Human Practices Development

We have thought about the Human Practices from the very beginning of KILL XYL. At the beginning of the project, we drew the limits of the project and discussed the different actors that were going to be involved and affected by our scientific approach. This way our project could be as adapted as much as possible to the needs of society.

Then, the more our project advanced and defined itself, the more we worked on the practical side of Human Practices.

First and foremost safety  is crucial in a lab. To work in synthetic biology, we ask ourselves about the consequences of our manipulation and the safety level of each organism that we used. We also always made sure to work in the best conditions. We didn't experiment with P2 level organisms. We also wanted to make sure that our product, especially our phage-like particle, as it is a GMO, is environmentally friendly and doesn't pollute the soil or harm plants. To do so, we tested our phages in various conditions.

To know about the olive growers and farmer’s opinions, we contacted them and did a survey, first via the web and then in person, during an agricultural fair. This approach helped us to figure out their needs and their thoughts about Xylella fastidiosa. Then we could work accordingly to what we learned from them.

We got advice from several different experts :  Mireille Ansaldi, the PI of the phage cycle and bacteria metabolism group in the LCB; Marie-Agnès Jacques, a researcher and expert on X. fastidiosa, and Jacques Van Helden, a professor of bioinformatics at Aix-Marseille University who specializes in the analysis of regulatory sequences.

Ms Jacques, the X. fastidiosa specialist and agronomist, when we consulted her about the relevance of our project, warned us we would be affected by the legislation on GMO's and the authorization of plant treatment products. We therefore began a complete study of relevant french and European law, thanks to a collaboration with the Paris-Saclay team. This allowed us to see the different steps necessary to sell our product in France and in Europe.

To sum up, our project grew entwined with the human practices from the very beginning.