and the drug effect time is faster than all products on the market, so their team in the propaganda of the product can promise within three days when symptoms persist can be a full refund; Secondly, Manager Zhang's team searched for some surgical hospitals, which had more demand for burn medicine than other departments. Finally, Mr. Zhang mentioned that the marketing team needs to have relevant background so that sales will be more convenient.
Mr. Zhang reminded us that these key elements are still faced between product development and mass production. Mr. Zhang believes that signing long-term cooperation agreements with core suppliers will ensure stable raw material prices. At the same time, it is also necessary to open up product awareness by expanding marketing channels. There must also be an explanation of the medical product and emergency PR preparation. Finally, if the product is to be exported, it is also necessary to understand the corresponding policy requirements and industry standards of the exporting country. By the way, we also learned from Manager Zhang that we need to pass the approval of the National Food and Drug Administration to conduct clinical phase I, phase II, phase Ⅲ, and subsequent ethical experiments, which usually take one to two years. In addition, we need to obtain production licenses and so on.
Finally, Mr. Zhang suggested that because the research and development cycle of vaccines is long, it is recommended to obtain some financial support, such as introducing some people with strong shareholder backgrounds, or looking for angel investors. In addition, the workshop does not need to be arranged too much at the beginning, because the products produced may not be digested by the market.
No doubt that we received much practical advice on promotion strategy and business expansion. All the valuable suggestions and insights given by Mr. Zhang helped us solidify our business plan.
