Team:Worldshaper-Shanghai/Partnership
Partnership
Partnership----with OUC-China
This year, we set a goal of visual detection of prostate cancer with toehold switch. But we found that the articles about toehold switch in our hands is difficult for us as high school students, let alone introduce it to others in a simple and understandable way. For this reason, our team searched over the team list of the latest three years provided on iGEM’s official website, seeking teams that had worked on the same subject. We finally got in touch with OUC-China 2020 from Ocean University of China. The team also uses toehold switch as their main method, and we find that they have demonstrated great work on their self-media platform.
Project guidance
1. Theoretical knowledge learning
OUC-China has very mature experience in toehold switch. After learning that we want to know more about toehold switch, they kindly sent us some popular science materials about RNA regulatory switch with simple language and pictures. We have gained a lot from this conversation. Then they shared many useful references with us, and at the same time passed on their experience to us, which helped us avoid a lot of mistakes. Most of all, Their help has greatly deepened our understanding of the toehold switch. We gradually understand the specific functions of each part of the toehold switch, the length of each part, the influence of different lengths on the performance of toehold, and how to design our own toehold switch.
2.Online software using
OUC-China has introduced us to a simple website to design toehold switch, called NUPACK. For better programming, they wrote the code for us, which leads us more easily to understand the coding rules. The code on NUPACK also provided a lot of convenience to us: when we input the trigger sequence, the whole sequence of toehold switch can be got.
3. Project improvement
Our initial design of biomarker detection is to amplify the target gene by PCR, which is not convenient to use in the general environment. At that time, we had heard some ideas about recombinase polymer amplification (RPA), which can work effectively at the same temperature. Surprisingly, OUC-China shared the method with us, too. They shared other relevant references with us and encouraged us to add RPA to our Kit design.
Dry Lab collaboration
1.Science game
We were inspired by the success of the self-media platform of OUC-China. As a high school student who doesn't have a lot of biology knowledge, Their science cartoons are very easy to understand and fascinating. So we also want to tell our own stories in the form of cartoons. At the same time, KEYSTONE 2020 iGEM team invited us to join in their game application to introduce basic biology ideas through scene play. It is a great chance for us and we wrote about the toehold switch and introduce the general structure and function of this biological part.
2.Design guide of toehold switch
Considering our initial goal to introduce toehold switch in science communication, we planned to write a design guide of toehold switch with an elaborate explanation of theory for novices based on our gains. The design guide will help novices learn about toehold switch and its design methods faster. In order to ensure the scientificity and accuracy of our manuscript, we invited them to revise our draft. The final version of our design guide was very satisfactory to both teams.
Our initial design of biomarker detection is to amplify the target gene by PCR, which is not convenient to use in the general environment. At that time, we had heard some ideas about recombinase polymer amplification (RPA), which can work effectively at the same temperature. Surprisingly, OUC-China shared the method with us, too. They shared other relevant references with us and encouraged us to add RPA to our Kit design.
Dry Lab collaboration
1.Science game
We were inspired by the success of the self-media platform of OUC-China. As a high school student who doesn't have a lot of biology knowledge, Their science cartoons are very easy to understand and fascinating. So we also want to tell our own stories in the form of cartoons. At the same time, KEYSTONE 2020 iGEM team invited us to join in their game application to introduce basic biology ideas through scene play. It is a great chance for us and we wrote about the toehold switch and introduce the general structure and function of this biological part.
2.Design guide of toehold switch
Considering our initial goal to introduce toehold switch in science communication, we planned to write a design guide of toehold switch with an elaborate explanation of theory for novices based on our gains. The design guide will help novices learn about toehold switch and its design methods faster. In order to ensure the scientificity and accuracy of our manuscript, we invited them to revise our draft. The final version of our design guide was very satisfactory to both teams.
Worldshaper-Shanghai 2020
New non-invasive technique for early stage prostate cancer diagnosis