Team:NUS Singapore/Safety
Safety in our Project
Safety is imperative for the smooth functioning and progress of our project, especially since it involves the use of a variety of biological agents. Therefore, the team views safety very seriously and has put in much effort to ensure all protocols are up to standard. Biosafety in our project involves minimising the risks to the researchers working in the laboratory, as well as the general public in future medical applications based on our research. In line with our emphasis on safety in the laboratory, we are proud to announce that we have obtained an ‘A’ grade for the annual Faculty of Science Housekeeping Inspection 2016 for lab safety over the summer of 2016, an achievement for two consecutive years. We endeavour to continue maintaining a safe working environment for all researchers.
Safety when handling biological organisms
Non-pathogenic strains of E. coli such as BL21 and DH5α from Life Technologies, NEB Stable Competent E. coli and Nissle 1917 Δalr ΔdadX were used for cloning of plasmids and expression of proteins of interest. These strains are Risk group 1 and were handled in a BSL2 Biosafety cabinet. The E. coli strain carrying the invasin and listeriolysin O (LLO) was handled as a Risk Group 2 agent. Mammalian human cell lines, HeLa, HepG2, MDA-231 and MDA-468 are classified under Risk group 2 and were also handled in a BSL2 Biosafety cabinet. Training for handling of mammalian cells or any new experimental protocol was provided by the principal investigator (PI) to all team members prior to the experiments.
Compelling Rationale
In cancer treatment, specificity and reliability of diagnosis is the gold criteria of any diagnostic method. The RIOTsystem employs a novel method of cancer detection, relying on spatial markers that are intrinsic to the tumour microenvironment. Two spatial markers are used to increase specificity and ensure that only cancer cells are targeted. One spatial marker would be the elevated concentration of lactate usually found around tumours due to the Warburg effect. The other marker would be the detection of CD44v6, a cell surface marker that is upregulated on a variety of cancers. The spatial markers were specially chosen to circumvent a common problem in cancer research, where heterogeneity in different types of cancers results in the lack of a specific diagnostic for a variety of cancers. As elevated lactate concentration is ubiquitous among solid tumours and CD44v6 is present in different types of cancers, RIOTsystem has the potential to be a diagnostic that can be applied to multiple cancers, which is advantageous in the current market where broad spectrum diagnostics for cancer are currently lacking. Furthermore, the utility of RIOTsystem can extend beyond just being a diagnostic and can be modified to deliver a drug payload, potentially acting as both a diagnostic and therapeutic.
Based on our survey of the diagnostics industry, the RIOTSystem also stands out as there is currently no similar product available. Current cancer diagnostics rely mainly on in vitro tests where cancer biomarkers that are present in the blood are detected or the use of machines in physical examinations to detect the tumour (eg mammograms and biopsy). The RIOTSystem offers a radically different diagnostic tool that is sets itself apart from the current diagnostics.
Financial Strategy
To fund our operations, NUS_Singapore has received a start-up budget from the National University of Singapore Faculty of Science Dean’s Office and will be supplementing additional costs with applications to a range of grants that support start-ups such as the ACE Startups grant offered by SPRING Singapore. Each use of RIOTSystem as a diagnostic is projected to be sold at SGD$100, a competitive price as compared to other diagnostic kits and tests currently offered in Singapore for cancer detection as those are in the range of SGD$50-$1000. Furthermore, we have made a modest estimate of 3000 units sold within the first year of establishment based on the receptiveness of the participants of our preliminary survey. This will give us a net projected income of $181,711.26 before tax and the provision of salary. This figure is projected to rise in subsequent years because the RIOTsystem is upscalable at lower cost and some of the fixed costs incurred are one-off payments, such as registration fees for the company.
Marketing Strategy
TBA
