We helped other iGEM teams in improving their project by filling in surveys, covering a wide variety of fields. We filled in surveys from iGEM BIT, Munich, Sydney_Australia, Vilnius-Lithuania, Washington and Waterloo. We hoped this helped their project a little step further into the right direction.

iGEM team Uppsala organised a series of three online webinars where five iGEM teams discuss ethical topics live on YouTube. We collaborated by participating in the Online Ethics Discussion (webinar) about ‘Social responsibility‘ in relation to ethics. The following topics were discussed:

We learned that although it is more profitable to show your project in a one-sided positive way, it is more important to be honest about the goal and means of your project. In this way, the end-user can develop a fairer opinion on your product and his trust rate increases. Through consultation with experts on the technical and human aspects of your project, you can find out what matters most about your project, and adapt your communication to the problems and needs of your target audience. This results in your product to be more effective as well.

The webinar can be watched on YouTube.

To get a better insight into the situation in Brazil with regard to viral diseases like Zika and Dengue, we contacted the iGEM teams from Brazil. Apart from reading literature and talking to experts in the western world, talking to locals can also be of great value.

Through a Skype meeting with iGEM USP-Brazil we really got to know the local situation in Brazil. Especially the insight into the measures being taken by the government and the population to prevent infection by mosquito-borne diseases is a valuable addition to our project. Several points that we learned this way are, among others that the government does not put enough effort into stopping the spread of the diseases. It is advised to wear long-sleeved shirts in the evening and at night, which is the time mosquitos are most active. Furthermore, individuals should spray themselves with an anti-insect solution. Moreover, the removal of still water can help reduce the mosquito populations. However, due to rainy seasons this is nearly impossible.

We also learned that in Brazil, you can go to the doctor for free. However, most doctors do not have the equipment to perform diagnostic tests. A diagnostic test for viral diseases that is cheap and can be used by these doctors would be beneficial, especially to test pregnant women or decide on further treatment options.

Owing to this Skype meeting, we realized that many people are affected by these terrible diseases and everyone in Brazil knows someone who at least is, or has been infected by viral diseases like Dengue or Zika. These diseases are very painful for the patients, and also have a great impact on the people close by and society in general.

The project of USP-Brazil covers fighting mosquito-borne diseases from the inside of the mosquito. They engineer synbiotic bacteria living in the guts of mosquitos that can fight the viruses when the mosquito is infected, during the so-called paratransgenesis. One issue is, however, that this synbiotic bacteria should only start to produce the toxins in infected mosquitos. Our project can be a nice addition by combining our engineered bacteria with their toxin system of the symbiotic bacteria. The resulting fusion is then able to detect the virus with the affinity molecule on the surface, after which our downstream signalling pathway results in the activation of the symbiotic bacteria to fight the virus or kill the mosquito.

We collaborated with iGEM Cologne-Duesseldorf in their postcard campaign. This is a worldwide campaign where iGEM teams designed their own postcards, which are then distributed by the organizing iGEM team all over the world. This all with the goal of promoting synthetic biology to raise public awareness. We distributed the postcard both on Campus and at the Dutch Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). This way, both students, scientists as well as children and their parents got to takes these interesting cards home.

The RIVM, Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, is the Dutch governmental institute for public health and a safe environment. They encourage discussions about synthetic biology and the latest developments in the field. This is related to the impact of synthetic biology on their fields of specialization. Part of this is a collaboration with Dutch iGEM teams, which encompassed the following: The RIVM funded us with a grant, and encouraged us to think about the safety aspects of our project and device. We, on the other hand, encouraged the public during the “Kennisparade” to do the same. On this day, the RIVM opened their doors to the general public, in particular children, to teach them about science. We informed the public about safe genetic modification and the “crafting with DNA“ part of the day. Communication was maintained with RIVM to track the progress of our project. You can check the result of the biosafety project on our Safety & Ethics page.

The Rathenau Institute is an organization aiming to pinpoint and solve today's questions on science, technology, and society. It also has an active role in informing politicians and society on these problems and possible solutions. An important part of their portfolio is synthetic biology. The Rathenau Institute collaborated with all Dutch iGEM teams for their “Guide to Integrated Human Practices” workshop in The Hague to share their expertise.

Figure 4: During the Guide to Integrated Human Practices we talked to many experts.