Difference between revisions of "Team:UCL/Human Practices"

 
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<h1> <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:UCL/Human_Practices/Experts"> The experts </a> </h1>
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<p> We have been talking to <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:UCL/Human_Practices/Experts"> researchers </a> that are in the ageing field </p>
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<h1> <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:UCL/Human_Practices/Religion"> Religion, Synthetic Biology and Ageing </a> </h1>
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<p> We have been talking to <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:UCL/Human_Practices/Religion"> religious leaders </a> and religious members of the public to find out what they they think about our project and synthetic biology and to find an answer to whether religion actually acts as a barrier to the development of synthetic biology. </p>
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<h1> Ageing and art </h1>
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<p> Sue and Diane art group </p>
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<h1> Industry </hi>
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<h1> General public opinion </h1>
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<p> <ol>
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<li> What are the views of the younger generation? </li>
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<li> What are the views of the middle aged population? </li>
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<li> What are the views of the elderly population </li>
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How do these views differ from each other? Who is our target audience? Whats our motivation? </p>
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<h1> <b> Synthetic Biology survey + General public </b> </h1>
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<h2> <ins> Introduction </ins> </h2>
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<p> Synthetic biology and the human body are two aspects that are hugely controversial when put in the same sentence. So, we wanted to start our project off by finding out what the general public think about synthetic biology to find out how they would feel about using synthetic biology to tackle healthy ageing in humans by releasing a short survey. The survey also gathered information on the gender, age, and their level of knowledge in Synthetic biology. We felt that it was important to gather data that accurately represented the variety of knowledge in the general community and to see if these factors affect the outcome of the survey. Not only were we able to get data from the UK, but we also got response from the general public in Spain, Germany, Italy, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Ireland, USA, Sweden, Mexico and Portugal, an international opinion on the issues raised in the survey. </p>
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<p> We also wanted to find out what the Chinese community thought about our project and synthetic biology, in order to maximise our impact on the general public and perceptions of synthetic biology and genetically modified organisms. Therefore, Yuqiao was able to translate the same survey into Mandarin and distributed the survey through our Wechat account. We were able to get 120 responses from this survey, which adds up to 286 participants from our survey, 94.17% are in China (including Hong Kong, Taiwan Macao, South China Sea Islands and the Fishing Island) and 5.83% are in elsewhere. The participants were answering the survey in Chinese which is then translated to English by our team member Yuqiao.</p>
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<h2> <ins> Results </ins> </h2>
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<ol>
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<h3> <ins> 1. Public perception of bacteria </ins> </h3>
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<p> One of the first questions that was in the survey asked the general public to choose what image they associate with bacteria. One image showed an image of bacteria to be green and sick looking (associate with bad bacteria) (option 2) and the other image was of an electron microscope image of a bacteria (option 1). Due to copyright issues, we can’t post the images onto our wiki. 89.8% of the population associate that image with bacteria. However, 7.2% chose option 2 to be the image that they associate with bacteria. Which still indicates that the general public still think that bacteria is bad, which in reality is not the case, as bacteria can be good and bad for you. Most people who chose option 2 were from the UK.  </p>
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<p> The Wechat survey showed that 74.17% of people think option 1 describes bacteria better, 20% of people think option 2 is better. The Wechat survey showed a higher percentage of people still associate bacteria to be bad. </p>
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<h3> <ins> 2. Knowledge of Synthetic Biology </ins> </h3>
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<p> In response to a question asking the public how much do they know about synthetic biology. 19.9% said they know nothing and 57.2% said they know a little. We also asked what the general public think synthetic biology is defined as, some of the responses can be seen below, where most of the respondents have a general, accurate idea of synthetic biology whilst others either skipped the question or answered “I don’t know”. The Wechat survey showed that 59.17% know nothing about synthetic biology at all.</p>
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<p> Popular answers:
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<li> “Creating things” – Creativity and design seemed to be a key word in most responses </li>
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<li> “Genetic engineering” </li>
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<li> “Man made” </li>
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<li> “Genetically modified organisms used to create products we use/need everyday” </li>
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<li> “The ‘direction’ of biology be external forces, such as humans” </li>
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<li> “The study of how to engineer life to obtain organisms with new features of benefit to humankind” </li>
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<li> “interesting” </li>
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<h3> <ins> 3. Genetically modified organisms </ins> </h3>
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<p> Even though 80.7% of the survey responders are accepting of synthetic biology, 8.4% of the population either said that they don’t agree with genetically modifying organisms or that synthetic biologists are playing with god. We also asked if they thought that the benefits of genetically modifying organisms outweigh the risks. 81.3% said yes whilst 13.9% said no. 66.3% of the respondents think that genetically modified organisms are safe. The Wechat survey showed that 30.83% are accepting of synthetic biology whilst a shocking 30.83% do not agree and 15% think you are playing with god.
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<img src = "https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/1/1a/Ucligem_pie2.jpg" : small>
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<h3> <ins> 4. Genetically modified organisms and human ageing </ins> </h3>
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<p> When asked if the respondents wanted to live longer, fewer people answered yes then compared to when they were asked if they want to live healthier longer. This can be seen on the pie charts below, where more people would rather live healthier for longer than just live longer. This shows that our project is relevant to the needs of the general public. 67.5% of the respondents would be more accepting of synthetic biology if it made them live longer. The Wechat survey showed that 84.17% of the Chinese population are want to live a longer lifespan but a larger population (95.83%) want to live a longer healthier life. Also, 70% of people are more acceptable of synthetic biology  if it made them live longer. </p>
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<h3> <ins> 5. Synthetic biology and education </ins> </h3>
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<p> 75.3% of the general public think that they have not been educated about synthetic biology whilst 81.67% of the Chinese population on Wechat also agree. And a large proportion of the population would like children to learn synthetic biology as a part of their curriculum. 83.1% of respondents also agreed that primary or secondary school should be educated about synthetic biology as a part of the curriculum. </p>
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<p> Based on the results, it is apparent that respondents felt like there hasn’t been sufficient education related to Synthetic Biology. Considering a vast majority of respondents consider GM organisms safe (81%) and beneficial (81%), we have decided to take on outreach program's for school-age children to expand their knowledge and consciousness of Synthetic Biology. The results of the survey has inspired us to think about what we can do for each age group of children/students (from primary, secondary and sixth form students) to get synthetic biology widely known. </p> </ol>
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<h1> A project that is shaped by the general public </h1>
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<p> We initially wanted to find out if the general public would actually want a solution to the ageing issue of the population. So to do this we conducted an international survey (above) to reach out to many people as we could in order to get a good snapshot/ representation of the world populations needs. An image summarising the findings can be seen below </p>
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<h1> Resources for the younger generation </h1>
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<p> In response to the survey, we wanted to make synthetic biology and iGEM more accessible to the younger generation, and the rest of the public. So we decided that we wanted to make some resources for young children about our project, synthetic biology and ideas around synthetic biology. We have this document translated in English, German, French, Farsi, Spanish and Mandarin. </p>
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<p> <a href="Ucligem_handbook.pdf">pdf file</a> </p>
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<h1> Our iGEM blog </h1>
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<p> We also wanted the general public to know about our project and iGEM so we decided to make a blog highlighting our general experiences as we go along this iGEM journey! We are also working on posting some tips for future GEM teams, based on what we are learning as we go through the process.</p>
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<p> The Blog link: http://ucligem2016.wix.com/ucligem2016 </p>
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<h1> Our App </h1>
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<p> As mobile phones are becoming increasing part of our lives, we thought that developing an app may be a great way to get more people more aware of synthetic biology. We have decided to create a game that works by getting users to create certain biobricks, where the gene of interest will only complete the biobrick if the plasmid backbone is cut with the correct restriction enzymes. We want to make it as user friendly as possible and we are hoping to integrate our project and iGEM into the app as well. </p>
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<h1> Press release </h1>
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<p> We were able make more people aware of our project by getting our project advertised through the UCL website (Biochemical engineering News section). We are also working on getting the project advertised on the UCL newsletter (myUCL). </p>
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<h1> Workshop with the younger generation </h1>
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<p> We were able to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, conputer scientists and phycolgists through a workshop. We told them what synthetic biology is, our project, asked them what their perception of the elderly is and ran some fun activities. We also gave the students a chance to have some lab experience. </p>
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<p> We asked the children to draw what they think of when I said AGEING </p>
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<p> We then asked the children to draw what they envision themselves looking like when they are 65 years old (the age when you are considered as elderly) </p>
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<h1> <center> <font size = "2000px" > <font color = "white" > OUR STORY </font> </font> </center> </h1>
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<h3> <center> <font color = "white" >  </font> </center> </h3>
  
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<p> Also follow our vlog where we upload fun videos of the team members and vlog throughout our iGEM journey </p>
 
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<h1> Elderly opinion </h1>
 
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<p> Tea with the elderly on Saturday 16th July. Chichi was able to attend the tea session where she was able to ask some of the elderly what they thought about our idea and synthetic biology. </p>
 
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<h1> Talk to Dementia patients- Weinberg-Rauhes Haus </h1>
 
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<p> Since the age of 14 I have been regularly exposed to the beautiful and perilous aspects of growing old and taking care of the elderly. I started out by occasionally helping out in a dementia home in Hamburg with a family friend who works with therapy dogs for the elderly. Then right after graduating high school I worked in Alzheimer’s research at Roche for 9 months and through that I got to meet a lot of people very passionate about this, whilst also getting a good insight into the pharma side of things. </p>
 
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<p> It has been two years since my work at Roche and I’ve spent my other summers either working in an office or now on iGEM. Although our project is about ageing, I haven’t been thrown into the deep end of dementia research and care for a while. Precisely until I was back at the dementia home in Hamburg this past week, this time with the purpose of getting the opinions of the elderly about our project and their life in general. I got to speak to a few people individually and then also two groups of people, everyone with varying forms of dementia: from very light Alzheimer’s, which you wouldn't be able to tell, to the late stages, which are almost incomprehensible. Overall these experiences were enlightening, inspiring and motivating to do more research and help but simultaneously the potential realities of the future are distressing. </p>
 
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<p> Over the next few weeks we will be publishing the stories of the people I got to speak to and the impressions and experiences I gained from the group sessions.</p>
 
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<h1> Week long outreach workshops with year 12 students at the sutton trust summer school Monday 8th -12th July </h1>
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<h1> Outreach activity workshop with year 12 students at the sutton trust summer school Thursday 28th July </h1>
 
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<p> <!-- Abbie has described 2 outreach experiences here - still needs editing & quotes &  -->
 
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<h1>UCL iGEM does Outreach:</h1>
 
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<p>Last Thursday Michelle, Amandeep & Abbie presented to a group of year 12 students about synthetic biology, iGEM and ageing (and even got invited back to present later this month)! We encouraged discussion throughout the lecture and it was great to teach them a little bit too. </p>
 
  
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</p>We then proceeded to have two debates: one focussing on ageing, another on synthetic biology.</p>
 
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<p>The arguments were eloquent, well thought through and focussed on aspects such as the economic, ethical and even emotional impact of this research. The debate was particularly poignant at times and the students all had their own opinions which we encouraged the discussion of. We were not only impressed, but inspired by their enthusiasm and the feedback we received. Especially now some of the students want to get involved with iGEM and even study biochemical engineering- a degree they previously didn't know existed. </p>
 
  
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<h3> <center> We are all stakeholders in ageing hence why Biosynthage has been steeped in controversy since its very inception. However, with controversy come important questions. Some believe that we should not meddle with the human ageing process whereas others believe that we should think of ageing as a disease in order to start treating it. Biosynthage has really enjoyed exploring the depths of many debates which has caused us to constantly stop and reevaluate the next step forward within our project. We are constantly realising that with every new person we speak to, we uncover depths of new perspectives we never knew existed within in our story.</center> </h3>
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<h3> <center> In the following sections, you can have a glimpse at the decisive factors that drove our project and continue to influence the progress of our novel technologies in the future. Below is a timeline of events and activities that the UCL iGEM team were doing this summer! We have details of each event in our human practices <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:UCL/HP/Silver"> silver </a> page! </center> </h3>
  
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<h3> <center> Click <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:UCL/HP/Silver/Conclusion"> here </a> to find the conclusion of our story so far.  </center> </h3>          <br>           
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<h1> Outreach activity workshop with year 8 students at the sutton trust summer school Friday 29th July </h1>
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<p>Friday was another day of presenting for us 3- this time to year 8 students - we gave them an insight into ageing in London and again encouraged participation.
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After our talk we again set up a debate in which the students represented one of the following stakeholders:</p>
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<p> 'Business person wanting to build a gym', 'scientist wanting to build an ageing research institution', 'doctor wanting to build a walk-in clinic' and 'the council wanting to build a community centre'. </p>
 
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<p> Again, great arguments were constructed which considered the negatives of the other parties as well as the strengths of their own. They considered the different types of job prospects, ethics and short vs long term investments. We were particularly pleased with the vote outcome in which the students favoured a research institution to be built. </p>
 
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<h1> UCL iGEM x Sutton Trust summer school - biosciences stream </h1>
 
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<p> This summer school is based at UCL and formed part of our outreach activities since it is aimed at students from widening participation backgrounds. Abbie worked closely with the students and lead a group of 5, year 12 students. </p>   
 
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<p> This involved demonstrating various lab activities from basic pipetting to performing restriction digests and running gel electrophoresis. We also performed an activity which looked at the bacteria on skin before and after washing hands, the effectiveness of chemicals on killing bacteria and even gram stained these, looking under them at a microscope. A lot of the experiments were new to the students so it was essential to explain the techniques and assist throughout. </p>
 
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<p> It was also an opportunity to give advice about university and share our own personal experiences. </p>   
 
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<p> Amandeep and Abbie also gave a lecture on iGEM, synthetic biology and ageing. Afterwards we ran a workshop and debate with regards to synthetic biology and ageing research as before to the 30 students on the stream. We really enjoy this activity due to the consideration of ethics, economics and personal experiences. </p>
 
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<h1> UCL iGEM x David Kurten (London Assembly)</h1>
 
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<p> We wanted to understand where our project fits in with public policy and are trying to gain a well-rounded view. To do this we met with David Kurten, a UKIP member of the London Assembly. After explaining our project we went onto discuss what priorities the elderly population has, the public perception of GM and the effect of Brexit on science research. Here is what we discovered: </p>
 
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<li> Science is ahead of politicians knowledge, similarly, legislation is slower than the rate of research. There is the potential therefore for research to accelerate without real consideration of the ethics. 

OUR SOLUTION: thoroughly discuss and explore the ethics of our project. </li>
 
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<li> Gene therapy Introducing something unnatural- genetically modifying human DNA. Again, sciences races ahead of legislation. Requires the Government of the day to be behind it for it to become law.

OUR SOLUTION: Talk with an MP about the process of legislation with regards to GM, synthetic biology and science research. </li>
 
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<li> Consent: this is important with regards to who will be affected.

OUR SOLUTION: Talk to lots of people to see if they would like to take a therapy/get in contact with those who already have. </li>
 
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<li> Vested interests: political and green and companies,  research funding bodies.
Knowledge and transparency of information important.

OUR SOLUTION: Present our research with no bias and be transparent with results. </li>
 
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<li> What can we do to change public opinion? 
Existing propaganda has influenced the opinions of the public. There is a need of transparency. e.g. of labelling food. </li>
 
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<li> Semantics of GM vs synthetic biology ‘advancing progressing, doing science’ vs biotechnology, again has positive connotations. </li>
 
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<li> UKIP policy: look into what the science says. Allow research to happen on an objective basis as well as to ensure that large data sets are used. </li>
 
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<li> Loss of faith in scientists due to medias portrayal - faking data news story. Suggested that raw data directly to public to let them make own decisions. (we are aware this is ridiculous).
There is a need however for communicating the information without a bias. Media- sensationalism sells. Deeper level of understanding is needed. Currently a dumbing down of culture rather than this uplifting of culture. </li> 
 
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<li> On Brexit. 20 billion to EU, 10 billion back, net fee of around 10 billion. A lot of EU funding is British money. Not going to effect the UK for funding (just missing out). Collaboration will continue- not dependent on EU dependent upon innovators and scientists regardless of EU. People that are involved. Long term- cutting out a layer of bureucracy- more efficient and less </li>
 
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<li> Medical without ethics, looks great. Changed DNA structure - lots of discussion is needed. Is this natural or not. Personal view- cautious, case by case basis. Not a fan of changing DNA, it’s evolved over time to how it is now. Short term benefits- what about the long term implications- they are unknown. Should we be doing this? ‘perfect super human race’ personally- should not be playing around of DNA. Taking ethics, morality and faith out of the question, we should do it. But adding these I think we shouldn’t. </li>
 
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<li> Ageing: unintended consequences of action. population increase/policy change- working longer, pension system would collapse.
 
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Increasing retirement age- public wouldn’t like it. political suicide. demographics of voters- older people vote more. </li> </ol>
 
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<div class="highlight">
 
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<h1> Synthetic biology showcase: Friday 16th July </h1>
 
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<p> <b> Amandeep, Michelle and Abbie presented at the Annual Synthetic Biology Showcase at UCL. This was a unique opportunity to share our project with leading synthetic biology researchers, shape our newer ideas as well as to discuss the ethics of our project. </b> </p>
 
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<img src = "https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/f/f0/UCLigem2016_synbioshowcase1.jpeg" style="width:600px;height:400px;>
 
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<p> We introduced iGEM, our motivation for choosing ageing as a topic area and the different approaches we were tackling, the feedback was positive and we were asked some interesting questions such as: </p>
 
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<p> 1. Professor John Ward: With regards to the anti-plaque bacteriocin device, how will you avoid targeting 'good' gram positive bacteria?</p>
 
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<p>(The bacteriocin we are using targets <i> S. mutans </i> specifically which ensures the oral microbiome is not altered dramatically). </p>
 
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<p>2. Professor Steve Miller: Why should we be focusing on ageing and the elderly population - does anyone care?</p>
 
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<p>(The fact that we have an ageing population makes our project considerably relevant. We wish to promote healthy ageing in individuals and whilst this is something that will have dramatic impact on lives it will also reduce the burden this demographic has upon the NHS.)</p>
 
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<p>After presenting alongside academics we took the floor to present our poster but also had the chance to talk to Professor Steve Miller of the RRI who focus on building the bridge between science and public policy who thought our project "sounds interesting" even though we still "have a lot to do". He also suggested that we get in contact with Age UK, to organise some focus groups and find out what people who are affected think! </p>
 
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<img src = "https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/4/40/Ucligem_amandeep111.jpg" style="width:600px;height:400px;>
 
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<p>iGEM teams are leading in the area of Human Practices because they conduct their projects within a social/environmental context, to better understand issues that might influence the design and use of their technologies.</p>
 
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<p>Teams work with students and advisors from the humanities and social sciences to explore topics concerning ethical, legal, social, economic, safety or security issues related to their work. Consideration of these Human Practices is crucial for building safe and sustainable projects that serve the public interest. </p>
 
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<p>For more information, please see the <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Human_Practices/Survey">Human Practices Hub</a>.</p>
 
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<div class="highlight">
 
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<h5>Note</h5>
 
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<p>You must fill out this page in order to be considered for all <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Judging/Awards">awards</a> for Human Practices:</p>
 
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<ul>
 
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<li>Human Practices silver medal criterion</li>
 
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<li>Human Practices gold medal criterion</li>
 
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<li>Best Integrated Human Practices award</li>
 
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<li>Best Education and Public Engagement award</li>
 
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</ul>
 
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<h5>Some Human Practices topic areas </h5>
 
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<ul>
 
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<li>Philosophy</li>
 
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<li>Public Engagement / Dialogue</li>
 
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<li>Education</li>
 
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<li>Product Design</li>
 
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<li>Scale-Up and Deployment Issues</li>
 
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<li>Environmental Impact</li>
 
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<li>Ethics</li>
 
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<li>Safety</li>
 
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<li>Security</li>
 
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<li>Public Policy</li>
 
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<li>Law and Regulation</li>
 
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<li>Risk Assessment</li>
 
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</ul>
 
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<h5>What should we write about on this page?</h5>
 
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<p>On this page, you should write about the Human Practices topics you considered in your project, and document any special activities you did (such as visiting experts, talking to lawmakers, or doing public engagement).</p>
 
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</div>
 
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<h5>Inspiration</h5>
 
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<p>Read what other teams have done:</p>
 
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<ul>
 
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<li><a href="https://2014.igem.org/Team:Dundee/policypractice/experts">2014 Dundee </a></li>
 
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<li><a href="https://2014.igem.org/Team:UC_Davis/Policy_Practices_Overview">2014 UC Davis </a></li>
 
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<li><a href="https://2013.igem.org/Team:Manchester/HumanPractices">2013 Manchester </a></li>
 
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<li><a href="https://2013.igem.org/Team:Cornell/outreach">2013 Cornell </a></li>
 
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</ul>
 
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Latest revision as of 02:27, 20 October 2016

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UCL iGEM 2016 | BioSynthAge

OUR STORY



We are all stakeholders in ageing hence why Biosynthage has been steeped in controversy since its very inception. However, with controversy come important questions. Some believe that we should not meddle with the human ageing process whereas others believe that we should think of ageing as a disease in order to start treating it. Biosynthage has really enjoyed exploring the depths of many debates which has caused us to constantly stop and reevaluate the next step forward within our project. We are constantly realising that with every new person we speak to, we uncover depths of new perspectives we never knew existed within in our story.



In the following sections, you can have a glimpse at the decisive factors that drove our project and continue to influence the progress of our novel technologies in the future. Below is a timeline of events and activities that the UCL iGEM team were doing this summer! We have details of each event in our human practices silver page!



Click here to find the conclusion of our story so far.