Team:Peshawar/Integrated Practices
Integrated Practices
We started out with a simple idea — to see how a cutting edge technology, like our SynBio product, will affect a third–world society like ours and how that society, will in return affect our product, and the nascent field of SynBio itself. To this end, we initially designed a survey to acquire data about the general opinion of the public. After a thorough response and data analysis, we figured out that the general population was quite receptive to the idea of a bacterial strip test, albeit they were still unsure if the bacteria on the strip could spread into the environment and cause problems.
To counter their concerns, we designed a 'killbox' plan that will be used to 'sterilize' the strip after usage. We also wrote a policy paper for the development of the field of Synthetic Biology in Pakistan. We took this to our government.
Killbox design
Our product was intended to be in the form of a strip. We introduced a kill–switch to our product design so as to have a control over horizontal gene transfer. Our new design, incorporates a box having two sections: one section in which the strip having the engineered–bacteria will be placed in the nutrient media, whereas in the other section we will have bacterial–killers.
The strip can be used several times until the media gets expired. The twister in the middle can help breaking the wall in between them, degrading the engineered bacteria.
Policy paper for the government
To promote synthetic biology in Pakistan, we wrote a detailed policy paper to the government in which we gave them short term, medium term, and long term recommendations on how to do it exactly. You can find the full policy paper here.
Below we list all the recommendations we gave to the government in our policy paper:
Short term recommendations
Short term recommendations consist of recommendations that have to beimplemented within 3 years from the start of policy plan. They include:
- SynBio public awareness campaigns
- SynBio introduced to college students, in form of text book chapter inclusions
- Creation of SynBio Policy Making Committee (SPMC) charged with developing strategic policies and plans. SPMC will pave the way for the Pakistan SynBio Promotional and Regulatory Office (PSynBioPRO.)
- Creation of SynBio Liaison office that connects the nascent SPMC to international SynBio regulatory bodies abroad, and local biotechnology, ethics and environment protection offices that may have similar frameworks
- Tax rebates and various attractive incentives for universities that offer a HEC accredited SynBio course at Bachelor/Baccalaureate level
- Funded promotion of iGEM in Pakistani educational institutes, also annually fund a single iGEM team from Pakistan
- After this initial round of policy making, Pakistan will be ready for its first SynBio start-ups and businesses
Medium term recommendations
Medium term recommendations consist of recommendations that have to be implemented within 5 years from the end of short term policy period, or a total of 8 years from the start of the policy plan. They include:
- Inception of Pakistan SynBio Promotional and Regulatory Office (PSynBioPro)
- SDissolvation of SynBio Policy Making Committee. The Committee’s staff will be a part of the newly formed PSynBioPRO
- SynBio Liaison Office is dissolved into PSynBioPRO
- PSynBioPRO will have a separate wing for overseeing and recording all SynBio research activity of the nation
- Introduction of SynBio at middle school level, with creation of SynBio educational games and mobile applications
- Start a central SynBio start-up accelerator program
- Government funding for Masters and PhD level SynBio research
Long term recommendations
Long term recommendations consist of recommendations that have to be implemented within 10 years from the end of medium term policy period, or a total of 18 years from the start of the policy plan. This time period can be significantly removed if interest in the field is garnered. They include:
- Introduction of SynBio at primary school level, with the help of blocks and other creative visualization tools
- Create provincial and regional SynBio accelerator programs
- Groundbreaking of Pakistan SynBio Research institute (P-SyBeR)
- Increase the quota of government funded iGEM teams
- Introduce a local variant of iGEM
- Increase funding for SynBio related Masters and PhD level research
- Streamline the SynBio policy making procedure
- Streamline the procedure for approval of commercialization of SynBio Products
Reach Us
Institute of Integrative Biosciences,
CECOS University of IT & Emerging Sciences,
Phase 6, F-5, Hayatabad, Peshawar, Pakistan
iib@cecos.edu.pk
+92 91 5860291
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