Team:Kyoto/HumanPractice

HumanPractice

Introduction

This year, we suggested a project, ”iGEM Japan Human Practice.” In this project, we drive an attitude survey on genetic engineering and biotechnology cooperating with other Japanese iGEM teams. In order to take advantage of this result for future human practice activities, we attempted to recognize the current situation.

Motivation

Acording to previous teams' results of human practice activity which is a survey with questions about genetic engineering, many Japanese people chose "negative" or "neutral" on compared to other nationalities ^[1]. In addition, it is often said that many Japanese people hate or prevent genetically modified food ^[2]. We are interested in this tendency. Thus, we attempt to indicate the reason why many Japanese people have a negative impression for genetic engineering, and the further opinions included in the answer, "neutral." We made a questionnaire below, asking about the impressions on genetic engineering and words related to iGEM, or Synthetic biology.

Advantages

1. By cooperating with several teams to share the some steps of human practice activities, we can reduce the works but improve the quality of the survey result in terms of rich amount of the samples.
2. We can lead more attention from mass-media by driving this activity as iGEM Japan, than as one university team. This will be a great help for many aspects, such as announcing the activities of iGEM, inviting sponsors, further human practice activities.
3. This project will be a good opportunity to deepen the relationships between each Japanese iGEMers. Actually, we are planning iGEM JAPAN project, which includes not only human practice activities but also construction of iGEM JAPAN Website, PR by magazines, participation in symposiums for example.

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Methods

5 in 9 Japanese teams, KIT-Kyoto, Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo_Metropolitan, Tokyo_Tech, and UT-Tokyo took part in this project. We all used paper-based questionnaire, but the places and terms are depending on teams.

We have conducted a survey from June 30 to September 26 in the places which are near the universities.

Targets, Terms, and Places

Kyoto

• Students
  • July 12 - September 26 at Kyoto University
• Others
  • August 28, 29 at Masukata Shopping Street, Kyoto
  • September 4 at Grace Tanaka, Kyoto
  • September 11, 12 at Coop Shimogamo, Kyoto

Questionnaire

Attitude survey of [ genetic engineering / biotechnology ]

1. When shopping, do you buy "not genetically modified food”?
   • [ Always buy / Tend to buy / Hardly mind / Not mind / I have never seen such an indication ]
2. What do you associate with [ genetic engineering and biotechnology ]? (※Please circle all that apply)
   • [ Clone / GM crops (foods) / Patent / DNA / Genome / Medicine / Cosmetic / Bioethics / Virus / Artificial Life / Novel Prize / Environment / Biological weapon / iPS cells, ES cells / Biofuel / Biohazard / Others( ) ]
3. If there is no difference in effect, what do you think about using the drugs manufactured by [ genetic engineering / biotechnology ]?
   • [ Not mind I use / Hardly mind I use / If possible, I don't want to use / I must not use / I don't know ]
4. What do you think of the artificial genetic mutation?
   • [ Bad / Little bad / Little good / Good ]
5. Which trend of information about [ genetic engineering / biotechnology ] is major, negative or positive?
   • [ Negative / About the same degree / Positive / No idea ]
6. Do you think Japan actively tackles [ genetic engineering / biotechnology ]?
   • [ Yes / Partly yes / Not so much / No ]
7. Do you think the research on [ genetic engineering / biotechnology ] should continue?
   • [ Yes / No ]
   • If you answered [Yes], please circle every fit reason from below.
     1. Because it may be useful for food crisis.
     2. Because it may solve environmental problems.
     3. Because it may solve energy problems.
     4. Because it may be applied to medicine.
     5. Because it may be a new business.
     6. Because it can use preservation of the species.
     7. Because it symbolizes the development of science and technology.
     8. Because it has already been put to practical use in many countries.
     9. Because it has potential.
     10. Because it is interesting as academic.
     11. Others( )
   • If you answered [No], please circle every reason from below.
     1. Because it can create evil things harmful to environment and humans.
     2. Because products of it can be harmful to ecosystem.
     3. Because products of it can be harmful to human body.
     4. Because I can't approve it ethically.
     5. Because people say it is dangerous.
     6. Because it can be applied to evil use.
     7. Because there are not enough laws governing it.
     8. Because it can be replaced by other technologies.
     9. Because it seems to have less potential than other technologies.
     10. Because I feel somehow uneasy.
8. Have you ever heard the word, "Synthetic biology"? [ YES / NO ]

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Results

We drove this survey from July to September 26th.

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Discussion

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Conclusion

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Reference

1. Darryl R. J. Macer, Ph.D., [http://www.eubios.info/AGE.htm Attitudes to Genetic Engineering: Japanese and International Comparisons], Eubios Ethics Institute 1992
2. Masakazu Inaba and Darryl Macer, [http://www.eubios.info/EJ133/ej133b.htm Attitudes to biotechnology in Japan in 2003], Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 13 (2003), 78-90.
3. Macer, D.R.J., Bezar, H., Harman, N., Kamada, H. & Macer, N., [http://www.eubios.info/EJ75/ej75h.htm Attitudes to Biotechnology in Japan and New Zealand in 1997, with International Comparisons], Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 7 (1997), 137-151.
4. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10973213 PMID: 10973213] Macer D, Ng MA., Changing attitudes to biotechnology in Japan., Nat Biotechnol. 2000 Sep;18(9):945-7.
5. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7765227 PMID: 7765227] Zechendorf B., What the public thinks about biotechnology., Biotechnology (N Y). 1994 Sep;12(9):870-1, 873-5.
6. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16273712 PMID: 16273712] Ng MA, Takeda C, Watanabe T, Macer D., Attitudes of the public and scientists to biotechnology in Japan at the start of 2000., Eubios J Asian Int Bioeth. 2000 Jul;10(4):106-13.
7. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11654983 PMID: 11654983] Asada Y, Tsuzuki M, Akiyama S, Macer NY, Macer DR., High school teaching of bioethics in New Zealand, Australia and Japan., J Moral Educ. 1996 Dec;25(4):401-20.
8. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9062920 PMID: 9062920] Hoban TJ., Consumer acceptance of biotechnology: an international perspective., Nat Biotechnol. 1997 Mar;15(3):232-4.
9. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9202112 PMID: 9202112] Europe ambivalent on biotechnology. Biotechnology and the European Public Concerted Action group., Nature. 1997 Jun 26;387(6636):845-7.
10. [http://web.staff.or.jp/ STAFF] (2006)., Report of STAFF (in Japanese), available at: http://web.staff.or.jp/data/ivent/200603/20-2006032211531309821.pdf
11. [http://www.cbijapan.com/ JMAR/CBI Japan] (2004)., "GMO" ni kansuru shohisha chosa (in Japanese), available at: http://www.cbijapan.com/d_investigation/2004.pdf
12. iGEM 2009 - Team:Freiburg_bioware/Human_Practice/Ethics

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