Team:Tokyo Metropolitan/Human Practice

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Human Practice


Introduction

We collaborated with other Japanese iGEM teams on human practice. Main activities are a survey on the attitudes toward genetic engineering and biotechnology. And, we have performed a variety of activities to let people know them. The reason why we collaborate with other Japanese teams is to collect the samples in various regions in Japan. And we can share our work load, so exchanges among Japanese iGEM teams have been boosted.

Methods

Targets, Terms, and Places

<Tokyo Metropolitan>

・Students

July 1 - September 26 at Tokyo Metropolitan University

July 30 - September 26 TMU team member’s friends


・Others

June 30 – July 2, Bio EXPO at Tokyo

July 16, Public forum on Education development project at Tokyo Metropolitan University

July 18, August 20 Opened lab at Tokyo Metropolitan University

September 18, 19 “Mitaka science and technology fair” at Tokyo

August 7 – September 26 TMU team member’s family and acquaintances

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 / 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 ]

Results

Discussion

Q1, More adults avoid “genetically modified food” than students. Especially, we think, full-time house makers have a lot of interest in food safety because they go shopping and buy foods nearly every day.Mean while, students worrier about the price than about the safety. And they are from different generations. Students today have studied about “genetic engineering” before.


Q2, The top three are ”Clone”, “GM crops(foods)” ,”DNA” in any jobs. “Genome” is lower than we thought. Include “iPS cells, ES cells”, these are academic language. So these are little understood popular expect students in sciences. Among students in arts, there are remarkably few people who think that “genetic engineering” or “biotechnology” is associated with closer to their lives, for example, medicine and cosmetic. In others (not students), they don’t know academic language well, but they know it is associated with their lives.


Q3, Q1 and Q3 show the same tendency. Adults think to avoid using it.


Q4, There is not much difference between answers on genetic engineering and biotechnology. And students today don’t have a bad impression of genetic engineering. From as far back as they can remember, these technologies have used.


Q5, The answers on genetic engineering are more negative than biotechnology. We think that there is an effect of mass media. They have established a public image of genetic engineering is not good.


Q6, There is not much difference between students and others. We must do actively to popularize genetic engineering and biotechnology because of the answers are half “Yes” and half “No”


Q7, Many respondents answered they think the research on genetic engineering or biotechnology should continue!! The image of genetic engineering is not good ( Q1, 3 ), but more than 80% of all respondents recommend the research. We think, this means it is depending on what research.


<the research should continue> Students in science think it is interesting as academic. Managerial Position anticipate a new business , literally. Overall, they anticipate “be useful for food crisis”, “be applied to medicine”, “potential”.

<the research should not continue> There is not much difference between answers on genetic engineering and biotechnology. Most of them are concerned about effect of genetic engineering or biotechnology on environment and humans. Students in arts feel somehow uneasy. We think it can improve by awareness activities.


Q8, There is not much difference between students and others. Overall, person who knows “Synthetic Biology” is few (10~20% of all respondents). So, we need activities to convey this.


Conclusion

We take the view that genetic engineering is not good impression by ordinary Japanese (expect students) from the questionnaire result. So, we had some activities to improve this.


・@Mitaka science technology and science fair (at Tokyo) September 18, 19

We communicated “What is DNA?” and “What is genetic engineering?” to the public. Many civil came, and we could talk to them.

・@Science café(at University of Tokyo) May 29, 30

Some of iGEM Japan team( UT-Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka ) had the Science café.We could talk to let people know Synthetic biology and iGEM!


And our participation in some fairs after iGEM jamboree has already decided.


・Teaching experiments to junior and senior students with UT-Tokyo.

・Doing a poster presentation with UT-Tokyo and Kyoto at [http://www.scienceagora.org/scienceagora/agora2010/en/ Science Agora] in Tokyo.

・Teaching experiments to students collaborated with [http://en.leaveanest.com/ Leave a nest co., ltd].


We want to continue such awareness activities, and spread knowledge of genetic engineering.



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