iHP
Conducting a public survey
In order to investigate more how well people know about lactose intolerance and their needs, we made an online questionnaire and disseminated it through various public platforms. The questionnaire is anonymous as we pointed out at the beginning of the questionnaire.
At first we enquired how many of the respondents have tested medically and the results turn out to be 24% of confirmed and 76% of normal within merely TWELVE percent of the respondents who have tested. There are still up to Eighty-Eight percent of people who haven’t done the test yet, showing the low degree of attention paid to lactose intolerance by the public.
Among all the people participating in the survey, 48.08% of the people who understood lactose intolerance, 38.65% of the people who had heard of it and knew it, and 13.27% of the people who did not understand or hear about it, indicating that the symptoms of lactose intolerance were more common, but there were still some people who had not been exposed. Then we surveyed the public perception of lactose intolerance through the problem of symptom judgment and if they have encountered these symptoms. The result is labled below, and it tells the story that the public can not distinguish the symptoms of lactose intolerance very well, which shows the importance of education and promotion.
Due to personal constitution and insufficient attention to lactose intolerance, 41.65% of the population did not experience lactose intolerance symptoms; Among the people who experienced lactose intolerance symptoms, except for nausea and vomiting symptoms were less (13.95%), diarrhea symptoms accounted for 41.86%, the rest of the symptoms fluctuated around 20%.
In short, the questionnaire data shows that lactose intolerance symptoms are more common, but neither lactose intolerant patients nor non-patients or untested people pay enough attention to lactose intolerance, and people cannot effectively distinguish the symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Then we learnt about the current and the future attitudes of respondents whether they would like to buy low lactose milk to know about their purchasing power and market demands. The feedback is that 15.38% of the questionnaire fillers will deliberately choose low-lactose milk in their daily lives, 40.58% of them said that they would not, and the remaining 44.04% of people did not take the initiative to understand low-lactose milk, and expressed their intention not to buy. We then asked the public if they were willing to buy lactase products/low-lactose milk and the results were almost evenly matched. Through the data of these two questiones, we know that the public first of all, the desire to buy milk other than non-pure milk is not high, and secondly, the promotion of low-lactose milk may not be in place.
Then we learned about the public's acceptance of products derived from synthetic biology technology, 321, that is, 61.73% of people said they were willing to buy and did not resist, while the remaining nearly 40% said that they had a certain degree of resistance. The data shows that the public's acceptance of synthetic biology is still not particularly high, reflecting that the public's attention and understanding of the field is still insufficient
Consumer’s needs on hardware also matter
Unsurprisingly, the public still attaches great importance to the performance and safety of the product. Large numbers for safety are also "very important" because this is a field they may rarely actively touch, synthetic biology, so the concerns about food safety will be higher. The price is also a consideration of the public, and a follow-up question asks the public about the acceptance level and the final average price is between 8.71, which is actually not much more expensive than ordinary milk. This also requires projects to produce low-cost, large-scale products for dairy suppliers. Lastly, we learnt about consumer’s preferable using style.
Patients Interview
First the interviewee was a young age of 16. He suffered more than three years from diagnosis to the present can't drink milk in the morning of obsessed abdominal distension and other symptoms. But his usual way is to drink pure milk intake of dairy products from the frequency once every three days or so. Now only the occasional torment to drink milk at a time Average period of drinking milk in the morning But clearly. He has abdominal pain and diarrhea and he has to go to the bathroom in class and he has to go outside and he has abdominal pain. And he has to go outside and he has to go outside and he has to go outside and he has to go outside. He says he has calcium deficiency and he needs calcium supplements but he doesn't have a lot of dairy products like milk and he doesn't try to avoid lactose intolerance and he just doesn't drink milk and he doesn't eat dairy products He did not specifically use some methods to alleviate lactose intolerance but wait for the discomfort to recede. If a product can alleviate or solve the symptoms of lactose intolerance, he will consider the cost performance to buy it. He hopes that the new product will not be too complex as far as possible and the current milk design packaging or eating methods.
The second interviewee more than forty years old. Occasionally in the morning will drink milk intake of dairy products from time to time. He frequency of intake of dairy products is random and very occasionally disease outbreak will abdominal distension sometimes want to puke. Sometimes serious old eat have loose bowels work affects the work efficiency was bothering him. And it is a long age also big relieve body. But because some demand, he still takes dairy products and he doesn't try to avoid it and he really wants a solution to the lactose intolerance that he's suffering from. And he wants the price to be low but he's kind of resistant to synthetic biology because he doesn't know enough about it for fear of side effects or bad effects.
We had an interviewee with the people around and he is a 17 years old young man. Since the childhood are suffering from lactose intolerance is a single general way to intake, dairy products is milk for convenience. Because want to grow taller calcium supplements such as he ate three to four times a week dairy products. But so often upset stomach Eat some contains lactase prescription drugs relieve symptoms. I desperately hope that there is some way to resolve the situation.
The fourth interviewee was a 31-year-old adult. He usually consumed dairy products mainly by drinking pure milk, with a bottle of milk in two days, and generally drank milk in the morning. Apparently he suffers from abdominal pain and diarrhea, so he needs to go to the toilet when he is in the office, and he may be troublesome when he is outside. He has also tried to reduce the amount of milk he drinks in the past, but he doesn't go out of his way to avoid lactose intolerance. If a product is developed that can alleviate or solve lactose intolerance, he will consider the practical effects of the product, hoping that the price is appropriate and the seller is conscientious about solving the public's problems.
The fifth one was eighteen, about the same age as us. He drank milk and eggs every morning and sometimes had diarrhea. This also led to his stomachache and physical discomfort when he went to school, which seriously affected his learning efficiency. He tries to ease his symptoms by choosing milk that is less lactose, but the frequency of drinking it remains the same. He is willing to use lactose intolerant products, which can help him grow with calcium without side effects, and he appreciates the advances in technology.
Our last interviewee was with a 24-year-old college student who drank milk every day but ate eggs about once every two days. Her lactose intolerance symptoms are about once a week, gastrointestinal discomfort and the main person is not spirit. She felt that lactose intolerance was affecting her quality of life. She tried to modify her eating habits on her own, and decided not to go to the doctor. She is very willing to use lactose intolerance related products to solve her difficulties in life. She knows about synthetic biology because she studied chemistry in college, and she says it's important to make sure the product is safe and effective before putting it into practice.
Store and Cafes Interview
-C store in China-
｜Q1｜. What are the best-selling dairy products in your supermarket/store?
Milk and yogurt products from Chenguang Company and Classy Kiss Company.
｜Q2｜. Are there any targeted dairy products sold for lactose intolerance patients?
We have sugar-free and fat-free products.
｜Q3｜. Have you ever met lactose intolerance patients consulting or complaining? ( How did you solve it?)
No, lactose intolerance patients usually ask for targeted products when they are shopping.
｜Q4｜. If we have a product specially designed for lactose intolerance people, will you sell this product to increase sales?
It's up to the boss of our company to decide.
｜Q5｜. What forms do you think our products are designed to be more acceptable?
We have no idea.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
-Starbucks-
｜Q1｜. What are the main dairy products/milk used in your cafe? Which one do customers order most often?
Milk and fat-free milk from Guangming Company and oat milk from Oatly. Customers often order milk from Guangming Company.
｜Q2｜. Are there any targeted dairy products sold for lactose intolerance patients?
Oat milk from Oatly.
｜Q3｜. Have you ever met lactose intolerance patients consulting or complaining? ( How did you solve it?)
No. We would recommand oat milk if they asked.
｜Q4｜. If we have a product specially designed for lactose intolerance, will you use this product to increase sales?
We do not need it very much.
｜Q5｜. What forms do you think our products are designed to be more acceptable?
We haven't thought about it before.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
-Booons Coffee-
｜Q1｜. What are the main dairy products/milk used in your cafe? Which one do customers order most often?
Milk from SHANDONG ASAHI GREEN SOURCE HIGH-TECH FARM CO.,LTD and oat milk from Oatly. They often order normal milk products.
｜Q2｜. Are there any targeted dairy products sold for lactose intolerance patients?
We recommand oat milk from Oatly.
｜Q3｜. Have you ever met lactose intolerance patients consulting or complaining? ( How did you solve it?)
No. We would recommand oat milk if they asked.
｜Q4｜. If we have a product specially designed for lactose intolerance, will you use this product to increase sales?
We would like to try.
｜Q5｜. What forms do you think our products are designed to be more acceptable?
Water-soluble granules would be the best.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
-Luckin Coffee-
|Q1|. What are the main dairy products/milk used in your cafe? Which one do customers order most often?
Pure milk. I don't know exactly what brand it is.
|Q2.| Are there any targeted dairy products sold for lactose intolerance patients?
No.
|Q3|. Have you ever met lactose intolerance patients consulting or complaining? ( How did you solve it?)
They usually don't order coffee with milk.
|Q4|. If we have a product specially designed for lactose intolerance, will you use this product to increase sales?
There is little possibility, because we have tried to sell similar products before, but they have been removed from the shelves due to low sales.
|Q5|. What forms do you think our products are designed to be more acceptable?
No idea.
Fig. 1 |Our teammate interview staff at the coffee shop
Guangming Dairy Factory Interview
|Q1|: What are the main products in your current market (such as pure milk, low-lactose milk, yogurt, milk powder, milk tablets, etc.), and what kind of audience are you targeting (the general public, the elderly, children, lactose intolerant, etc.) patients, etc.)?
Bright Dairy specializes in fresh-keeping products, mainly fresh-keeping milk and fresh-keeping yogurt, and other products such as pure milk, milk powder, and room temperature milk.
|Q2|: Are there any dairy products for unique groups of consumers? Are there dairy products sold for people with lactose intolerance? Can you give some examples?
We have products for unique consumers, such as lactose-free milk, baby milk powder, etc.
|Q3|: What hardware or other requirements does the company have for the introduction of new technologies?
This question is too broad to answer. Bright Dairy has its own set of technical standards and quality requirements. Any new product needs to be tested according to the standard process.
|Q4|: According to the data, the current price of 300ml milk without our enzyme is about 5 yuan. The public's expected price for the product after using our synthetic biology technology is about 9 yuan. Is your company willing to adjust according to this price? How much elasticity is there to increase costs? (eg 50%, 100%)
This question involves business negotiation. I am a technician in a factory, and I do not know the price of raw materials.
Food Examing Lab Interview
|Q1|. What do you do? Is there a business in food safety testing?
Our company laboratory tests food, edible agricultural products, and health food.
|Q2|. For dairy products, what indicators do you need to test?
Nutrients (protein, fat, vitamins, lactose, etc.), harmful substances (melamine, heavy metal elements lead, nitrite nitrate, etc.), microorganisms (coliform bacteria, total bacterial count, salmonella, etc.), mycotoxins (aflatoxin M1 )
|Q3|. How do you test dairy products? What content generally needs to be identified or tested?
We mainly use large-scale equipment, such as liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer, ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometer, gas chromatography, Kjeldahl nitrogen analyzer, etc. Detect protein content, fat content, vitamin content, fungi toxin content, heavy metal content need to be tested.
|Q4|. Is there a standard for lactose content? If so, what exactly?
Yes. The specific test method is "GB 5413.5-2010 National Food Safety Standard - Determination of Lactose and Sucrose in Infant Food and Dairy Products".
|Q5|. Assume that there is a lactase product, and what indicators do you think should be detected?
The higher the amount of lactase added in the milk powder, the higher the lactose decomposition rate and the better the improvement effect on the symptoms of lactose intolerance. The lactase content can ensure severe lactase deficiency still has an effect of relieving lactose intolerance. According to the test evaluation, 10,000 ALU activity units/time drinking milk is suitable and effective. In addition to the regular testing items, the content of lactase (activity unit) is additional. Currently, there are literature methods to determine lactase activity, and there is no national standard to measure lactase activity.
Lab Interview
|Q1|:How should the part of the experimental design that enhances the activity of lactase be achieved?
Generally, the enhancement of enzyme activity is achieved by increasing the expression of the enzyme. If the catalytic activity of the enzyme itself is enhanced through genetic modification, such an experiment is very complicated and requires modification of the active site and validation through relevant biological experiments, which is a very complex process and you should not be involved in this aspect.
|Q2|:If the former method is used, what other improvements do we need to make to this experiment?
The former is an overexpression experiment. I remember writing a protocol before that was similar to that one, and it needed to be corrected according to the genes.
Special Thanks to Di Wang!
Fig. 2 |Staff in the laboratory
Modeing Interview
iHP project on the engineering transformation of lactase and the establishment of molecular docking models with Mr. Song
|Q1|: Hello, teacher. My flexible docking has always been wrong. Why is this so? Is my input ligand a small molecule drawn with the first chapter? In this way, the part that shows the flexible base selection often shows red, then adjusts it to normal and clicks run. After a while, it will display "error", and there is no reason for the error. I followed what you wrote in your article, and then the Selected residues column is either red or shows error. I really don't know how to solve this problem. Can you see how to debug it?
The parameter is red, indicating that you did not select an amino acid residue. The flexible residue you want to set should be selected. Click the Selected Residues parameter item to select 6PL1: Residue from the drop-down list, specifying the amino acid residue that considers the flexibility of the side chain as the amino acid in the Residue group.
|Q2|: May I ask, is the small molecule in the flexible docking treated according to the first section?
Yes, the molecules handled according to the first section are docked.
|Q3|:If the enzyme I choose has been docked with the molecule I need instead of the original enzyme that has not been modified, and I need to find the position data of the molecule with the amino acid domain, what should I do? Do you want to connect directly or remove it? How to remove it?
Molecules need to be removed. You need to open the structure of the protein in the description column to remove the protein structure paired by the molecule, but it may be accompanied by the loss of some other amino acids. I can't give an accurate answer, because the structure of the paired protein will change, and hard removal may cause the protein to be paired. Problems occur.
Special Thanks to Shuhan Yu!
Wiki Structure Interview
During the whole process of building the basic structure of our iGEM website, problems in different aspects and steps pop out. For example, after we team voted the final website pattern of the main page and the navigation bar, we found that it counld not work well if we combine the effect of rolling picture with the navigation bar at the top of the page. And we also wonder that how we can grap stunning effects from a known website if we would like to utilize them in our own iGEM website.
Therefore, we are willing to ask for helps from others. Fortunately, one of team members Peichen Liu, his mother works in a computer company, so our wiki team, Peichen Liu and Guofeng He, went to the company and a technician felt profoundly pleased with offering us technical suggestions on our website. First, we look for the solution about how to combine the effect of rolling picture with the navigation bar well. Yet we still confused about this problem and wait for better solution. Second, we would like to know how to obtain the original code of a website and even grap the certain series of code of special effects that we want to use. The solution is that we can click the inspect bottom to obtain the original code, and then we are able to check the specific code of a certain part of the website by placing the mouse at this certain part. Beside, when we look at some instruction of building websites, we notice that three kinds of computer languages are used: html, css and javascript. So we are wondering how thses three different kinds of languages contribute to our website building process. The kind technician he illstrates that html is used to design the macro structure of the website, while css and javascript serve as the function of decorating the webiste, especially if we wish to add many fantastic effects, javascript would be required. Lastly, we mainly ask about some extra methods by which we can obtain and learn some code. For instance, there are some communities like CSDN, and we also can obtain original code from great websites since we already know how to check the code of a given website.
In a nutshell, although we confronted with quite a lot of technical problems during the website building process at first, we gain a large number of valued suggestions from professional technician, which have crucial impact on our continuous task of the wiki team.
Sepcial Thanks to Congyang Hu!