Overview

Our team and HainanU-China have established a long-term partnership since April, because our projects are all related to CRISPR-cas technology. In this competition season, we had several virtual meetups regularly to discuss about project design, experiments, difficulties, and human practices, public activities, part registry, etc. When we held the meetup in Hangzhou, our two team had a deep face-to-face talk about function verification plan of various Cas proteins and hardware design. We formed a strong and mutually helpful relationship through this process and we are grateful for this fantastic experience.

 

 

1.  Wet Lab 

We explored potential partnership in web lab together and discussed in depth (Fig 1). We decided to exchange our system to verify the feasibility of our ideas on different Cas systems. After discussion, we designed an experiment, which is by using our Cas12a system and change the sequence of trigger RNA into the sequence that they are testing: transcriptome RNA. The result of this experiment is to see whether the Cas12a system is suitable for other RNAs, if the result shows that it works for transcriptome RNA, then it may be possible to fit in others, and reaches the goal, which is to create a system that is valid to test other cancers. In order for this experiment to work, we deliver of Cas12 system to Hainan.

 

Fig 1 Team presentation in first meeting

We were presenting our project to HainanU-China and trying to find similarities to form partnership on

 

Fig 2&3 Order form of mailing cas12 protein& Discussion between us and HainanU_China

 

Fig 4&5 Discussion between us and HainanU_China

 

Unfortunately, when we figured all things out and got ready to deliver all materials they needed to them, Covid broke out in Hainan. Due to Covid restrictions, we were unable to successfully ship our system to them. However, our team learned a lot through numerous discussions with them.

 

2.  Human Practices

2.1 Expert Resource

After finding out our similarity of both using CRISPR-Cas system, we initiated further HP communications. We gathered our problem and interviewed their advisor (Fig 6). In this meeting, we mainly have a discussion on CRISPR-Cas systems and ask for some future prospect. During the interview, the expert from HainanU_China shared with us about how CRISPR-Cas system can be applied in the future in different aspect such as marine resources, how the project is different and similar between our team and HainanU_China, and also to help us with some questions about the length of Cas12 guide sequence and the activation of the system. From this interview, we harvested that it is necessary to use CRISPR-Cas system for detection of diseases, and also gain the knowledge that the range of guide sequence of Cas12 are the best for the enzyme to be activated.

 

Fig 6 Interview of the advisor of HainanU-China team

 

2.2 Regular Feedback

Besides, we regularly share feedback on our HP activities (Fig 7). For example, after we joined CCiC9 together, we discussed the efforts we put in and our motivation to connect more iGEM teams together.

 

Fig 7 Discussion of CCiC9 feedbacks

 

3. Education

Media Promotion

We posted a blog about each other’s team on our Wechat Official Accounts to promote our influence together (Fig 8&9). Through this chance, we hope to let more people know CRISPR as a jumped-up rising technology in synthetic biology and increase each other’s scope of influence.

 

Fig 8&9 Poster about each other on Wechat Official Account

 

4. Communication

Offline meetup

HainanU-China flied to Hangzhou to participate the Global Meetup we organized on August 6-7 as a supportive partner. They presented their project and we introduced our relationship as partner to the others.

 

Fig 10 The Meetup Booklet and their Photo in front of the Signature Wall

 

We discussed our partnership in details face-to-face. Explain some of the problems we had on their project, how we are going to realize the test using their system and our system, check the detail of the experiment design. We decided at this meeting that we are going to send cas12 protein and cas13 protein to each other. Besides, we also shared how both of our program will be revealed by hardware design, and since some members in HainanU_China are very specialized in hardware, we learned from them about their ideas and applied on ours.

It was a great experience to break away from the limitation of electronics and discuss our ambition with them.

 

 

5.  Paper writing and part registry

We helped each other whenever we face difficulties in documents writing. For example, HainanU-China was unsure about Proof of Concept and Parts writing and registration. Therefore, we organized meetings to share our experience and give out suggestions in the writing of these documents.

Fig 11 Discussion of requirements of Proof of Concept

 

Fig 12 Finding potential parts for their project

 

6.  Hardware

After we finish our 3D model design for the detection kit, it was sent to HainanU_China to explain how the model works and how we design it. They gave us feedback on wechat group, which help us to improve the conveniency and the functions of this kit.

 

 

Fig 13 Hardware advice from HainanU_China