SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Sustainablility goals

The United Nations (UN) developed and adopted the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 [1] . See Figure 1. Since then, these goals have served as an action call for governments and organizations to address some of the biggest issues that the planet is facing. This also applies to the synthetic biology field, where young businesses have focused on incorporating several SDGs into their organizational culture and products. Both young and old companies must participate in the conversation about sustainable business solutions and practices.

Overall, we want to develop a GHB biosensor that can provide safety to people and prevent them from getting spiked. We have identified that our project, SPYKE, can be associated with SDG 3, SDG 5, SDG 12, SDG 16, and SDG 17.

Good Health and well-being

3.5 Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol [1] .

SPYKE aims to develop a detection method for GHB which is fast, reliable, and cheap. By developing a robust detection system for this specific narcotic, we want to increase the available data to prevent upcoming spiking problems. We believe that this data will provide the government and other institutions, such as the Trimbos Institute, with a realistic overview of GHB consumption and abuse. Moreover, we believe that SPYKE can also be utilized as a detection method for active consumers of GHB who end up in hospitals.

A more thorough comprehension of the issue will result in a more effective prevention and treatment plan, which is essential for achieving objective 3.5 of the sustainable development goals.

3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all [1] .

Detection techniques are a crucial component of healthcare services. These aid in choosing the appropriate course of treatment and provide the patient with a sense of safety by helping them understand what is going on within their bodies and what is causing their discomfort. GHB detection helps to attain universal health coverage by enhancing key services and giving people a sense of security.

Gender Equality

5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation [1] .

GHB is one of the most commonly used date rape drugs [3] , which is administered without the victim's awareness or consent. When the victim starts to experience the effects of the drug, such as disorientation, dizziness, and loss of consciousness, the predator can take advantage of the situation, which, unfortunately, frequently results in sexual assault. We try to anticipate these instances from happening by reducing the incidence of GHB spiking. This should result in the frequency of sexual assaults brought on by date rape drugs declining as well, which enters in the scope of goal 5.2 of the sustainable development goals.

Responsible Consumption and Production

12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment [1] .

12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse [1] .

Along with the advancement of our technology, sustainability aspects were a high priority during the design of our biosensor, see hardware and integrated human practices pages. In order to be able to reduce, recycle, and reuse our detection method, we performed extensive research. The reduction of created waste is crucial since there are different disposal laws in different countries.

Our system is composed of three layers: a section that hosts the biological components, one for the electrodes, and the last contains our hardware. The biological components and the utilized electrodes are the only parts of the SPYKE test that are single-use. For instance, the biological element would degrade naturally, and the electrodes could ideally be reused after a thorough cleaning process. The challenge with the testing component is that it must be disposed of in a specific manner, now regulated by national laws, due to its biological nature. To ensure proper waste management, rules and appropriate disposal options must be enacted globally.

The third layer of our product is the dedicated hardware for our test, which consists of a battery pack, electronics, including an Arduino, and 3D-printed plastic pieces. These components will be reusable since we want to create a system that can be removed from the cup at the end of the night, to replace the biological components with new single-use parts, and then reattached, producing a minimal amount of waste, see hardware for more information.

Peace, Justice and Strong institutions

16.3 Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all [1] .

The molecule GHB breaks down quite quickly in the human body. Its symptoms have been measured to last up to 6 hours, and it can be detected until 12 hours after consumption [4] . This makes it very difficult for people who become a victim of GHB spiking to get tested. Since GHB is not detectable after a certain period of time and hospitals lack effective means of detection (see market analysis section ), victims are left without proof and consequently without justice when they attempt to file a report. By implementing a trustworthy GHB test method, we contribute to achieving objective 16.3's fundamental goal of ensuring justice for all.

16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements [1] .

As previously mentioned, one of the main problems regarding GHB is the lack of data around its usage for spiking. While there is a lot of media attention regarding the problem, there is insufficient data to support all the claims. A practical and reliable GHB detection method could give insights regarding the problem, which would provide experts and the general public with more information and increase awareness. This ensures public access to information, a key element of goal 16.10.

Partnerships for the goals

17.16 Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries [1] .

17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships [1] .

Our team understands the value of strong partnerships for our mission to prevent GHB spiking. For the test to be approved, distributed across nations, and used to anticipate and carry out intervention programs based on the information gathered, solid ties with governments are necessary. SPYKE cannot be implemented in society without the support and endorsement of the local administrations. Health groups and hospitality companies can aid in building relationships with governments. These connections were made during our interviews for human practices. All parties involved in our initiative appeared open to working together to make it a success.

By maintaining contact with local governments and health groups, we hope to build upon the expertise and resource allocation techniques of partnerships. By maintaining regular contact with health groups, we could make use of their knowledge in establishing intervention programs and gain insights from their prior successes. Through collaboration with local governments, SPYKE can be distributed more widely by utilizing pre-established healthcare infrastructure. Additionally, SPYKE can expand the amount of trustworthy, timely, and high-quality data that is available to drug institutes and legal departments. The collected data can be used to pinpoint high-risk areas and react appropriately to prevent further occurrences of drugging. Partnerships are required for the development of well-informed intervention measures to stop the irreversible effects of GHB spiking.