Overview
For us, inclusivity is not only about who can participate in science, but also about whether scientific outcomes reduce or exacerbate inequalities.
Cat allergy is a global issue affecting not only cat-owning families, but also non-owners who cannot safely enter environments with cats (friend's homes, classrooms, workplaces, public spaces). This creates invisible exclusion.
Our guiding principle is Technology for All: designing under constraints of safety, reversibility, affordability, and accessibility, so that people across different economic, medical, and social backgrounds can benefit.
1) Identifying and Validating Barriers (HP Evidence Chain)
● Economic barriers : Immunotherapy is expensive; NGOs note that low-income families face higher risk of abandoning cats when children develop allergies.
● Medical barriers : Clinicians (e.g., Zhejiang University Hospital) emphasized that asthma or immune-compromised patients are particularly vulnerable to drug side effects, lacking safe long-term solutions.
● Social barriers : Rescue/NGO groups reported ~ 1/3 of cohabiting families experience allergies, with child allergies leading to higher abandonment risk. Non-owners are also passively excluded from “cat-present environments.”
● Cognitive barriers : In our survey of 703 respondents , many misidentified “cat hair” as the allergen source. Awareness of allergenic proteins (Fel d 1/4/7) and their transmission pathways was poor. When asked if they would try a source-reduction method if cat health was not affected, 54.9% said yes.
● Experimental barriers : Common cat cell lines (CRFK/F81) lack endogenous expression of allergen genes, preventing direct knockdown validation. We thus developed a yeast-based GFP RNAi reporter system , testing 15 shRNAs across 5 targets, providing a safe and reusable platform for high school teams.
● Translational barriers (delivery) : Experts and investors highlighted the lack of precedents for delivering RNA to salivary/sebaceous glands. We incorporated evaluation of transdermal/oral-spray transitional delivery into HP, and established a staged milestone model ( in vitro → animal → formulation → registration ).
2) Accessibility by Design (Science × Business × Equity)
Scientific Accessibility (Safety & Reversibility)
● We chose RNA interference (RNAi) : non-gene-editing, reversible , reducing allergen protein expression at the mRNA level.
● Fel d 2 is excluded from early products (used only for in vitro validation) to avoid potential physiological disruption.
● We prioritized shRNA for sustained effect and reduced dosing frequency.
Commercial Accessibility (Dual Products & Tiered Strategy)
● Dual product lines :
○ Functional feed additives/treats — price-friendly, suited for broad adoption.
○ Long-acting dosing (in evaluation) — for severe cases, emphasizing low frequency and reversibility.
● Channel inclusivity : Early adopters via veterinarians/pet clubs → mainstream premium market → NGOs/public subsidy programs to prevent affordability barriers.
Social Accessibility (Education & Governance)
● Multimodal materials ( video, comics, FAQ ) in bilingual/low-bandwidth formats reduce knowledge barriers.
● Developed a “Pre-adoption Education + Risk Communication” toolkit (questionnaires, guides, visitor awareness cards), supporting both owners and non-owners in safe coexistence.
Info Card C: Price & Affordability
Target monthly cost ceiling
● Industry feedback: +30–40% price premium is acceptable only with short-term perceivable effects .
● Our targets:
○ ≤ ¥150 RMB/month (~$20), comparable to functional cat food or HEPA filters.
○ ≤ ¥2 RMB per treat/snack unit , ensuring sustainable daily use.
Perceivable effect window
● Clinicians & companies emphasized a 2–4 week window as critical for adherence.
● Our targets:
○ 20% reduction in Fel d 1 environmental concentration within 2–4 weeks (lab metric).
○ Observable symptom reduction (sneezing/tearing frequency) in user tracking.
Tiered pricing example
| User group | Product type | Price (RMB/month) | Subsidy mechanism | Interview mapping |
| High-end early adopters | Semi-annual injection | 1000–1500 | None | Investor: focus on severe cases first |
| Mainstream families | Functional additive/food | 100–150 | Pet food bundles & discounts | Company: +30–40% premium accepted |
| Equity coverage | Treats/snacks | 20–50 | NGO/public subsidies for child-allergy families | NGO: abandonment risk with child allergies |
Interview mapping
● Companies (Zhejiang Kesheng/Petty): Price sensitivity → 100–150 RMB/month as feasible band.
● NGOs: Subsidy necessary for child-allergy risk → low-cost treats + support .
● Doctors: 2–4 week perceivable effect → key to trust and compliance.
3) Inclusive Education & Outreach (Track A/B: From Curiosity to Action)
Track A: Layered Synthetic Biology Education
● A1 Kindergarten (30 kids) : Illustrated PPT with Pinyin; “cell ≠ bacteria” accuracy 43%→86% .
● A2 Middle School (250+ students) : Cat allergy + gene silencing basics; “allergen = protein not hair” 45%→87% ; added dose-effect & reversibility slides in response to questions.
● A3 Family/Public Summer Camp (500+Family) : Week-long lecture series; “allergen = protein” 41%→89% ; families suggesting ≥1 exposure reduction method 33%→77% .
● A4 Online & Cross-team Collaboration : Co-authored the Synthetic Biology Myth-Busting Guide with 33 teams (17% content contribution). Distributed across 8 platforms, 280k+ reach , 1200+ interactions . Feedback (e.g., “shaving cats prevents allergy?”) was integrated back into Track A/B materials.
Track B: Project-Relevant Allergy Education
● B1–B2 Surveys : Confirmed misconceptions (“hair vs proteins”), strong acceptance of environmental management measures.
● B3 Family Lectures : Content flow — what allergens are → how they spread → how to reduce exposure → how to critically read claims → case: RNAi . Significant improvements in knowledge and intentions.
● B4 Education ↔ Project Loop : Surveys shaped project communication; RNAi case study reinforced “safe, reversible, evidence-based” framing.
All materials (scripts, guides, simplified formats, glossary) are shared under CC BY-SA for reuse.
4) Evidence & Metrics (Verification & Reusability)
● Knowledge gains : Pre/post survey improvements across A1–A3 cohorts.
● Behavioral intentions : Post-lecture, majority of families committed to at least one exposure-reduction routine.
● Equity metrics :
○ Affordability anchored by monthly ceiling, perceivable effect window, tiered pricing .
○ Coverage across high-end → mainstream → NGO-supported families .
○ Bilingual & low-bandwidth packages ensure information equity.
● Reusability : The RNAi-yeast GFP reporter system and educational toolkits can be directly reused by other iGEM teams, including resource-limited high school teams.
5) Reflection & Commitment
● For all allergy-affected people : Serving both cat owners and non-owners who are currently excluded from environments.
● Integration of science, business, and education :
○ Science: safe, reversible, multi-target .
○ Business: dual product lines + tiered pricing + subsidy mechanisms .
○ Education: layered, bilingual, low-bandwidth, myth-busting .
● Next steps : Address the translational bottleneck (delivery to salivary/sebaceous glands) via transdermal/oral-spray pilots , while continuing our staged validation ( in vitro → animal → formulation → registration ), with sustained collaboration with clinicians, regulators, and NGOs.
Alignment with Judging Questions
● Barriers identified? Yes: economic, medical, social, cognitive, and technical, validated via surveys + 15 expert/NGO/industry interviews.
● Expanded access? Yes: RNAi’s reversibility reduces scientific barriers; tiered product strategy reduces economic barriers; open materials reduce knowledge barriers.
● Target group dialogue? Yes: Needs/values of doctors, NGOs, families, and companies directly shaped design (cost ceiling, effect window, product forms).
● Reusable documentation? Yes: Open-sourced tools, guides, and affordability frameworks allow replication by future teams.
