Difference between revisions of "Team:TU Darmstadt/Education"
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<div> Artificial hearts and less animal experiments - what does red biotechnology mean for | <div> Artificial hearts and less animal experiments - what does red biotechnology mean for | ||
the future? This is the title of the fourth episode of our podcast “Genomenal”. This episode | the future? This is the title of the fourth episode of our podcast “Genomenal”. This episode | ||
| − | is a continuation of the third episode, which was about green and white biotechnology.</div> | + | is a continuation of the third episode, which was about green and white biotechnology <sup id="cite_ref-8"><a href="#cite_note-8">[8]</a></sup>.</div> |
<div><b>Red biotechnology</b> deals with <b>medical issues</b> and specifically focusses on the detection | <div><b>Red biotechnology</b> deals with <b>medical issues</b> and specifically focusses on the detection | ||
| − | and treatment of abounding diseases. We aimed to give the audience a better understanding of | + | and treatment of abounding diseases <sup id="cite_ref-9"><a href="#cite_note-9">[9]</a></sup>. We aimed to give the audience a better understanding of |
this topic by mentioning <b>diabetes as an exemplary disease</b>. To demonstrate the benefits of red | this topic by mentioning <b>diabetes as an exemplary disease</b>. To demonstrate the benefits of red | ||
biotechnology, we talk about how <b>insulin</b> can be <b>produced by microorganisms</b> rather than using | biotechnology, we talk about how <b>insulin</b> can be <b>produced by microorganisms</b> rather than using | ||
| − | a porcine or bovine pancreas. This way, we want to convey the perks biotechnology brings not o | + | a porcine or bovine pancreas <sup id="cite_ref-10"><a href="#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup>. This way, we want to convey the perks biotechnology brings not o |
nly to humans but also to animals. Following this topic, we talk about how it has already | nly to humans but also to animals. Following this topic, we talk about how it has already | ||
| − | been achieved to <b>engineer a beating rat heart</b> and that this field is called <b>tissue engineering</b>. | + | been achieved to <b>engineer a beating rat heart </b><sup id="cite_ref-11"><a href="#cite_note-11">[11]</a></sup> and that this field is called <b>tissue engineering</b>. |
Thereby, we can show how much potential lies in this area and that it would eventually spare | Thereby, we can show how much potential lies in this area and that it would eventually spare | ||
the need of organ transplants.</div> | the need of organ transplants.</div> | ||
| − | <div>We also talk about <b>Dolly</b>, the first successfully <b>cloned animal</b>, to mention that progress has | + | <div>We also talk about <b>Dolly</b> <sup id="cite_ref-12"><a href="#cite_note-12">[12]</a></sup>, the first successfully <b>cloned animal</b>, to mention that progress has |
already been made in this field. In this regard, we also try to acknowledge the <b>ethical | already been made in this field. In this regard, we also try to acknowledge the <b>ethical | ||
dilemma</b> that inevitably accompanies this topic – using it to promote our upcoming episode | dilemma</b> that inevitably accompanies this topic – using it to promote our upcoming episode | ||
| Line 3,556: | Line 3,556: | ||
to keep listening to our podcast.</div> | to keep listening to our podcast.</div> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="referencestd"> | ||
| + | <h4 style="text-align: left"> References</h4> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <a class="anchor" id="cite_note-8"></a> | ||
| + | <a class="referencestd" href="https://analytik.news/presse/2005/375.html" target="_blank">8. https://analytik.news/presse/2005/375.html (Retrieved September 20, 2020)</a> | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | <a class="anchor" id="cite_note-9"></a> | ||
| + | <a class="referencestd" href="https://flexikon.doccheck.com/de/Rote_Biotechnologie" target="_blank">9. https://flexikon.doccheck.com/de/Rote_Biotechnologie (Retrieved September 20, 2020)</a> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <a class="anchor" id="cite_note-10"></a> | ||
| + | <a class="referencestd" href=" https://gensuisse.ch/sites/default/files/text_3_gentechnische_herstellung_von_insulin.pdf" target="_blank">10. https://gensuisse.ch/sites/default/files/text_3_gentechnische_herstellung_von_insulin.pdf (Retrieved September 20, 2020)</a> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <a class="anchor" id="cite_note-11"></a> | ||
| + | <a class="referencestd" href="https://www.planet-wissen.de/gesellschaft/medizin/organverpflanzung/pwieorganezuechten100.html" target="_blank">11. https://www.planet-wissen.de/gesellschaft/medizin/organverpflanzung/pwieorganezuechten100.html (Retrieved September 20, 2020)</a> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <a class="anchor" id="cite_note-12"></a> | ||
| + | <a class="referencestd" href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/20-years-after-dolly-the-sheep-led-the-way-where-is-cloning-now/ " target="_blank">12. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/20-years-after-dolly-the-sheep-led-the-way-where-is-cloning-now/ (Retrieved September 20, 2020)</a> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 14:33, 17 October 2020
Biotechnology - What is it and what does it mean?
These questions are probably asked by many, especially younger people. But even older age groups might find themselves in unprecedented circumstances when they are presented with terms such as enzyme, gene or plasmid. Keeping this in mind, we have made it our task to evoke some long overdue change in this respect. For this, we developed several projects that all contribute to a better understanding of synthetic biology (SynBio). Admittedly, science communication is not only a topic in SynBio, but of all other sciences as well, but we decided to lay our focus on what we know best.
We tried to reach the widest possible audience with our projects. In order to achieve this, first of all we had to gain an overview of the already existing knowledge in the minds of the broad masses which we managed to accomplish by an online survey with 292 participants. We have also taken up this issue in a livestream on social media which we carried out together with the iGEM Team Kaiserslautern, in order to publicly provide further information about topics of synthetic biology for those interested.
We also created a podcast called "Genomenal" which is aimed at people of all ages who would like to learn more about biotechnology and iGEM. “Genomenal” can be found on Spotify, our university website and on our wiki. We have also thought of something for the younger part of society. Together with Aleksa Zecevic (click here), we have developed a mini-game called “The Genomenal Adventures of Dr. W”, which introduces biological practices in a playful and amusing way.
Last but not least, we also wanted to explicitly address students in the upper grades who might be thinking about a future career pathway in biology. For this, we have worked together with the Kurt-Schumacher-Schule in Karben. For this school, we hosted a zoom call in which we introduced the topic of iGEM to an advanced course for biology. We reported about our experiences and gave tips regarding our studies of biology and chemistry with the hope to enthuse them for scientifical studies. (click here)
Our Survey – the basis for our Science Communication
We wanted to find out the reasons for concerns regarding synthetic biology and GMOs, because we think that many of these are based on lacking knowledge. Therefore, we created a survey and reached almost 300 people. What does the public know about synthetic biology? Do they have a clue what is behind this term? What advantages and, more importantly, what risks do they think of when they hear this term?
Besides that, we were curious how the public estimates the problem of micropollutants in our waters and
what they think of our solution. By doing this survey we also tried to reach awareness for these topics
into people’s daily lives.
Results:
While about 80 percent can imagine what a genetically modified organism is, only 53 percent have an
idea what synthetic biology could be. When asked if they have ever been in contact with a GMO before,
almost one quarter answered that they don’t know. We specified the question by asking if they had ever
consumed something that was produced by using GMOs. The number of participants who were not sure about
that was not much lower. As these numbers are quite high and regarding that the 292 people we reached
are no perfectly representative sample, there is a task we can get from our survey. One part of our
project involved doing science communication. We aimed to reach more people not related to our university
or scientific work. Since the COVID-19 pandemic made it really difficult to address people on the
street, for example, we decided to focus on other projects like our podcast "Genomenal" and a minigame.
At least 90 percent of all participants told us that they definitely see a threat in the wastewater
pollution by pharmaceutical residues. By asking if they think it’s alright to bring a GMO into a wastewater
treatment plant, we found that about 70 percent have concerns regarding this idea or at least would not
agree completely. Following this question, we asked these participants the same question but under the
condition that our GMO will leave the waste water treatment plant under no circumstances. By this addition
we were able to lower the disagreement. Only 45 percent of the interviewees still had concerns.
In the end of our survey we asked them about advantages they see in synthetic biology. About 80 percent of
the participants told us that they see future applications especially in environmental protection and medicine.
Since there was also the option ‘in none of these areas’ this result leaves us in a positive mood!
Our Podcast Genomenal
The first episode of our podcast “Genomenal” set the base for our science series on biotechnology.
We created this podcast in terms of science communication with the goal to help anyone outside the
biotechnology community understand all the perks and versatilities of this field. The first episode
serves as an introduction to the origin of this project and its background. Our first two speakers
offer a first glimpse of the topic of biotechnology – trying to explain basic terms such as “genes”,
“genome” and “enzyme” understandably. Following topics like the colors of biotechnology or an eventual
episode on iGEM are mentioned to encourage the audience to keep listening to the series. In hopes of
achieving that goal, the first episode leaves an open end, with topics left for further discussion.
In the third episode of our podcast we are talking about white and green biotechnology.
After a general explanation about the various notations with colors for the different
areas of biotechnology, we are addressing white biotechnology in detail. This field deals
with the industrial production of chemicals and components with optimized enzymes, cells
and microorganisms [1]. The aim of white biotechnology is to generate new and sustainable
production processes [2]. As an example, we explain how enzymes for washing agents are being
produced using microorganisms by supplying them with genetic information via plasmid transfer [3].
Afterwards, we move on to green biotechnology which is roughly about plants and how to
optimize them [4]. Already in the 20th century people started to breed plants with the favored
characteristics, like big size or sweet fruits. Nowadays there are way more possibilities
to optimize plants and modify their genomes[5]. As an example, we introduce the amflora
potato in which the production of amylose is genetically knocked out and only amylopectin
starch is produced [6]. This engineered potato species was developed by BASF and grown in
Germany between 2010 and 2012 [6]. Furthermore, we are talking about the MON810-corn
produced by Monsanto 1998[7]. The genome of this corn is modified so that the plant is
producing a Bt-toxin which is toxic to certain insects[7]. In the end, we are answering
some more questions about green biotechnology, for example, if genetically modified plants
could interbreed with other plants or if they could have an impact on bees.
References
1. https://www.ime.fraunhofer.de/de/Forschungsbereiche/MB/industrielle_biotechnologie.html (Retrieved October 4, 2020) Artificial hearts and less animal experiments - what does red biotechnology mean for
the future? This is the title of the fourth episode of our podcast “Genomenal”. This episode
is a continuation of the third episode, which was about green and white biotechnology [8].
Red biotechnology deals with medical issues and specifically focusses on the detection
and treatment of abounding diseases [9]. We aimed to give the audience a better understanding of
this topic by mentioning diabetes as an exemplary disease. To demonstrate the benefits of red
biotechnology, we talk about how insulin can be produced by microorganisms rather than using
a porcine or bovine pancreas [10]. This way, we want to convey the perks biotechnology brings not o
nly to humans but also to animals. Following this topic, we talk about how it has already
been achieved to engineer a beating rat heart [11] and that this field is called tissue engineering.
Thereby, we can show how much potential lies in this area and that it would eventually spare
the need of organ transplants.
We also talk about Dolly [12], the first successfully cloned animal, to mention that progress has
already been made in this field. In this regard, we also try to acknowledge the ethical
dilemma that inevitably accompanies this topic – using it to promote our upcoming episode
on ethics. Once more, we leave the end rather open for discussion to encourage our audience
to keep listening to our podcast.
As we often talk about iGEM, especially at the TU Darmstadt, we decided to make two podcast episodes on this topic. These episodes are meant for people wanting to learn more about this competition and potential new iGEMers at our university.
In the 5th episode our speakers offer insight into an iGEM year – from finding team members to the exciting lab work and personal experiences. In the 6th episode they talk about everything concerning meetups, judging, and the Giant Jamboree.
Minigame
Everyone loves video games. This also applies to us, so we were pretty excited when we found someone
who could program us a little game. Our goal was to explain and illustrate methods used in a biology laboratory
within this minigame, so everyone can learn something new, while playing our game.
Due to the limited time and capacity of our team we had to keep the game simple. We decided on doing a
side-scroller known from games like “Super Mario”. Our main character should of course be a motivated biotechnologist,
who needs to complete several tasks in different levels. After many hours of designing levels and pictograms "The Genomenal Adventures of Dr. W”
was born.
Story of the minigame
„The Genomal Adventures of Dr. W” tells the tale of the scientist Dr. W. He walks through various levels trying to
solve a mission. Each level represents a biological lab procedure, such as gel electrophoresis, Gibson Assembly and –
last but not least – one level representing our project idea.
The game starts with a basic level in which the player needs to collect his equipment, pipettes and tubes, among a
few other things. The more levels you play through, the more things you have to gather and the more dangers you encounter.
Danger itself is presented in many ways - as fire, a pit in the ground, a poisonous cloud or a puddle which the player needs
to overcome. This way, we convey all the difficulties one might face in the lab. Your work does not always pan out as planned.
One does not always know which path to choose and this is what this game stands for. Not only does it represent the steps our
iGEM team has taken whilst the development of our project idea but should also enthuse others for the field of science in a fun
and amusing way.
If you are interested in giving it a try, click here to download the game.
Livestream with Kaiserslautern
When we found out that the Kaiserslautern iGEM team also tries to filter pollutants from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) by using laccases, we saw a direct opportunity for cooperation.
Kaiserslautern found a perfect way to present our projects in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: If we can't present them on site, then we'll just do it online! At this point, the iGEM Team Kaiserslautern had already made several live streams on the video streaming platform Twitch and invited us to do a joined stream. On the 31th of July we went live on Twitch with Kaiserslautern and drew some attention to the promising world of synthetic biology.
We presented our project ideas and explained our different approaches, as well as our motivation. In the video which you can find below this text, we educated about general safety concepts and introduced our kill switch. These concepts are crucial to make sure our genetically modified organism (GMO) will not leave the WWTP. We did also talk about our survey (-->Link) and interacted with the viewers. Most of them were generally interested in synthetic biology, but did not have deeper knowledge.
In conclusion, the livestream was a lot of fun and raised awareness for the field of synthetic biology as well as the various safety concepts in this field. In addition, it was a good opportunity to share our project idea with interested people from various backgrounds and raised awareness on the dangers of micropollutants in the wastewater.