Our team sought to make obesity treatment and synthetic biology more relatable by combining expert medical insight with public engagement. Through interviews with neurosurgeons and biomedical professionals, we explored how GLP-1 drugs (such as Ozempic and Wegovy) affect the brain’s reward and appetite circuits. These discussions bridged the gap between molecular biology and real-world clinical and ethical considerations, encouraging reflection on how scientific innovation intersects with social behavior.
We transformed these insights into an interactive learning campaign on Instagram that addressed the stigma and misinformation surrounding obesity. Each post was designed to translate complex concepts — such as neuroendocrine pathways, microbiome signaling, and metabolic regulation — into accessible, visually engaging stories.
Rather than promoting a single “solution,” the campaign emphasized empathy, diversity of body experiences, and the importance of continuous education. Audience comments and follow-up discussions helped the team refine its scientific communication skills while learning from public perceptions and questions — creating a genuine two-way dialogue.
All educational content, including interview notes, research summaries, and social-media templates, was documented and archived. This allows other iGEM teams to replicate our workflow — from expert consultation to public translation — and adapt the materials to their own local contexts. Our open documentation model encourages future teams to explore how biomedical topics can be ethically and clearly communicated to non-specialists.
The project was intentionally structured around inclusive, evidence-based communication. By simplifying technical ideas into modular, “building-block” content, we made synthetic biology approachable to broader audiences, including students and young adults unfamiliar with the field. Every outreach activity was reviewed by both scientific mentors and social-media specialists to ensure accuracy, tone sensitivity, and accessibility across cultures.
Through expert dialogue, reflective content creation, and transparent sharing of materials, our team demonstrated how synthetic biology education can move beyond laboratory boundaries — fostering empathy, ethical awareness, and scientific literacy in public health. This initiative contributes not only to awareness of obesity and metabolic research but also to a larger educational mission: helping more people understand, discuss, and participate in the shaping of synthetic biology.
Figure 1: Team Essential Korea’s Instagram-based education campaign translating the science of GLP-1 drugs and microbiome research into accessible, stigma-free public messages. The posts encouraged reflection on health literacy, empathy, and responsible innovation in biotechnology.
To extend inclusivity beyond language and geography, Team Essential Korea launched an Instagram campaign aimed at reducing stigma and misinformation surrounding obesity. Each post combined scientific clarity with empathetic communication, presenting topics such as body positivity, misconceptions about GLP-1 drugs, and the social determinants of obesity in visually digestible formats. Our posts were written in plain language, paired with multilingual hashtags and accessible graphics to reach diverse age groups and literacy levels. By encouraging reflective dialogue rather than judgment, the campaign successfully bridged the gap between science and empathy, promoting the idea that obesity management is not about perfection or willpower — but about sustainable health and informed choice.
