Team:BUCT-China/Human Practices
At the beginning of our project, we began to think about human practice, and we always looked for activities that would promote our project.
Last year, when our iGEM team realized that plastic pollution has brought a serious burden on the environment, they carried out research activities on plastic waste, combined with the local waste classification publicity, and through the investigation activities of garbage classification in residential areas, they learned about the problems of garbage classification and plastic waste treatment.
In this year's iGEM project, we think it is necessary for us to start thinking further. We hope that our project can become more complete and more in line with the idea of iGEM. Our concept has never changed, but from the initial use of biological degradation of plastic waste into the use of plastic degradation products to synthesize some new products with high added value.
In our design, we will use the products produced by the degradation module (a series of C12-C16 alkanes, which has been proved in previous work) as the substrate of polymerization module, and our final products will be some polyhydroxy fatty acid (PHFA).
Therefore, in the human practice part of iGEM, we began to plan and consider the application direction of our products in advance. Even if we know that there is still a long process of exploration to realize the biological production of our final products.
We have thought a lot about the use of our final products. The first thing we think of is PHA, which is a popular material at present, because our products have very similar structure with PHA, but the only difference is that they have a longer carbon skeleton. Therefore, we want to start from the perspective of PHA to consider whether our products have the same excellent performance as PHA. In addition, 3D printing technology has always attracted us. From these perspectives, we went to many related technology companies to learn about relevant materials and the application of 3D printing technology in biomaterials.
We have been interviewed by several biotechnology companies：
1. Suzhou Fangzhou Biotechnology Co., Ltd
Last year, when our iGEM team realized that plastic pollution has brought a serious burden on the environment, they carried out research activities on plastic waste, combined with the local waste classification publicity, and through the investigation activities of garbage classification in residential areas, they learned about the problems of garbage classification and plastic waste treatment.
In this year's iGEM project, we think it is necessary for us to start thinking further. We hope that our project can become more complete and more in line with the idea of iGEM. Our concept has never changed, but from the initial use of biological degradation of plastic waste into the use of plastic degradation products to synthesize some new products with high added value.
In our design, we will use the products produced by the degradation module (a series of C12-C16 alkanes, which has been proved in previous work) as the substrate of polymerization module, and our final products will be some polyhydroxy fatty acid (PHFA).
Therefore, in the human practice part of iGEM, we began to plan and consider the application direction of our products in advance. Even if we know that there is still a long process of exploration to realize the biological production of our final products.
We have thought a lot about the use of our final products. The first thing we think of is PHA, which is a popular material at present, because our products have very similar structure with PHA, but the only difference is that they have a longer carbon skeleton. Therefore, we want to start from the perspective of PHA to consider whether our products have the same excellent performance as PHA. In addition, 3D printing technology has always attracted us. From these perspectives, we went to many related technology companies to learn about relevant materials and the application of 3D printing technology in biomaterials.
We have been interviewed by several biotechnology companies：
1. Suzhou Fangzhou Biotechnology Co., Ltd
It is a biotech company that mainly deals in biological drugs and other kinds of drugs (excluding human stem cells, development and application of gene diagnosis and treatment technology)
2.Yanshi Yanmei Biotechnology Co., Ltd
The main business direction is the development of biomaterials, biotechnology, and technology development of biotechnology products.
3.Beijing Darwin Cell Biotechnology Co., Ltd
Mainly engaged in technology promotion services; import and export of goods; technology import and export; sales of mechanical equipment, instrumentation, cosmetics, class I, II medical devices, chemical products (excluding hazardous chemicals); medical research (excluding diagnosis and treatment activities); natural science research, etc.
2.Yanshi Yanmei Biotechnology Co., Ltd
The main business direction is the development of biomaterials, biotechnology, and technology development of biotechnology products.
3.Beijing Darwin Cell Biotechnology Co., Ltd
Mainly engaged in technology promotion services; import and export of goods; technology import and export; sales of mechanical equipment, instrumentation, cosmetics, class I, II medical devices, chemical products (excluding hazardous chemicals); medical research (excluding diagnosis and treatment activities); natural science research, etc.
We benefited a lot from the interview with Qin Meng, an expert from Yanmei Biotechnology Co., Ltd. We present our interview in the form of question and answer:
Q: Application of 3D printing in biomaterials?
A: At present, 3D printing technology has a wide range of applications in biomaterials, such as tissue repair, artificial organs, artificial joints, scaffolds including artificial meat, etc.
Q: If we want to apply our materials to biological tissue materials, what factors need to be considered?
A: Appropriate tissue engineering materials need a long time to improve and develop . This is because these biomaterials need to be applied to human tissues, we need to consider from multiple perspectives. It can be done from the following aspects:
1. we need non-toxic materials;
2. How can we ensure the aseptic operation of materials in the process of industrial production;
3. Biocompatibility, we need to do a lot of experiments to verify, from chemical test to early in vivo verification, we need to ensure that our materials have some special properties, for example, when these materials enter the human body, they can not dissolve in blood and can not produce coagulation. Of course, some materials such as artificial joints, prosthesis and scaffolds can not be metabolized and absorbed by the human body;
4. We need to consider whether the material has photosensitivity, heat sensitivity, etc., which will affect our sterilization treatment. Because we know that common sterilization methods include ultraviolet ray, high temperature, etc., if our materials are sensitive to these factors, we should have new strategies for aseptic operation;
5. It can be applied to different fields according to different properties of materials.
Q: From your point of view, where can our materials be applied?
A: According to your introduction, your material has a structure similar to PHA and has a longer carbon skeleton. We can start from the perspective of PHA, because of its excellent biocompatibility, PHA is widely used in some tissue engineering materials. A good example is that PHA has been widely used in the field of human tissue scaffold, but some mechanical properties of PHA still need to be further improved. Your material may have better mechanical properties due to its long carbon skeleton in the middle. In addition, if your materials can be metabolized by the human body, you can start from the perspective of drug carriers. Of course, if this requires further examination of how your materials are metabolized in the human body and whether there will be some adverse reactions, we must ensure that the metabolites are harmless to the human body.
Q: You mentioned the research on artificial meat. Can we combine our materials and 3D printing technology to develop relevant technologies?
A: At present, artificial meat has received extensive research. Generally, fat, fascia and other structures can be added into some similar meat tissues to simulate the taste of real meat. Of course, the application of 3D printing can promote the research and production of artificial meat. Take your materials as an example, we still need to pay attention to some of its own characteristics. The first and most important thing is that it can be digested and absorbed by the human body. If this requirement can be met, then according to the strength of its structure, we may be able to simulate the production of some structures similar to animal fascia to increase the taste of artificial meat. In the future, we need to further consider the thermal stability of your materials.
In addition to communication, we also entered the cell research laboratory, we learned a lot about biosafety.
At the same time, we have also obtained the affirmation of the other company for our materials. We have reached the cooperation intention in the future. We can provide the obtained materials to them after completing our experiments, and they can help us do relevant tests and jointly study their application fields.
In general, we summarize the experience gained in the process of human practice
1. It is a long way from R & D to application of a material, with a long research cycle, which needs us to explore constantly.
2. The materials need to be tested strictly, including chemical property test, in vivo test and so on.
3. 3D printing technology has been widely used in the field of biomaterials, such as artificial tissues, artificial joints, repair materials, artificial meat and so on.
4. We need to understand the aseptic production mode under the condition of industrial production, because if we want to apply it to the field of tissue engineering materials, this is a problem we must solve.
5. If our material can be metabolized by human body, we can study it from the aspects of artificial meat and drug carrier, but the safety of metabolites should always be considered.
We are very grateful to the above three companies for their help to us, providing us with many good suggestions for our future planning, and also making us clearly understand our current shortcomings. Through this human practice activity, we can more clearly understand the advantages and disadvantages of our products and the possible applications in the future.
Q: Application of 3D printing in biomaterials?
A: At present, 3D printing technology has a wide range of applications in biomaterials, such as tissue repair, artificial organs, artificial joints, scaffolds including artificial meat, etc.
Q: If we want to apply our materials to biological tissue materials, what factors need to be considered?
A: Appropriate tissue engineering materials need a long time to improve and develop . This is because these biomaterials need to be applied to human tissues, we need to consider from multiple perspectives. It can be done from the following aspects:
1. we need non-toxic materials;
2. How can we ensure the aseptic operation of materials in the process of industrial production;
3. Biocompatibility, we need to do a lot of experiments to verify, from chemical test to early in vivo verification, we need to ensure that our materials have some special properties, for example, when these materials enter the human body, they can not dissolve in blood and can not produce coagulation. Of course, some materials such as artificial joints, prosthesis and scaffolds can not be metabolized and absorbed by the human body;
4. We need to consider whether the material has photosensitivity, heat sensitivity, etc., which will affect our sterilization treatment. Because we know that common sterilization methods include ultraviolet ray, high temperature, etc., if our materials are sensitive to these factors, we should have new strategies for aseptic operation;
5. It can be applied to different fields according to different properties of materials.
Q: From your point of view, where can our materials be applied?
A: According to your introduction, your material has a structure similar to PHA and has a longer carbon skeleton. We can start from the perspective of PHA, because of its excellent biocompatibility, PHA is widely used in some tissue engineering materials. A good example is that PHA has been widely used in the field of human tissue scaffold, but some mechanical properties of PHA still need to be further improved. Your material may have better mechanical properties due to its long carbon skeleton in the middle. In addition, if your materials can be metabolized by the human body, you can start from the perspective of drug carriers. Of course, if this requires further examination of how your materials are metabolized in the human body and whether there will be some adverse reactions, we must ensure that the metabolites are harmless to the human body.
Q: You mentioned the research on artificial meat. Can we combine our materials and 3D printing technology to develop relevant technologies?
A: At present, artificial meat has received extensive research. Generally, fat, fascia and other structures can be added into some similar meat tissues to simulate the taste of real meat. Of course, the application of 3D printing can promote the research and production of artificial meat. Take your materials as an example, we still need to pay attention to some of its own characteristics. The first and most important thing is that it can be digested and absorbed by the human body. If this requirement can be met, then according to the strength of its structure, we may be able to simulate the production of some structures similar to animal fascia to increase the taste of artificial meat. In the future, we need to further consider the thermal stability of your materials.
In addition to communication, we also entered the cell research laboratory, we learned a lot about biosafety.
At the same time, we have also obtained the affirmation of the other company for our materials. We have reached the cooperation intention in the future. We can provide the obtained materials to them after completing our experiments, and they can help us do relevant tests and jointly study their application fields.
In general, we summarize the experience gained in the process of human practice
1. It is a long way from R & D to application of a material, with a long research cycle, which needs us to explore constantly.
2. The materials need to be tested strictly, including chemical property test, in vivo test and so on.
3. 3D printing technology has been widely used in the field of biomaterials, such as artificial tissues, artificial joints, repair materials, artificial meat and so on.
4. We need to understand the aseptic production mode under the condition of industrial production, because if we want to apply it to the field of tissue engineering materials, this is a problem we must solve.
5. If our material can be metabolized by human body, we can study it from the aspects of artificial meat and drug carrier, but the safety of metabolites should always be considered.
We are very grateful to the above three companies for their help to us, providing us with many good suggestions for our future planning, and also making us clearly understand our current shortcomings. Through this human practice activity, we can more clearly understand the advantages and disadvantages of our products and the possible applications in the future.