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<p>After receiving valuable insights from scientists at our home university, we turned to the biotech industry, realizing that a critical aspect of modern synthetic biology project is its applicability and potential influence to the overall development of biotechnology.</p> | <p>After receiving valuable insights from scientists at our home university, we turned to the biotech industry, realizing that a critical aspect of modern synthetic biology project is its applicability and potential influence to the overall development of biotechnology.</p> | ||
<div class="img-cont"> | <div class="img-cont"> | ||
− | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/ | + | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/b/ba/T--Vilnius-Lithuania--coinsmeet.jpeg" alt="img"> |
− | <div class="img-label"> | + | <div class="img-label">Meeting with academics. |
− | + | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
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<p>Although the experts in the sector of biotechnology provided us very useful information, we wanted to complete the investigation of how exactly we should build our SynORI project by interacting with the hands-on laboratories around the globe.</p> | <p>Although the experts in the sector of biotechnology provided us very useful information, we wanted to complete the investigation of how exactly we should build our SynORI project by interacting with the hands-on laboratories around the globe.</p> | ||
<div class="img-cont"> | <div class="img-cont"> | ||
− | <img src=" | + | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/9/99/T--Vilnius-Lithuania--industry1.jpeg" alt="img"> |
− | <div class="img-label"> | + | <div class="img-label">Meeting at Thermo Fisher Scientific. |
− | + | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
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<li><p>More than 95% of surveyed scientists used antibiotics to select transformants. They mostly used a combination of two antibiotics, however 6.9% of respondents used more than 3 antibiotics for selection on regular basis. It corresponded to the number of different plasmids in their experiments.</p></li> | <li><p>More than 95% of surveyed scientists used antibiotics to select transformants. They mostly used a combination of two antibiotics, however 6.9% of respondents used more than 3 antibiotics for selection on regular basis. It corresponded to the number of different plasmids in their experiments.</p></li> | ||
<li><p>Most of respondents did not try to find an alternative to antibiotics by using another selection system.</p></li> | <li><p>Most of respondents did not try to find an alternative to antibiotics by using another selection system.</p></li> | ||
− | <li><p>All respondents agreed that they would use another | + | <li><p>All respondents agreed that they would use another cotransformants' selection system, that could decrease the usage of antibiotics. This has prompted our focus on creating an improved selection method for multi-plasmid systems.</p></li> |
<li><p>75.9% of respondents confirmed that an ability to keep a fixed ratio of different types of plasmids intracellularly would be useful in their experiments. It provided us a critically important feedback on one of our main project goals.</p></li> | <li><p>75.9% of respondents confirmed that an ability to keep a fixed ratio of different types of plasmids intracellularly would be useful in their experiments. It provided us a critically important feedback on one of our main project goals.</p></li> | ||
</ol> | </ol> | ||
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<p>Set along with the challenges of contemporary life, scientists are in a constant need to compare and contrast their definitions of creation, innovation and engineering of life with the public, specialists in the humanities, social sciences and arts. Therefore, we set a discussion which created an opportunity for collective thinking on the progression of synthetic biology and life sciences within the perspective of big themes of ethical responsibility, safety and future of humanity. We presented ethical issues and biosafety concerns relevant to the field of synthetic biology, the construction of synthetic life, and our project, as well as explained the importance of establishing a mutual partnership between scientists, lay public, and specialists of social sciences and arts. In addition to the lecture and discussion, we documented the experience and shift of minds of the participants by asking to express how they felt about our SynORI project before and after the event. We have learnt that on ethical and social grounds people mostly feared the reduction of the value of life itself. Almost equally important were the legal and environmental concerns of the domestication of nature. We have realized that all these issues apply to our project therefore extended the static investigation of ethical aspects of synthetic biology as we took it to the next level by setting up an interactive exhibition to embrace the mutual partnership with the society.</p> | <p>Set along with the challenges of contemporary life, scientists are in a constant need to compare and contrast their definitions of creation, innovation and engineering of life with the public, specialists in the humanities, social sciences and arts. Therefore, we set a discussion which created an opportunity for collective thinking on the progression of synthetic biology and life sciences within the perspective of big themes of ethical responsibility, safety and future of humanity. We presented ethical issues and biosafety concerns relevant to the field of synthetic biology, the construction of synthetic life, and our project, as well as explained the importance of establishing a mutual partnership between scientists, lay public, and specialists of social sciences and arts. In addition to the lecture and discussion, we documented the experience and shift of minds of the participants by asking to express how they felt about our SynORI project before and after the event. We have learnt that on ethical and social grounds people mostly feared the reduction of the value of life itself. Almost equally important were the legal and environmental concerns of the domestication of nature. We have realized that all these issues apply to our project therefore extended the static investigation of ethical aspects of synthetic biology as we took it to the next level by setting up an interactive exhibition to embrace the mutual partnership with the society.</p> | ||
<div class="img-cont"> | <div class="img-cont"> | ||
− | <img src=" | + | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/1/11/T--Vilnius-Lithuania--reversedscienceespresso4.jpeg" alt="img"> |
− | <div class="img-label"> | + | <div class="img-label">Discussion about bioethics and biosafety. |
− | + | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
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<h1>Bioart exhibition</h1> | <h1>Bioart exhibition</h1> | ||
<h5>We thought of many ideas to involve the public and integrate their concerns into our project but finally decided that an interactive bioart exhibition is something that has never been done before in the iGEM competition. Art is an universal mean of communication by which our team could simply explain the project to the public. People felt comfortable enough to participate as our artistic activities required no strict biological education. Participants expressed their feelings and ideas, which we integrated into the development of our project.</h5> | <h5>We thought of many ideas to involve the public and integrate their concerns into our project but finally decided that an interactive bioart exhibition is something that has never been done before in the iGEM competition. Art is an universal mean of communication by which our team could simply explain the project to the public. People felt comfortable enough to participate as our artistic activities required no strict biological education. Participants expressed their feelings and ideas, which we integrated into the development of our project.</h5> | ||
+ | <div class="img-cont"> | ||
+ | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/b/b6/T--Vilnius-Lithuania--paroda6.jpeg" alt="img"> | ||
+ | <div class="img-label">Our bioart exhibition. | ||
+ | </div> | ||
+ | </div> | ||
<p>Our exhibition consisted of three parts:</p> | <p>Our exhibition consisted of three parts:</p> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
<li><p>[un]ethical. Interactive installation encouraged the audience to consider issues of engineering living organisms. The attendees were invited to express their attitude towards Gene editing, GMOs and Synthetic Biology by applying customised stickers on the wall. The size of the sticker indicated how in favour with a topic were they, while proximity revealed the fear of potential dangers.Further comments could have been added on the provided stickers.</p></li> | <li><p>[un]ethical. Interactive installation encouraged the audience to consider issues of engineering living organisms. The attendees were invited to express their attitude towards Gene editing, GMOs and Synthetic Biology by applying customised stickers on the wall. The size of the sticker indicated how in favour with a topic were they, while proximity revealed the fear of potential dangers.Further comments could have been added on the provided stickers.</p></li> | ||
− | <li><p>SynORI | + | <li><p>SynORI - a framework for multi-plasmid systems. The series of drawings introduced the process of developing a SynORI - synthetic origin of replication.</p></li> |
<li><p>The lab. Visitors experienced the process of scientific experiment and daily life in the laboratory first-hand by interacting with auditory exhibits. The tunes allowed to create new associations with scientists and their daily routine.</p></li> | <li><p>The lab. Visitors experienced the process of scientific experiment and daily life in the laboratory first-hand by interacting with auditory exhibits. The tunes allowed to create new associations with scientists and their daily routine.</p></li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
+ | <div class="img-cont"> | ||
+ | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/f/f3/T--Vilnius-Lithuania--paroda7.jpeg" alt="img"> | ||
+ | <div class="img-label">Drawings, introducing the process of creating SynORI. | ||
+ | </div> | ||
+ | </div> | ||
<p>iGEM projects are not simply scientific works, but are also keen to involve and be relevant to the society. Our ethics and bioart exhibition activities provided insights, how fundamental projects, that deal with improving methods of construction of GMMs, should be presented and what concerns they elicit. Our human practices made us more aware and socially sensitive, and we integrated this approach to our project making it more public-friendly and open for discussion to debunk the fears and myths of synthetic biology.</p> | <p>iGEM projects are not simply scientific works, but are also keen to involve and be relevant to the society. Our ethics and bioart exhibition activities provided insights, how fundamental projects, that deal with improving methods of construction of GMMs, should be presented and what concerns they elicit. Our human practices made us more aware and socially sensitive, and we integrated this approach to our project making it more public-friendly and open for discussion to debunk the fears and myths of synthetic biology.</p> | ||
<p>With guidance of our partners from arts, we have also prepared a short protocol for the creation of bioart exhibitions, which you can find here:</p> | <p>With guidance of our partners from arts, we have also prepared a short protocol for the creation of bioart exhibitions, which you can find here:</p> | ||
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download the PDF file.</a></p> | download the PDF file.</a></p> | ||
</object> | </object> | ||
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Revision as of 15:36, 1 November 2017
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