This year the project of BIT is about the early detection of breast cancer, based on the factors, miRNA155 and miRNA21. In the last six months, the work of human practice based on the project, made different kinds of activities. The activities about the practice including: Making a questionnaire aims at surveying the public perceptions for breast cancer. In the hospital we have a survey in order to get the information about the diagnosis condition of breast cancer. Introducing iGEM and the project of our team in a conference held in the college and a high school. Besides, Team BIT builds cooperative relationship with 7 teams, and joined two different communication meetings during the summer vacation, getting many appreciation and comments.

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. About 1.2 million women develop breast cancer and 500,000 die of breast cancer worldwide each year. In December 2015, Team BIT determined the early detection of breast cancer as the core of project. Hence, the group of Human Practices of Team BIT plans to carry out a series of practical activities center on the issue of breast cancer’s early detection.

The first goal is conducting a market research study for product development. The purpose of the market research is to realize 1) potential consumers 2) feature of product including size, cost and usage 3) possibility of marketization. The second goal is marketing promotion of product so that let more people know about the product and inspire their interest in our project. The third goal is alarming the present situation of breast cancer and popularizing iGEM along with synthetic biology.

The group of Human Practices of Team BIT plans four different but closely linked activities to achieve the above goals. The questionnaire centers on the top-level design of product and the purpose is to survey whether the product has market or not. If not, how to solve it and make it more acceptable for consumer population. Part of hospital embroiders on practical application of product and solves the problems of product in application, whether can it be used in clinical
Parts of game and school both focus on market promotion of product and make more people know about the synthetic biology, iGEM and the product.

According to project needs, the direction of questionnaire survey including personal health, view of biological methods and treatment, understanding of breast cancer and the survey about product. The questionnaire was distributed online in January 2016, ended in March 2016 with both Chinese and English versions through the questionnaire software Sojump in internet. After the end of questionnaire, the results are shown in an Excel document and statistical approaches are used in data processing in order to dig the deeper information behind data.
The full edition of questionnaire:
https://2016.igem.org/Team:BIT/Human_Practices

In the preliminary design work of practical part, team members communicated the ideas of project with Doctor. Cao Tianyu who has 20 years’ experience of clinical treatment of breast cancer. First he gave highly appreciation of the project and agreed with the fields of quickly and accurately detection of diseases. Then he explained the breast cancer through pathogenesis, treatment method and incidence trend and put forward the constructive suggestion to the market application of the project. In general, he thought the project would have great application prospect.
In October five members had a face-to-face communication with Dr. Cao in the office. The five members showed the project to Dr. Cao and introduce the method of determination in detail. After the communication he gave some useful advice not only in biological part but also for the hardware and software. In part of biology, the accuracy of detection should be improved and whether can the public accept the method of biological detection or not still remains a question. For part of hardware, the hardware needs to find its strengths and improve it in order to complete with the existing instruments like Microplate Reader. In addition, there will be a long time for the hardware to apply in the clinic field. As for part of software: the interface of application need to be more friendly to doctors who use it to communicate with patients.

On September 22, team BIT had a preach in the affiliated high school of Beijing Institute of technology. The main content was the introduction of Synthetic biology which was in order to let students know more about the emerging field of biological and the present biological technology and also introduced something of iGEM.

On September 23 Team BIT together with BIT-CHINA held a session for the class of 2016 undergraduates in Beijing Institute of Technology. The whole session was on the basis of synthetic biology knowledge and then extended to the projects of two iGEM teams.

The goal of making this game is embedding science into game, to expand the accepting crowd of scientific knowledge. The game involves the knowledge of synthetic biology, including gene lines, transformation of engineering bacteria, disease monitoring and so on, which can introduce synthetic biology to a certain amount of teenagers, and deepen their understanding of the ways to solve disease and environmental problems.
All the genetic circuits involved in the game are from the projects in iGEM over the years which can make players have more interests in iGEM.
Get more information and enjoy the game:
https://2016.igem.org/Team:BIT/Game

After analyzing the 299 feedback questionnaire, the group summarize the results as followed:

Part II: Individual health status
According to the survey, most people are healthy and have a normal weight, only a small number of people partial fat, most people do exercise one or two times a week, at least 20 minutes, lots of people do not smoke and drink. So, we found that most people had a healthy way of life and regular bedtimes.

Part III: Medical Examination
It’s not obvious that how often people do a physical examination from our data, however, most people are very sensitive to the price of physical examination, someone thinks that medical examination is expensive, most people have formed a physical examination is to predict disease in advance, amounts of people can’t understand medical certification. So, people need a cheap, convenient, and easy to understand product.

Part IV: Breast cancer
The way of people learns about breast cancer mainly form newspapers, magazines, television, radio, internet and doctor’s information. Disease, gender, age, genetic, living environment and some other factors as are the main reasons for breast cancer. Most people find the way breast cancer depend on lumps and Axillary lymph node enlargement, the point is most people do not know the proper way to check for breast cancer. Surgery and Chinese medicine treatment are the popular ways to treat breast cancer.

Lots of people expect that the cost of check disease is less than 500 yuan, and hope to have a convenient, intelligent ways to detect diseases without the equipment of professional knowledge, as well as have a painless and non-invasive process.

Thus, the majority of people don’t know breast cancer screening methods, they need a cheap, easy to understand, fast way to detect disease. It’s very pleased that a considerable proportion of people have learned about synthetic biology, and are looking forward to our products. In summary, people need an intelligent, small, easy-to-operate, non-invasive detection product.

The full results of questionnaire:
https://2016.igem.org/Team:BIT/Human_Practices

In part of biology, the accuracy of detection should be improved and whether can the public accept the method of biological detection or not still remains a question. For part of hardware, the hardware needs to find its strengths and improve it in order to complete with the existing instruments like Microplate Reader. In addition, there will be a long time for the hardware to apply in the clinic field. As for part of software: the interface of application need to be more friendly to doctors who use it to communicate with patients.

After the preaching meeting many students have interests in the synthetic biology and want to join in the iGEM in the future if they have the chance. They have also paid attention to Wechat public number and Sina Weibo of iGEM_BIT

We asked some kids to play the game and got some feedback. The names of the following respondents were all anonymous, and the respondents answered questions in Chinese, and we translated them into English.

The most interesting part of this game is the man becomes a worm (or bacteria) and I should control the worm all the time! It is so funny! The background is so simple but not ugly, so I painted a same picture after I finished this game, I think I did it well. By the way, the game is a little difficult in my opinion. ——Carol, 6 years old.

I am jumping around at the platforms because the music is so cool! I like this game, because all the things are very cute especially the green stick I control which looked like a fool. Well, seriously, I like the game because I can learn something from it. If you ask me what I have learned, I’d say I get to know biology is very using in our daily life, also I know how gene line is built. ——John, 9 years old.

The game is very easy until the fifth level in which I died for more than ten times…crazy! But the reason I didn’t give up this game is I felt I know the right way to complete this chapter and I just lose the game for careless. The last two levels are a little difficult, but you won’t lose it for times, you just need to spend some time to find the secret of these levels…Oh before you used up the time. ——Jack, 10 years old.

I played this game twice. The first time I supposed it is just a simple stuff so I pass levels very quickly without reading the words it appeared. But when I arrived at the last chapter, I stayed at the endless darkness and the music is heartbreaking. I got to know I would lose it soon then I was impressed about the student’s words. “I am not the friend of justice, and I don’t want to be the hero for human. I just work for someone who I believe in. That is how science developed.” Thanks for this game and I got new opinion about scientists and scientific work. After that I played it again and read this background knowledge carefully. I love this game, although there are some shortcomings of it. ——Rose, 12 years old.

Simple game with some bugs, but it is okay, not too serious to affect the enthusiasm of playing the game. The background knowledge and the whole story are good. The game maker can consider adding some questions about the knowledge of biology to make player reader the genetic line more carefully. The looking of roles, background pictures and music are matched well. ——Ethan, 16 years old.

After the integrate human practice, we consider the product a private doctor assistance for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. As for the product itself, the cost will be set around 500 RMB (80 US dollars) for only the medical exam item of breast cancer. And the product will be designed directly for rapid, low-cost and convenient diagnosis of breast cancer. When it comes to the consumer, we focus on the high-risk population and it is possible to co-operate with community hospitals or health station for providing the medical check of breast cancer for residents.

Through the practices, we also realize the majority of people do not raise the awareness of precaution of breast cancer and know little about it. Therefore, it is significant to popularize the knowledge of breast cancer.