Overview

Research in synthetic biology, including iGEM, is developing at a dizzying pace, but whether what is invented can actually be accepted by people and implemented in society is another matter.Making people aware of the benefits and potential of synthetic biology is the first step toward public acceptance of the research.In addition, the interest of people with different attributes in synthetic biology will provide feedback from a variety of perspectives, resulting in a significant foothold for the development of research.

Figure.1 Our Vision

Based on the above perspectives, our team

• promote the potential of synthetic biology to a wide range of demographics.
• Receive feedback from various perspectives and reflect it to improve the project.

With this philosophy, the following educational activities were conducted.

Introduction to Viruses for High School Students

 In recent years, the emergence of unprecedented pandemics and the accompanying development of vaccines have put people's scientific literacy to the test. In our daily lives, viruses are always at the forefront of our minds, as is vaccination and other countermeasures against infectious diseases. In the midst of these trends, we felt the need to share basic knowledge about biology with students and created "Introduction to Viruses for High School Students".
The contents of the publication consisted of 1) What is a virus, 2) Diagnostic methods for viruses, 3) Vaccines, 4) Creation of artificial organisms, and 5) Introduction of iGEM TokyoTech's projects.

Figure.2 Cover and Table of Contents of Introduction to Viruses for High School Students

The book is designed to be easy to understand even for beginners. Specifically, the section 1, "What is a Virus” The book also explains the differences between viruses and recent viruses in terms of size and structure, the forms in which viruses retain genetic information, classification by structure, and how to handle viruses and bacteria based on the Cartagena method, using many concrete examples.

Figure.3 Part of Section 1 of Introduction to Viruses for High School Students 高校生のためのウイルス入門-1.pdf

In section 2, "Diagnostic methods for viruses" we explain the principles of virus diagnostic methods actually used, such as viral antigen tests, antiviral antibody tests, and viral genome tests, compare the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and describe under what circumstances they are used. I tried to give readers a concrete image of virus detection by explaining the principles, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and describing how they are used.

Figure.4 Part of Section 2 of Introduction to Viruses for High School Students 高校生のためのウイルス入門-2.pdf

In section 3, "Vaccines," the history of vaccine development is explained, and examples of vaccine types, such as live vaccines, inactivated vaccines, mRNA vaccines, and recombinant adenovirus vector vaccines, are presented and explained. In this age of sensitivity to the word "vaccine," a book explaining vaccines in detail would be of great significance.

Figure.5 Part of Section 3 of Introduction to Viruses for High School Students 高校生のためのウイルス入門-3.pdf

In section 4. "Creation of artificial organisms," we discussed the background of the artificial production of poliovirus and mycoplasma, the methods used, and the differences between the two, followed by a discussion of the dangers of dual use in the development of technology. The topics of artificial organisms and dual use are closely related to synthetic biology and the iGEM conference, so it will be useful to familiarize the public with these topics.

Figure.6 Part of Section 4 of Introduction to Viruses for High School Students 高校生のためのウイルス入門-4.pdf

Finally, in section 5. “Introduction of iGEM TokyoTech's projects”, we have listed some of our past projects. We hope that this will encourage more high school students to become interested in synthetic biology and iGEM.

Figure.7 Part of Section 5 of Introduction to Viruses for High School Students 高校生のためのウイルス入門-5.pdf

 The book was distributed to various audiences, including high school students, who found it to be a very easy-to-understand textbook. As described below, the book was also used as a textbook for on-site classes to promote understanding of infectious diseases among high school students.

Symposium on Synthetic Biology with iGEM Waseda Team

 We, in cooperation with iGEM Waseda team and SHIBUYA QWS, organized a symposium on synthetic biology on August 12 this year. With the goal of promoting synthetic biology, there were always concerns that if our team taught the class alone, the content would be biased, there would be few examples of projects to share, there would be little feedback on the class materials, and it would be difficult to generate novel ideas.Therefore, we thought that holding a joint symposium with other iGEM teams would be the best way to address such concerns and provide relevant and brand new lessons to the participants. At this event, we invited Professors Daisuke Kiga and Toru Asahi of Waseda University, Nobuhiro Hayashi of Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Shishin Kawamoto of Hokkaido University, and invited high school students, undergraduate students, graduate students, and working adults to an online discussion introducing "What is synthetic biology," "What does it do, what are the risks," "How is it We held an online introduction and discussion on "What is synthetic biology," "What does it do, what are the risks," and "How can we implement it in society?

Figure.8 The Symposium  After a case study introduction on synthetic biology, participants were divided into groups and worked with their mentors on a discussion of the assigned topic. After the discussion, they made a presentation to the whole group and received critiques from the professors.
The symposium began by introducing the participants to basic knowledge of biology, such as central dogma, and specific examples of synthetic biology to give them a rough idea of the possibilities and prospects of synthetic biology. Half of the participants were given the topic of fertility treatment, and the other half were given the topic of dengue fever diagnosis, and were asked to think about how to solve the problem using a synthetic biology approach. We asked participants to reflect and present their thoughts again, with the expectation that they would receive feedback and further their thoughts.
The event concluded with an explanation of the projects of the Waseda team and our team, and comments from the professors to the participants. We believe that we were able to make a significant contribution to the correct promotion of synthetic biology by providing participants with an opportunity to think about solutions to real-world problems using a synthetic biology approach, receive feedback from other participants and team members, reconsider their ideas, and receive further feedback from the professor. The following are some of the results of the survey.
Some of the results of the survey are also presented below. The wide range of ages and occupations of the participants indicates that we were successful in communicating synthetic biology to people of various demographics without dividing them.

Figure.9 Age of participants Figure.10 Occupations of participants

In addition, the following is a partial excerpt from a questionnaire about the benefits and underlying dangers of synthetic biology (Fig. l).While all participants in the survey indicated that synthetic biology would benefit humanity, there were a certain number of people who felt that synthetic biology was dangerous and worrisome.When we look at the participants who responded that they were "concerned about synthetic biology," all of them felt that synthetic biology was dangerous, but that it should proceed with only minimal regulation.All participants who believed that synthetic biology research should be adequately regulated perceived synthetic biology as dangerous, and while they also rated the benefits of synthetic biology lower than the other participants, they did not have any concerns about synthetic biology.This result was surprising, since at the time we developed the questionnaire we had expected that participants who were concerned about synthetic biology would tend to perceive great danger and call for strict regulation.

Figure.11 Part of the Questionnaire

This result dispelled our simplistic belief that "spreading information about the safety and benefits of synthetic biology will dispel people's fears," and made us keenly aware that the actual dangers and fears that people feel, as well as the predicted benefits of synthetic biology, are not monolithic. We saw this experience as a remarkable example of the barriers to actual implementation in society, and it became a major indicator in the construction of our project.

Figure.12 Changing Our Perceptions

Science Education

 In addition, when students from Funabashi Prefectural High School visited Tokyo Tech, we gave lectures on viruses and vaccines related to this project and explained about synthetic biology and the iGEM competition. Thirty-four students attended the lecture, and 88.2% said they gained a deeper understanding of vaccines and infectious diseases, and 82.4% said they became interested in iGEM and synthetic biology, indicating that the presentation was effective.

Figure.13 Part of the Questionnaire

In addition, after the lecture, participants asked questions such as "What is the biological classification of viruses? and "Why are mRNA vaccines so popular? This confirmed that the lecture had aroused the interest of the participants. Figure.14 Scene of Lecture

On another occasion, when students from Funabashi Prefectural High School visited Tokyo Tech, we started with a review of basic knowledge such as central dogma, and after discussing the classification of viruses and their growth patterns, we provided an opportunity to explain synthetic biology examples such as artificial organisms. This time, 34 students participated, and 97.1% said that their understanding of vaccines and infectious diseases was deepened, and 91.2% said that they were interested in iGEM and synthetic biology, which was very meaningful from the viewpoint of arousing students' interest.

Figure.15 Part of the Questionnaire

In addition, we solicited questions directly from the students and answered them on the spot. The direct exchange of questions with the students was a meaningful experience for both sides.

Figure.16 Scene of Lecture

Conclusion

• We distributed a booklet on virology and synthetic biology to a large number of students, helping them to better understand and learn more about the subject.
• By engaging in discussions about the implementation of synthetic biology with a wide range of demographics, we absorbed feedback from a variety of perspectives.
• By interacting directly with a large group of high school students, he received their input while trying to clear up any questions they had.

From the above activities, we can say that our team's philosophy as stated above has been fully fulfilled.In fact, the surveys conducted were highly positive, and the project was improved through research based on the feedback received.