Team:BGIC China/Intellectual-Property
A proposal of BGI-college team concerning intellectual Property
Upon the finishing of our product, with full realisation of its value as a programmable and opensource paper-based testing platform based on cell-free system, we believe in the potential of this project to contribute in the field of diagnostics specifying in clinical sample tests that are free from the limitation of laboratory work.
First, the open-source nature of the test paper system allows and encourages those with adequate knowledge and techniques specialised in the field of Synthetic Biology to reprogram the sensor plasmid of our test-paper system, giving unlimited potential of the variety and capacity of the number of test papers of different functionality to be designed, manufactured and put into practice and hereby satisfying tremendous demands for specified biological substance detection involved in clinical and diagnostic tasks.
Also, being based on cell-free system, comprehensive limitations of biochemical reactions, for example, the fatality to the cell due to the toxicity of the product of metabolism and the prospect of the plasmid being controlled by the host due to negative feedback. A cell-free system has relatively higher operability, proved to be a better alternative for DNA transcription and expression. Moreover, having mitigated and minimised ethical issues involving the exploitation of living organisms, the product is excepted to be accepted much more widely in the global market, leading to higher demands, and in extension, sales volume and shelf live——in plain English, higher success in the market.
The bionic nature, too, contribute immensely to the project’s compatibility to a wider range of samples. As the plasmids and genetic sequences of existing organisms are directly applied to the test paper based on cell-free system to allow the simulation of a real cell, the possibility of detection of almost any biological molecules is promised.
Our test paper system also has a considerable precision in the testing of biological molecules in clinical samples. Via comprehensive modelling, the GFP and LacZ expression shown on the test paper is almost proportional to biological molecule presence of the sample. Therefore, not only could the product detect the presence of specific biological molecules, it could also shown the concentration of the substance through analysis by the plate reader we designed targeting at the measuring of GFP expression.
A privilege to those with adequate Synthetic Biology, having purchased our protocol, they can reprogram the test paper system to perform other desired functions in the matter of weeks.
Unlike, laboratory equipments and devices, our test paper does not need external energy source to perform its function, it needs merely a 4 degree celsius environment——feasible in almost every household with a refrigerator, to be preserved for the better part of a year.
The test paper system, therefore, provided the presence of its features listed above, not only can it contribute greatly to the field of diagnostics, but also has irreplaceable market value and potential, once placed in mass production.
