Team:Kyoto/HumanPractice

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HumanPractice

Introduction

This year, we iGEM Japan carry out”iGEM Japan Human Practice” suggested by iGEM Kyoto. In this project, we drove an attitude survey on genetic engineering and biotechnology cooperating with one another Japanese iGEM team. We attempted to recognize the current situation, and we will take advantage of this result for future human practice activities.

Motivation

According to previous teams' results of human practice activity which is a survey with questions about genetic engineering, more Japanese people chose "negative" or "neutral" than the 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 attempted to indicate the reason why many Japanese people have a negative impression for genetic engineering. 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

Five of the nine Japanese teams, KIT-Kyoto, Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo_Metropolitan, 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

KIT-Kyoto

• Students
  • July 12 - September 26 at Kyoto Institute of Technology University
• Others
  • August 10 at Open Campus in Kyoto Institute of Technology University

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

Osaka

• Others
  • August 10 at Osaka University from high school student or their parents

Tokyo_Metropolitan

• Students
  • July 1 - September 26 at Tokyo Metropolitan University
  • July 30 - September 26 (Tokyo_Metropolitan team member’s friends)
• Others
  • June 30 - July 2 in BIO EXPO JAPAN ^{[http://www.bio-expo.jp/en/Home/]} at Tokyo.
  • July 16 in Public Forum on Education Development Project at Tokyo Metropolitan University
  • July 18, August 20 in Open Lab at Tokyo Metropolitan University
  • September 18, 19 in Mitaka Science and Technology Fair at Tokyo
  • August 7 - September 26 (Tokyo_Metropolitan team member's family and acquaintances)

UT-Tokyo

• Others (High School Students)
  • July 31 at SEG, a cram school, Tokyo

Questionnaire

We make 2 similar kinds of questionnaire.One is "Attitude survey of genetic engineering" and the other is "Attitude survey of biotechnology." They are almost same, but "Attitude survey of biotechnology" has a little different question from "Attitude survey of genetic engineering". We only change the word "genetic engineering" of the survey for "biotechnology" in order to make "Attitude survey of biotechnology."

And we attempt to indicate difference of image between "genetic engineering" and "biotechnology"

Attitude survey of ( genetic engineering or 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 or 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 or 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 by ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )?
   • [ Bad / Little bad / Little good / Good ]
5. Which trend of information about ( genetic engineering or biotechnology ) is major, negative or positive?
   • [ Negative / About the same degree / Positive / No idea ]
6. Do you think Japan actively tackles ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )?
   • [ Yes / Partly yes / Not so much / No ]
7. Do you think the research on ( genetic engineering or 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.
     11. Others( )
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.

Raw data: HumanPractice.xls

↑↓統合します

All data: [Human_Practice_Japan_allresult]

Our result is too much to write all on this page.So we write only graphs on this page and upload all result data. We analyze mainly following points.

• compare with arts and science(*) in college student
• compare with "genetic engineering" and "biotechnology"
• compare in job
• compare with college student and others

(*)In Japan, classification of arts and science is important. Because the classification is a big factor to decide the subjects that are to be tested on the entrace examination for a university. So Japanese students study different things due to the classification during high school. We predict that there is any difference between arts and science.

Scale

Following is the scale of our survey(whole iGEM Japan.)＜人数訂正＞

Job

College Student
No.	Arts or Sciences	Genetic Engineering	Biotechnology	Subtotal
1	Arts	113	58	171
2	Sciences	296	110	406
0	No response	201	1	202
-	Total	610	169	779
Other
No.	Job	Genetic Engineering	Biotechnology	Subtotal
1	Full-time House maker	114	0	114
2	Part-time Jobber	57	0	57
3	Student	41	3	44
4	Office Worker	161	1	162
5	Civil Servant	39	0	39
6	Self-employed	39	1	40
7	Managerial Position	17	0	17
8	Unemployed	34	0	34
9	Other	44	14	58
10	High-school Student	93	39	132
0	No Response	35	0	35
-	Subtotal	674	58	732
-	Total	1284	227	1511

Sex

Male	771
Female	702
No Response	38
Total	1511

Graph

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 ]

Evasion index is an average when Always buy is 4 points, Tend to buy is 3 points, Hardly mind is 2points, and Not mind is 1point.

2. What do you associate with ( genetic engineering or 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( ) ]

[some graphs (without reference)]

3. If there is no difference in effect, what do you think about using the drugs manufactured by ( genetic engineering or 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 ]

Number of arts plus Number of science is not equal to subtotal because subtotal contains number of no response.

4. What do you think of the artificial genetic mutation by ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )?

• [ Bad / Little bad / Little good / Good ]

[4 graphs]

5. Which trend of information about ( genetic engineering or biotechnology ) is major, negative or positive?

1. • [ Negative / About the same degree / Positive / No idea ]

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6. Do you think Japan actively tackles ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )?

• [ Yes / Partly yes / Not so much / No ]

[4 graphs]

7 Do you think the research on ( genetic engineering or biotechnology ) should continue?

• [ Yes / No ]

[4 graphs]

• 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( )

[4 graphs]

• 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.

[4 graphs]

8. Have you ever heard the word, "Synthetic biology"?

• [ YES / NO ]

[4 graphs]

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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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