Team:OhioState/Education
Videos
We want more people to learn how synthetic biology is made to be safe and regulated in today's society. For the education and engagement section, we worked to educate the public about biocontainment and federal guidelines. We teamed up with Cornell, Michigan State, Purdue, and William and Mary to create a Youtube channel: “iGEM: Breaking Down Synthetic Biology” to create and share videos that are fun and engaging for a wide range of ages. Videos on topics such as biocontainment and United States’ Federal Guidelines speak to the necessity of our project and serve to educate the public and other iGEM teams on the importance of biocontainment in the world of synthetic biology. They also display the current safety protocols taken when synthetic biology products are implemented in the world. As a 5 team collaboration, we produced entertaining and informative videos that cover a large scope of the world of synthetic biology.
We also collaborated with Stony Brook University’s iGEM team to create a mutually relevant educational video about kill switches. Our video takes on a news broadcast format to keep viewers engaged and discusses the impacts of both of our projects while challenging common misconceptions about GMOs, biocontainment, and kill switches.
Regulations
Another part of our project was simplifying the United States federal regulations for biotechnology products in a way that is easy to understand for the public and for iGEM teams that may be interested in getting their product approved. We first decided to investigate the Updated Coordinated Framework from 2017 titled: “Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products,” which is a document used to outline EPA, FDA, and USDA collaboration and basis for GMO regulation.. After reading through the document, we found that it would be helpful create a list of definitions for the legal and biological jargon in it, so that it can be easier to understand. Thus, we made a list of definitions and explanations that will help both the general public and future iGEM teams to understand the document and what it means for federal regulation in the US.
As iGEM is an international competition, we also partnered with two teams: BITSPilani-Goa,and FCB-UANL to compare our respective country regulations regarding the field of synthetic biology. This serves as a way for us to see how innovators in other countries move their product from research and development to the market. Our display of the information we gathered on regulations allows us to educate future viewers that each country has slightly different policies and ways they regulate biotechnology products as seen in the table below. This knowledge could then be used to create an international arrangement or changes in a country's current policies.
Biotechnology Legislation Proposals
Alongside FCB-UANL iGEM, we compared biotechnology regulations in Mexico versus the United States and further wrote proposals to have these regulations changed in a way that levels the playing field for iGEM teams in other countries in addition to iGEM teams in the United States. Our work can be found here.
GMO Models
We partnered with FCB-UANL iGEM to create two GMO analysis models with a goal of educating the public about the potential benefits of GMOs. As part of our outreach this year with biosafety, we determined that pairing proposed biotechnology regulations alongside mathematical models allows us to clearly demonstrate why benefit vs. risk analyses are important. Our models demonstrate to regulatory agencies and the public that GMOs are sorely needed, while our proposed regulations demonstrate the importance of creating a level-playing field for the regulation of biotechnology products across countries.
Biocontainment Flowchart
Auxotrophy relies on an external supply of a nutrient that is designed to be essential to the organism. This is advantageous because the nutrient can be applied to an area with the organisms and then when it is no longer supplied, the organisms will die.
Uses/Other
Bioremediation, crops
Con: have to keep providing dependent nutrient
Genetic circuits or kill switches are inducible on or off systems that respond to a signal molecule and start translating a region of DNA in the presence of that signal molecule.
Analogy
A genetic circuit is often likened to an electric circuit that keeps a computer running.
Propagates a suite of genes across a population to eliminate or promote a certain characteristic. This is a form of population control where a species could be changed to prevent reproduction or given a beneficial gene to save an endangered species.
Uses
Eliminating the spread of malaria from mosquitoes to humans. Gene drives have also proven to be efficient in yeast and fruit flies. Will likely see this method applied to bioremediation sites in the future.
An optogenetic kill switch is based on light. This mechanism is often used so the organism will die in the presence of sunlight.
Uses
In a beehive with limited sunlight and indoor farming with minimal natural sunlight. Indoor farmed plants survive by red and blue light instead.
A temperature-induced switch is based on temperature, and is often used so the organism will die in temperatures colder than inside a warm mammal.
Uses
Inside a mammalian gut which is typically around 98 degrees F
The presence of a chemical induces the switch to produce a toxin that is deadly to the cell.
Common Types
Oxygen: Based on oxygen. Often used so the bug can only survive in an aerobic or anaerobic environment.
Sugar: Arabinose.
Biocontainment
Relies on a specific nutrient not found in environment that the bug will be used in. This is advantageous because when the nutrient is all used up, all of the bugs will die. (Make the bug externally dependent)
Uses
Bioremediation, crops
Genetic circuits or kill switches are inducible on or off systems that respond to a signal molecule and start translating a region of DNA in the presence of that signal molecule
Uses/Common Types/Other
Analogy: A genetic circuit is often likened to an electric circuit that keeps a computer running.
Types of kill switches
An optogenetic kill switch is based on light. This mechanism is often used so the organism will die in the presence of sunlight.
Uses/Common Types/Other
In a beehive with limited sunlight and indoor farming with minimal natural sunlight. Indoor farmed plants survive by red and blue light instead.
A temperature-induced switch is based on temperature, and is often used so the organism will die in temperatures colder than inside a warm mammal.
Uses/Common Types/Other
Inside a mammalian gut which is typically around 98 degrees F
The presence of a chemical induces the switch to produce a toxin that is deadly to the cell.
Common Types
Oxygen: Based on oxygen. Often used so the bug can only survive in an aerobic or anaerobic environment.
Sugar: Arabinose
Signal Chemical
Uses
Propagates a suite of genes across a population
Eliminating the spread of malaria from mosquitos to humans