What we discovered through our findings in policy and practice helped shaped the trajectory of our project. We gathered data from researchers, medical doctors, veterinarians, cataract patients, and public opinions to find out the best way to develop our project so that it can benefit as many people as possible.

Our Policy and Practice is separated into three categories, Research, Outreach and Impact. In the Research category, we collected and analyzed data from researchers, doctors, vets, investors, patients and the general public. This information shaped the direction of every part of our project, including the construct design, nanoparticle prototype synthesis and delivery, biological modeling and the development of a marketing plan for selling our final product. In the Outreach category, we educated the public and spread awareness of our cataracts project, synthetic biology and science in general. We also collaborated and communicated with two iGEM teams to help solve problems together. Through educating and raising awareness, we hope not only to get more people involved in finding a solution to cataracts, but also to get more people involved and interested in synthetic biology research. The final category, Impact, includes working with organizations and infrastructure that is already in place to actually help people who suffer from Cataracts. We have raised funds, through bake sales and other events, to donate to the Himalayan Cataracts Project, a non-profit organization based in Nepal. With the help of our business and economics teacher, we have also created a marketing plan and started discussions with several biotech investors about the possibility of getting our project to market.

Professional Help

In order to improve how we develop our research and prototype we needed to get in contact with experts in the fields of eye surgery and cataracts research. Our first step was to contact eye doctors to discuss any problems associated with current cataracts treatment. Finally, while developing our project we realized that cataracts is a major issue in pets and other animals as well as people. As a result, we contacted local veterinarians to discuss what pet owners do when their pets contract cataracts. As our project developed, we needed more specific information regarding our genes of interest, cataracts development, and our delivery mechanism. We contacted scientists doing research similar to our own to get their opinion on our projects progress.

Contact with Eye Doctors

We contacted local Taiwanese eye doctors to ask them about cataracts surgery. Here is a list of the doctors we contacted along with the information they provided:

Cataracts trouble millions of people’s lives as a result of aging and diseases; however, many pet owners come across the problem of their pets suffering from cataracts as well. To alleviate this problem, we investigated if the potential benefits of our solution for preventing and treating cataracts can be applied to domestic animals as well.

As we continue to develop our project with consideration for the application on other animals, we realize that the slight dissimilarities among the lenses of different animals must be accounted for. Therefore, we consulted with veterinarians at clinics around Taipei. We visited two veterinarian clinics, (Nicholas Animal Hospital and Tai Pu Veterinarian Hospital) and asked various others about relevant questions regarding the viability of our project solution. From the interviews we gained valuable insight on the eyedrops that pharmaceutical companies have developed to mitigate the cataracts in the lenses. One of the drugs developed is called Ocluvet(R) which we purchased and used in our experiments to compare to our treatment model.

Contact with Science Researchers

Researchers’ firsthand knowledge, regardless of how many papers one reads on PubMed, provides a better understanding on specific topics of research. Thus, in order to gain a better understanding of specific areas our project, we contacted researchers to learn more about 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC) and Chitosan nanoparticles.

Our questions were primarily focused on how 25HC works on the molecular level. We asked questions such as: what are the current researches conducted that uses 25HC? To what extent is 25 HC responsible for reversing protein aggregation? And what are effective methods for 25HC storage? Both professors gave thorough responses on these questions, which we then used to in our experiments. One response that was particularly helpful from Dr. Cyster was his suggestions on effective ways to store 25HC, in which he provided us with a recommended storage temperature. On the other hand Dr. Gestwicki provided us with two published papers that helped us understand the mechanism by which 25HC reverses cataract formation and this helped elucidate our understanding of 25HC.

Contact with Nanoparticle Engineers

Public Opinion

Bioethics Panel

We hosted a bioethics panel, where we invited teachers from various fields to engage in a conversation about bioethics and thoughts on our project in particular. The reason for including teachers from different fields is to allow our project and the topic of bioethics to be discussed from different aspects. The panelists’ suggested that our project could really be applicable for use in dogs and cats. They also seemed unafraid of our use of nanoparticles mainly due to the fact that they are biodegradable.

Survey

During TAS’s Spring Fair we conducted a survey, from which we derived a general sense of how willing people are going to buy products that are produced by GMOs, and our eyedrops in specific.

Interviews with Cataracts Patients

We interviewed two former cataracts patients about their experiences with different cataracts treatment. Both patients suffered from inconveniences due to the synthetic lens options, which would either make one nearsighted or farsighted. Furthermore, complications due to the surgery varied among individual cases; one suffered from dryness and irritation of the eye, while the other had no complications at all. Nevertheless, both of them stated that the surgery process was efficient and effective. However, if given the choice to apply effective eye drops instead of surgery, they’d be willing to use it rather than face surgery again.

Dr. Catriona Moran, she is a former patient of cataracts surgery

Ms. Sharon Clapper, former patient of cataracts surgery

From interviews with cataracts patients, ophthalmologists, veterinarians, polls from residents in Taipei and our school community, we learned that cataracts are prevalent and have a huge impact on everyday life. Now we wanted to raise awareness through education. We started by informing teachers and students of various grade levels about the severity and causes of cataracts, and how our project could tackle these problems.

Then, in our community, we handed out pamphlets, taught people how cataracts form, and simulated a cataract experience by wearing goggles of varying cloudiness. Below are a list of activities and programs that we did in outreach.

This is a photo of a lower school student at our booth, playing our interactive game and learning about what it’s like to have cataracts.

For Spring Fair we conducted a survey to gather public opinion, and designed an interactive game to raise awareness of cataracts. In the survey we asked questions regarding people’s opinions on genetically modified organisms, cataracts surgery, and our project. For the game we taped parafilm onto lab goggles and asked people who came to our booth to play the “piano tiles” app with those goggles on, and thus experiencing a real life simulation of the effects of cataracts on vision.

Taipei Cataract Awareness Day

For Spring Fair we conducted a survey to gather public opinion, and designed an interactive game to raise awareness of cataracts. In the survey we asked questions regarding people’s opinions on genetically modified organisms, cataracts surgery, and our project. For the game we taped parafilm onto lab goggles and asked people who came to our booth to play the “piano tiles” app with those goggles on, and thus experiencing a real life simulation of the effects of cataracts on vision.

Kindergarden Science Experiments

We designed some easy experiments so that Kindergarten students could explore some common science concepts. The kids (and our team members) loved it! Some of the experiments included, how to use the microscope, why light reflects through prisms, how static electricity works etc.

7th Grade Introduction to Synthetic Biology

For 7th Graders we decided to introduce the concepts of synthetic biology since they had just be introduced to DNA in their science classes. Aside from teaching the 7th grade students the general idea of how synthetic biology works, we also introduced them to some of the basic laboratory techniques essential to synthetic biology. We conducted games where students had to identify RBS and promoters in order to test their understanding of the topic, and for the experiments they learned how to run gels and how to use the pipette.

International baccalaureate 11th grade

We presented our project to 11th grade IB students. Since they were learning about genetic engineering concepts, we decided it was suitable to give a presentation on the details of our project to gain feedback. Hence after explaining synthetic biology, we presented our project to the students.

Biobuilder

23 high school teams from around the world joined the BioBuilder Club which run by the BioBuilder Educational Foundation. This club held online meetings once a month to brainstorm about synthetic biology project topics, project design and to collaborate on problems and roadblocks that each team was facing. The club held a final assembly in Boston at Lab Central and we were excited to present our poster inabsentia from Taipei.

Science Research Symposium

During the school year when we were brainstorming for potential project ideas, our team members were divided into several groups and gave oral and poster presentations on those topics at the school’s Science Research Symposium. Over 80 students from 11 research classes presented research from all different areas to the school community. This allowed us to receive feedback on those topics from both students and teachers. This really helped us decide on our final project idea.

Club

The iGEM Club was established 3 years ago, and the purpose of it is to raise awareness of synthetic biology in the TAS community. Club activities allow underclassmen to experience iGEM related activities and develop potential team members.

Collaborations with Other iGEM Teams

We collaborated with two iGEM teams, National Yang Ming University (NYMU) and American School in Japan (ASIJ). We mentored the ASIJ-Tokyo high school iGEM team which is a new High school iGEM team this year. We taught them how to start and structure a new team, what lab and online resources to use for experiments, and how to set up a lab notebook. In return, they helped us test our nanoparticle calculator by running simulations from the standpoint of a patient, doctor, and manufacturer.

We also continued our long standing partnership with national Yang Ming University (NYMU_Taipei). Three students from our team have been interning on the NYMU-Taipei team (they are members to both teams) to learn about synthetic biology and some basic lab techniques. Two of these students will also be presenting for the NYMU_Taipei team presentation. NYMU-Taipei also hosted a summer camp for our team members, where they taught us about different aspects of iGEM. In return, we helped them increase the efficiency of their model using equations from their literature research and ran simulations using their experimental data. Finally, they also gave tremendous advice on troubleshooting our cloning procedure during the summer months when we ran that majority of our wet lab experiments. We really value the relationship we have with NYMU and look forward to more collaborations in the future.

These collaborations not only created opportunity for us to help each other with problems that each team had, but also allowed us to exchange ideas and stimulate creativity. It is also fun to share stories about lab work, successes and even failures.

Counteracts Marketing Plan

With the help of our business and economics teacher, we developed a comprehensive marketing plan for our cataracts prevention and treatment products, in order to create a more profound impact in terms of public awareness of Cataracts. Within this plan we performed a situational analysis based on market research, customer analysis, environmental/industrial considerations, and regulatory constraints (such as quality control and SWOT analysis). Furthermore, we statistically analyzed our products’ viability in the market by developing pricing and promotional strategies. Upon completion, we initiated discussions with several biotechnology investors and published our plan on business starter websites to garner interest.

We received constructive feedback from a former intern at RA Capital (a biotechnology investment firm). He suggested we focus on cost projections for it would put us in a better position to engage with venture capitalists. He also thought our competitor analysis and initial market sizing was impressive. Furthermore, this plan was shown to a doctor and he suggested that with an FDA approval and clinical trials, he would be interested in our products.Thus,we can conclude our products have the potential to compete in market.

Marketing Plan Synopsis

There exists a significant market opportunity for cataracts treatment worldwide. Over 3 million cataract surgeries are performed in the United States every year, and cataracts have attributes to 51% of world blindness. Although cataracts surgery is the dominant procedure in this market, we have developed technology which provides distinctive advantages, and created a marketing plan which serves as a guide for establishing a successful business.

Fundraising Efforts for Cataract Charity

Lastly, we wanted to make a real impact in real people’s lives who were experiencing cataracts. Despite our project’s goal of delivering cataract relief non-invasively, we realize that surgery is currently the most effective way to eliminate cataracts. So, we held fundraisers (in the form of bake sales and club fairs) in order to donate to those who don’t have funds or access to surgery. We raised enough money for 14 surgeries through the Himalayan Cataract Project, which serves underprivileged cataract patients.