Difference between revisions of "Team:Bordeaux/Integrated Practices"

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            <h1>What causes sleep disorders ?</h1>
 
 
            <p align="justify">Our main problematic concerns the sleeping troubles. The project <b>Sleep with EpiC elegans</b> tried to propose another solution to treat these disorders instead of use medications. In this part, we decided to be interested in the <b>potential causes of sleep disorders</b> by creating <b>two forms</b> that we diffused on streets and internet. We also considered the <b>non-medication alternatives</b> helping to decrease sleeping troubles. Finally, we also want to know the <b>difficulties for people suffering from sleep disorders</b> and we sucessed to have some interviews of them.</p>
 
 
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        <h1>iGEM Bordeaux tried for you ...</h1>
+
            <div id="synbio">
  
             <h3>Yoga</h3>
+
             <h1>What is the synthetic biology?</h1>
 
              
 
              
             <p align="justify">Since we were working on sleep, we have been also interested in non-medicinal means to solve sleep disorders. After some investigations, we met professionals that work everyday on the human body and sometimes their own body. That work is known as an efficient way to find a solution against sleep difficulties.</p>
+
             <p align="justify">Synthetic biology is part of your daily life and you might not even know it. It is present in
 +
sectors such as the industry, health, energy or even agriculture.</p>
  
            <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/8/86/T--Bordeaux--Yoga.jpg" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:30%;height:auto" title="Patrick Boulon, our yoga teacher">
+
<h3 align="justify">But what is synthetic biology?</h3>
 +
<p align="justify">Synthetic biology appeared in the XXth century. It is one of the fields that studies life
 +
sciences. It blends knowledge from fields such as biology, genetics, chemistry and engineering disciplines (mathematics models and computer simulations in particular). <br>
 +
Synthetic biology ensures the creation of reliable biological systems with complex functions. <br><br>
 +
 +
These approaches are used in research to solve mysteries that surround certain mechanisms, but also in the industry where organisms are genetically modified in order to provide a molecule of interest. For example, antibodies used in the vaccine Lymphoma© are produced in large-scale quantities in the tobacco plant.<br>
 +
Two major approaches exist :</p>
 +
 +
<ul>
 +
<li>the <b>“top-down” approach</b> consists in simplifying a pre-existant biological system to understand it's basic functioning. For example, removing chaperoning proteins allows visualization of the effects of a damaged protein in a metabolic pathway. <br>
 +
Chaperonins are proteins that are found in a cell and that ensure the correct folding of other proteins, an essential step for a smooth functioning of these proteins in the cell.</li>
 +
<li>The <b>“bottom-up”</b> approach consists in building bio-bricks, which are DNA segments that where modified from synthetic or existing sequences with defined functions in an organism. These new sequences are then assembled, like a Lego game, and the functions in the newly obtained biological system are observed. This procedure is applied by thousands of researchers and students, notably during the annual <i>International Genetically Engineered Machine</i> or iGEM contest.</li>
 +
</ul>
 +
</div>
 +
 +
<div class="column full_size">
 +
<h3 align="justify">What are the tools used in synthetic biology?</h3>
 +
<p align="justify">Amongst the key tools used in synthetic biology, need to be mentioned DNA sequencing and bio-computer sciences. The combination of these two techniques allow, for example,
 +
to identity positions and functions of a gene of interest. Huge databases are available, namely the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and Protein Data Bank (PDB), that compose an essential source of information when setting up a synthetic biology project.</p>
 +
 +
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/f/f7/T--Bordeaux--Biofuel.jpg"
 +
style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:15%;height:auto"
 +
title="Biofuel">
 +
<p style="text-align:center"><i>Synthetic Biology can be used to create biofuel</i></p>
  
+
</div>
            <p align="justify">First, we had the opportunity to attend a <b>yoga session</b> with <b>Patrick Boulon</b> as the leader. We learnt a different way to breathe called <b>« fire breath »</b> used jointly with movements and postures related to a specific type of yoga called <i>Kounda-lini</i> (“royal yoga”). During this session, we were invited to do some meditation with songs called Mantra originally from India. It seems that yoga is beneficial against sleep disorders as long as the daily pressure causes them. The energy that is released when we combine a posture of tension with a strong breath help to evacuate the stress. We had a very good time trying out something different as it was our first time. <br>
+
With the yoga session, we discovered a way to relax by working on our own body. But some professionals also use to work on the body of someone else in order to find the origin of pain or tension. </p>
+
<h3 align="justify">What is the use of synthetic biology?</h3>
 +
<p align="justify">Synthetic biology has allowed many advancements. A first example is the modification of <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> (beer yeast) in order to increase the production of artemisinic acid, the precursor involved in the anti-malaria treatment <i>(High-level semi-synthetic production of the potent antimalarial artemisinin, Nature, 2013)</i>. This permitted a reduction
 +
by half of the costs and an increase in the treatment availability. A second example is the production of hydrocarbon. Genes in <i>E.coli</i> where modified and permitted the synthesis of a bio-fuel <i>(Escherichia coli Genetic engineering of Escherichia coli for biofuel production, 2010)</i>. Its metabolism was then improved to produce these hydrocarbons in greater quantities.</i>
  
                <div style="display:block">
+
<div class="square">
                <p style="text-align:center">
+
<h3 align="justify">In conclusion</h3>
                <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/4/45/T--Bordeaux--Yoga1.jpg" style="padding-right:10px;width:30%;height:auto" title="Yoga1">
+
<p align="justify">The field of synthetic biology is currently expanding, especially in France, in the United States and in Japan. It gives high hopes for numerous industrial applications in the fields of health (more efficient therapies), energy (bio-fuels), materials, the environment (waste management) and agriculture (soil adapted crops). Full of promises, synthetic biology has proved itself, but still has a long way ahead of itself. <br>
                <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/7/71/T--Bordeaux--Yoga2.jpg" style="padding-right:10px;width:30%;height:auto" title="Yoga2">
+
The most recent advancement of synthetic biology goes back to March 25 th 2016. An article published in Sciences caused an uproar in the world of synthetic biology. Indeed, a team in the United States built a bacteria cell with only the minimum genes necessary for sustaining the cell in a live state. This study is a huge step forward in the understanding of the functions of numerous genes.</p>
                <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/6/6a/T--Bordeaux--Yoga3.jpg" style="width:30%;height:auto" title="Yoga3">
+
</div>
                </p>
+
                </div>
+
<p style="text-align:right">Linejy & Maurene – iGEM Bordeaux</p>
               
+
  
<p align="justify">We also had the opportunity to interview a chiropractor, <b>Pierre Henri Champaud</b>, and a student in osteopathy, <b>Anouk Antrig</b>. Both practice a very manual work on the body.</p>
+
            </div>
 +
           
 +
            <div id="memory">
 +
            <h1>How does memory work?</h1>
  
             <div class="column half_size">
+
             <p align="jusitfy">From March 14th to 18th 2016, in Bordeaux, took place the week dedicated to the brain with numerous workshops, film projections, and conferences. In order to correctly honor the human brain, its incredible talent – memorization – must be mentioned.</p>
  
             <h3>Chiropracxy</h3>
+
             <p align="justify"><b>But what is memory?</b> It is our brain's capacity to store information concerning past events, with the aim of recalling them later if necessary. This is why we feel at ease with known people or in a familiar environment.</p>
  
             <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/2/2c/T--Bordeaux--Chropractor.jpg" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:30%;height:auto" title="Pierre Henri Champaud, chiropractor">
+
             <p align="justify">There are two types of memory. The first one, called <b>immune memory</b>, is associated with the immune system. When our body is attacked by a foreign entity, a virus for example, our immune system stores its characteristics and the actions that were taken to fight it off. In case of a re-infection by this same entity, our immune memory allows a more rapid and more efficient response. <br>
 +
            The second one, called <b>cerebral memory</b>, can be split in three major categories:</p>
  
             <p align="justify">As a <b>chiropractor</b>, Pierre Henri Champaud try to relieve his patients by focusing on the nervous system. He works on articulations to release the nervous system from interferences. Sometimes, an articulation with reduced mobility can lead to repercussions on muscles or organs related to spinal column. This way, a chiropractor focuses on very functional aspects and he manages to solve many problems related to stresses such as physical stress, chemical stress or emotional stress. When he has released patients from their stress, he has helped them to sleep better since sleep is related to physical and emotional health.</p>
+
             <ul>
 +
                <li>sensory memory stores information gathered thanks to our five senses (vision, audition, smell, touch, taste)</li>
 +
                <li>short term memory allows us to act thanks to our brain's analysis of collected sensory information from the outside world. A typical example is wincing when recognizing a foul smell. This memory can only hold seven different information  simultaneously and has a short life span. For example, the digits in a telephone number are only stored for a couple of minutes.</li>
 +
                <li>long term memory stores knowledge and general culture, as well as repeated actions (for example riding a bike or knitting)</li>
 +
            </ul>
  
             </div>
+
             <p align="justify">Biologically speaking, memory is the creation of a connection between two brain cells, called neurons. An electric signal is transmitted from the pre-synaptic neuron along the axon to the synaptic button, where a chemical molecule – a neurotransmitter – is released. These molecules such as acetylcholine cross the synaptic cleft between the two neurons, then bind to the receptors on the surface of the post-synaptic neuron. The chemical signal is then transformed into an electric signal again. </p>
  
             <div class="column half_size">
+
             <!-- (mettre schéma DUNOD)-->
  
             <h3>Osteopathy</h3>
+
             <p align="justify">Memory depends on multiple factors such as age, gender and genes. Indeed, memorization is easier before 30 years-old because our capacity to concentrate is better. Memory disorders can appear with age or be the consequence of pathologies such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease. However, in many cases, cerebral plasticity allows a partial or total recovery of souvenirs. It is even possible to improve one's memory. “Intelligent” drugs increase blood surges to the brain and release chemical substances there, improving concentration. But playing memory games, using keys words, or eating foods enriched in unsaturated omega-3 such as tuna or oysters, can be equally effective.</p>
  
             <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/4/46/T--Bordeaux--Osteopathy.jpg" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:30%;height:auto" title="Anouk Antrig, ostheopathy student">
+
             <p align="justify">Memory is therefore a very complex process that uses billions of neurons. In our daily lives, it is constantly sought out for by our body and our need to recall previously stored information. The proverb “Even if you lost your head, you've still got your feet to do the work” proves our memory must be nurtured. Thus, remember to exercise your brain and memory from time to time in order to be at your best!</p>
  
 
+
             <p style="text-align:right">Maurene – iGEM Bordeaux</p>
             <p align="justify">While Pierre Henri Champaud concentrate on the spinal column, Anouk Antrig tries to work on the whole body with <b>osteopathy</b>. She is looking for the physical and emotional well being of the body. According to her, sometimes a dysfunction appears in a precise spot, however the patient feels a pain in another part of the body. As an osteopath, her role is to find the origin of this pain to relieve the patient. Usually, Anouk can meet people suffering from a deterioration of sleep due to the growing pain. As she relieves them from the pain, they can sleep better again. Emilie tried for you some exercises of osteopathy. After 20 minutes, all her body worked, so she felt sleepy.</p>
+
 
+
            <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/3/3a/T--Bordeaux--Osteopthy1.jpg" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:60%;height:auto" title="Osteopathy1">
+
  
 
             </div>
 
             </div>
 
              
 
              
             <div class="column full_size">
+
             <div id="sleep">
           
+
             <h1>How does sleep work?</h1>
             <div class="square">
+
            <h3>In conlusion</h3>
+
            <p alig="justify"></p>
+
 
             </div>
 
             </div>
            </div>
 
 
            </div>
 
        </div>
 
 
    </section>
 
 
    <section id="interviews">
 
 
        <div class="content_wrapper">
 
 
            <div class="column full_size">           
 
 
              
 
              
             <h1 align="center">Talking about sleep disorders with patients</h1>
+
             <h5 style="text-align:right">Return to <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:Bordeaux/HP/Gold">Popularization</a> page</h5>
 
              
 
              
            <p align="justify">As part of its project “Sleep with C elegans” the iGEM Bordeaux 2016 team carried out several interviews. The people interviewed suffer from minor or major sleep disorders. We were interested in their pathology, the causes and the medical consequences on their health. This constitutes the factual and scientific aspect of this disease: it is what motivates pharmaceutical industries to produce drugs, what motivates researchers to solve the mysteries of mechanisms leading to sleep disorders and what motivates the iGEM Bordeaux 2016 team to develop a treatment thanks to synthetic biology, that would be an alternative to a chemical treatment. <br>
 
            However, we were especially curious about the daily life of these people. We were interested in what they felt and about the impacts of sleep disorders on their routine. We explained our project and the benefits of synthetic biology in the development of treatments for sleep disorders. They gave us their opinion on the question. <br>
 
            Here under, you will find several testimonies. All the people interviewed have authorized the use of the information collected during an interview as part of our project. The text might have been modified in order to preserve the person's intimacy or for confidentiality reasons. <br><br>
 
            <a id="interview1" onclick="interview1_display()">Click there to read the interview</a></p>
 
 
            <div id="interview1Target"></div>
 
 
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                html += "<h1>Interview of Coralie, suffering from insomnia</h1>";
 
                html += "<p align=\"justify\"><font color=blue>iGEM<\/font>: <b>Hi, Coralie, can you present yourself in few words?<\/b><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=\"orange\">Coralie<\/font>: Hello, I am 22 years-old. I will soon start a course in order to become an educational assistant in a middle school, as well as having little student jobs here and there. What else …. <br>";
 
                html += "I write, even though it does not pay. Just words, kind words.<br><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=blue>iGEM<\/font>: <b>Could you describe your sleep disorder?<\/b><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=\"orange\">Coralie<\/font>: I have problems sleeping since the age of 8. I need a lot of time to fall asleep once lying down in bed, something like three hours. I wake up approximately every 45minutes\/1 hour. I alternate between phases of insomnia and phases of hypersomnia. I sleep either very little or too much, there is no in between. Bt in both cases, I wake up as explained before. <br><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=blue>iGEM<\/font>: <b>Do you know the reasons of these sleepingproblems? Do you know if they are linked to a particular disease? <\/b><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=\"orange\">Coralie<\/font>: Yes, I suffer from migraines and chronic aches. I often wake because my body is in pain. Sleepless nights or nights where I sleep a lot (12 to 15 hours in bed) are due to other causes. <br><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=blue>iGEM<\/font>: <b>Do these sleep disorders affect your daily life? DO they impact your moods or your relationships with others?<\/b><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=\"orange\">Coralie<\/font>: Yes, given the fact my nights are not restful at all (as soon as I wake, I am tired). I can be moody with my [circle of friends or family members]. It is also annoying for work and my studies. Some days, I could no even get up because I was too tired. When I went to classes, I could no concentrate and lost track of the lesson very easily. I had to copy off my classmates. <br>";
 
                html += "The same type of situation happens when I have to participate in a long conversation or participate in an activity\/field trip. I know ahead of it that it will be difficult to keep up and that I will need a lot of energy as I am already tired. It is also necessary for me to lie down during the day when I cannot take it anymore and I am obliged to take pills to fall asleep. <br><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=blue>iGEM<\/font>: <b>Do you have a treatment for these sleep disorders? And if yes, do they treat your symtoms efficiently? <\/b><br>";
 
                html += "<font color=\"orange\">Coralie<\/font>: Yes I take sleeping pills but it is not a real treatment. I undergo what they call a “denial of disease” from the medical community regarding invisible diseases. [They do not consider my sickness to be real.] So I take what I can find in pharmacies without a medical  prescription. I therefore take half a sleeping pill every night to help me sleep and sometimes I take a pill to fight off stress because they help to drowse.<br>";
 
                html += "These two drugs help me sleep and I wake up every hour or hour and a quarter rather [than more often]. It is not much better but it is an improvement.";
 
            html += "Before I took pills of the benzodiazepin category that I stopped because I crashed into walls (literally) because of them. <br><br>";
 
            html += "<font color=blue>iGEM<\/font>: <b>Are you implying that doctors do not consider your sleep disorders as a disease? <\/b><br>";
 
            html += "<font color=\"orange\">Coralie<\/font>: I'd rather say that [doctors] do not know what to do. They do not care and they have been telling me “it'll pass” for over fifteen years now.<br><br>";
 
            html += "<font color=blue>iGEM<\/font>: <b>In our survey, we offer alternative treatments to traditional drug treatments. Is there an activity you would like to try (yoga, hypnosis, aromatherapy, chiropractic treatments, osteopath treatments, taichi, acupuncture)? <\/b><br>";
 
            html += "<font color=\"orange\">Coralie<\/font>: I have already tried osteopath treatments and it did not work at all, it was a disaster even. I tried yoga but it did not work either. I have little knowledge of the other [techniques] so I am eager to know more about them. But I do not think I will be able to try them, or at least not on";
 
            html += "the long term, because of the cost they generate. <br><br>";
 
            html += "<font color=blue>iGEM<\/font>: <b>Our project “Sleep with EpiC elegans” allows the study of the effects of a molecule naturally produced by the human body called Delta Sleep Inducing Peptide (DSIP) that helps falling asleep. People who suffer from insomnia or narcolepsy might have a deficiency in the quantity of DSIP produced. This is why it might be interesting to use it as the active molecule of a new medical treatment. <br> If such a treatment where to exist, would you like to try it and why? What do you think of our project? What are the positive aspects that intrigues you and the negative ones that scare you off?<\/b><br>";
 
            html += "<font color=\"orange\">Coralie<\/font>: I find the project very interesting! The project and the work flow are very well laid out. On the one hand, you are trying to create an innovative treatment, but on the other hand, you also";
 
            html += "take into account alternative treatments for sleep disorders. I really like the idea of investigating other techniques and not just medication, even though their effects and efficiency towards sleep disorders have not been proven. The only drawback I have about.<\/p>";
 
                element.innerHTML = html;
 
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Revision as of 11:41, 18 October 2016

Sleep with EpiC elegans

What is the synthetic biology?

Synthetic biology is part of your daily life and you might not even know it. It is present in sectors such as the industry, health, energy or even agriculture.

But what is synthetic biology?

Synthetic biology appeared in the XXth century. It is one of the fields that studies life sciences. It blends knowledge from fields such as biology, genetics, chemistry and engineering disciplines (mathematics models and computer simulations in particular).
Synthetic biology ensures the creation of reliable biological systems with complex functions.

These approaches are used in research to solve mysteries that surround certain mechanisms, but also in the industry where organisms are genetically modified in order to provide a molecule of interest. For example, antibodies used in the vaccine Lymphoma© are produced in large-scale quantities in the tobacco plant.
Two major approaches exist :

  • the “top-down” approach consists in simplifying a pre-existant biological system to understand it's basic functioning. For example, removing chaperoning proteins allows visualization of the effects of a damaged protein in a metabolic pathway.
    Chaperonins are proteins that are found in a cell and that ensure the correct folding of other proteins, an essential step for a smooth functioning of these proteins in the cell.
  • The “bottom-up” approach consists in building bio-bricks, which are DNA segments that where modified from synthetic or existing sequences with defined functions in an organism. These new sequences are then assembled, like a Lego game, and the functions in the newly obtained biological system are observed. This procedure is applied by thousands of researchers and students, notably during the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine or iGEM contest.

What are the tools used in synthetic biology?

Amongst the key tools used in synthetic biology, need to be mentioned DNA sequencing and bio-computer sciences. The combination of these two techniques allow, for example, to identity positions and functions of a gene of interest. Huge databases are available, namely the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and Protein Data Bank (PDB), that compose an essential source of information when setting up a synthetic biology project.

Synthetic Biology can be used to create biofuel

What is the use of synthetic biology?

Synthetic biology has allowed many advancements. A first example is the modification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (beer yeast) in order to increase the production of artemisinic acid, the precursor involved in the anti-malaria treatment (High-level semi-synthetic production of the potent antimalarial artemisinin, Nature, 2013). This permitted a reduction by half of the costs and an increase in the treatment availability. A second example is the production of hydrocarbon. Genes in E.coli where modified and permitted the synthesis of a bio-fuel (Escherichia coli Genetic engineering of Escherichia coli for biofuel production, 2010). Its metabolism was then improved to produce these hydrocarbons in greater quantities.

In conclusion

The field of synthetic biology is currently expanding, especially in France, in the United States and in Japan. It gives high hopes for numerous industrial applications in the fields of health (more efficient therapies), energy (bio-fuels), materials, the environment (waste management) and agriculture (soil adapted crops). Full of promises, synthetic biology has proved itself, but still has a long way ahead of itself.
The most recent advancement of synthetic biology goes back to March 25 th 2016. An article published in Sciences caused an uproar in the world of synthetic biology. Indeed, a team in the United States built a bacteria cell with only the minimum genes necessary for sustaining the cell in a live state. This study is a huge step forward in the understanding of the functions of numerous genes.

Linejy & Maurene – iGEM Bordeaux

How does memory work?

From March 14th to 18th 2016, in Bordeaux, took place the week dedicated to the brain with numerous workshops, film projections, and conferences. In order to correctly honor the human brain, its incredible talent – memorization – must be mentioned.

But what is memory? It is our brain's capacity to store information concerning past events, with the aim of recalling them later if necessary. This is why we feel at ease with known people or in a familiar environment.

There are two types of memory. The first one, called immune memory, is associated with the immune system. When our body is attacked by a foreign entity, a virus for example, our immune system stores its characteristics and the actions that were taken to fight it off. In case of a re-infection by this same entity, our immune memory allows a more rapid and more efficient response.
The second one, called cerebral memory, can be split in three major categories:

  • sensory memory stores information gathered thanks to our five senses (vision, audition, smell, touch, taste)
  • short term memory allows us to act thanks to our brain's analysis of collected sensory information from the outside world. A typical example is wincing when recognizing a foul smell. This memory can only hold seven different information simultaneously and has a short life span. For example, the digits in a telephone number are only stored for a couple of minutes.
  • long term memory stores knowledge and general culture, as well as repeated actions (for example riding a bike or knitting)

Biologically speaking, memory is the creation of a connection between two brain cells, called neurons. An electric signal is transmitted from the pre-synaptic neuron along the axon to the synaptic button, where a chemical molecule – a neurotransmitter – is released. These molecules such as acetylcholine cross the synaptic cleft between the two neurons, then bind to the receptors on the surface of the post-synaptic neuron. The chemical signal is then transformed into an electric signal again.

Memory depends on multiple factors such as age, gender and genes. Indeed, memorization is easier before 30 years-old because our capacity to concentrate is better. Memory disorders can appear with age or be the consequence of pathologies such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease. However, in many cases, cerebral plasticity allows a partial or total recovery of souvenirs. It is even possible to improve one's memory. “Intelligent” drugs increase blood surges to the brain and release chemical substances there, improving concentration. But playing memory games, using keys words, or eating foods enriched in unsaturated omega-3 such as tuna or oysters, can be equally effective.

Memory is therefore a very complex process that uses billions of neurons. In our daily lives, it is constantly sought out for by our body and our need to recall previously stored information. The proverb “Even if you lost your head, you've still got your feet to do the work” proves our memory must be nurtured. Thus, remember to exercise your brain and memory from time to time in order to be at your best!

Maurene – iGEM Bordeaux

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