Introducing Our Device to the Market

Here we discuss further work that future iGEM teams could carry out if they wish to expand on our work, specifically how the device could be introduced to the market.

Both misusing antibiotics and producing a device incur costs. The costs of the mass production of the device should be modelled to see if it is less than the costs of misusing antibiotics. If so, it provides a case for investing in the device. To model this, data on the cost of materials is needs to be collected.

If devices used in real world applications contain genetically modified live bacteria, they would require approval from regulatory authorities such as NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and ISO. Design decisions should be made accordingly.

In addition to safety, public and private healthcare providers, such as the NHS(National Health Service) and Bupa should be consulted to understand their demand for our device. Business plans should be prepared when meeting with them. This would allow us to forecast how commonly used the device would be.

Lastly, in order to understand the needs of stakeholders, a higher quantity of each stakeholder should be consulted to get more representative opinions.