Bingyu
WHO ARE YOU?
Hi, I’m Bingyu Zhou, a master student in translational biology and drug discovery.
As a member of the iGEM team from the University of Edinburgh, I am responsible for the application part in our project.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
My hobbies are reading and photography. Reading helps me to broaden the horizon, while photography makes me pay attention to details and discover different aspects in my daily life.
WHY ARE YOU PARTICIPATING IN IGEM?
Because synthetic biology are very promising. Through the application of theoretical knowledge to scientific research or real life scene, it is possible to promote the development of medical and health care. Participating in iGEM can increase my experience and help me learn to work with people from different majors.
EDUCATION
The University of Edinburgh, UK ---- MSc in Drug Discovery & Translational Biology
Nanjing Tech University, China --- BSc in Biomedical Engineering
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
During the summer vacation in 2019, I participated in the study of the production of microbial lipids and gluconic acid by newly isolated yeast species in Nanjing Tech University. I was mainly engaged in cell culture and high performance liquid chromatography.
WHAT PERSON DO YOU WANT TO BE/ASPIRE?
I want to be an independent and active person.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS
Careful, adaptable, easygoing
WHY DO YOU LIKE BIOLOGY?
Because biology is interesting, complex, diverse, and relevant to every aspect of life and society.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY BIOLOGY?
I guess I didn't choose to study biology, biology chose me.
HOW YOUR PROJECT/DISSERTATION INTEGRATES WITH THE OTHER TEAM
MEMBERS PROJECTS?
My role in the group is to investigate the best ways to include biosensor detection in the real world, and influenza was chosen as a model pathogen in my dissertation. Since we are going to setup a platform, pathogens which can cause waterborne diseases, such as Salmonella, will also be detected to fit in the iGEM project.
WHY IS YOUR PROJECT USEFUL?
Because according to the WHO, 80 percent of human diseases are related to water pollution. Water contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms can cause intestinal diseases such as typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera and diarrhea.
The biosensor kit designed can be applied for instance in community clinics or hospital wards and performed in under-resourced areas. Apart from point of care, it is also useful for educational use when there is a limited access to laboratory facilities and equipment and for over-the-counter home tests for people with no medical background.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY?
Synthetic biology can solve the problems of biomedicine, environmental energy and biomaterials through the intersections among disciplines.
WHY DO YOU THINK A UNIVERSAL BIOSENSOR IS USEFUL?
Biosensors have strong specificity and high accuracy. It overcomes the shortcomings of high reagent cost of enzymatic analysis and complexity of chemical analysis. It is portable, can give rapid results, and the operating system is relatively simple. Every time a new species is discovered, whether it's SARS, E. coli, Anthrax or something else, a new biosensor is needed to be designed. These detection methods may require the application of highly complex equipment and are often difficult to execute, analyze, and interpret. However, with a universal biosensors, any known nucleic acid sequence can be detected, making the research easier and faster.
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