Overview
Our Integrated Human Practices journey began with a simple question: Is technology inherently good or bad?
Guided by this reflection, we built our project around responsibility, inclusivity, and real-world relevance. Through dialogues with scientists, clinicians, and policymakers, we shaped a multicellular yeast platform inspired by the “AI Yeast System” concept to address antifungal drug resistance. From early conceptual debates to clinical fieldwork and ethical reflections, each encounter refined our design and ensured our work remained scientifically sound and socially conscious — a project truly created for humanity, not just by technology.
Designing for Responsibility
“Our technology has exceeded our humanity.”
-- Albert Einstein
These words are not just a warning — they are a mirror. This qote became the seed of our Human Practices journey. It made us pause and reflect—not only on what we could create, but on why and for whom we were creating it.
Through months of dialogue—with scientists, clinicians, policymakers, and designers—we sought to weave inclusivity, reflection, and real-world responsiveness into every part of our work. What follows is the story of how each encounter reshaped our understanding of what it means to build technology that serves humanity.
What's Wrong with Our Technology?
Our journey began with a simple but profound question: What's Wrong with Our Technology?
During the winter vacation, we launched a science-by-letter outreach program to introduce synthetic biology to students across China.
In our letters, we explained how scientists design and modify organisms to perform beneficial functions and outlined our educational framework. We also posed open-ended questions, such as:
- What does biology look like to you?
- Are you familiar with any cutting-edge synthetic biology technologies?
- How much do you think these technologies impact living organisms?
The students responded with enthusiasm, sharing their curiosity, challenges, and creative ideas. One question, however, stood out:
“Is this ‘new’ technology truly beneficial or harmful? Will it make a real difference? Does it genuinely matter to society?”
This simple yet profound doubt prompted us to pause and reflect. Through this activity, we began to consider whether synthetic biology technologies inherently have “good” or “bad” effects. For example, the development of antibiotics is a clear technological advancement — but does it serve as a blessing for humanity, or could it also bring unforeseen challenges?
This reflection naturally led us to examine our own project. We asked: how can we ensure that the technologies we develop provide real societal benefits rather than unintended problems? Guided by these questions, we embarked on further exploration and practical efforts, designing our project to not only advance science but also respond meaningfully to human needs and ethical considerations.
With this philosophical foundation, we turned to the scientific core of our project: multicellular yeast as a platform for dynamic screening of antifungal-resistance targets. We started to think about whether multicellular yeast could make a difference. Our discussions with experts helped us shape the idea and define its scientific and societal significance.
From Reflection to Design
Our journey began with Dr. Boxun Lu, a neurobiologist at Fudan University, who proposed an “AI Yeast System” — a vision of simulating living cells through artificial intelligence. His idea expanded our understanding of biology: it is not only experimental but also computational, predictive, and creative.
This discussion became the foundation of our simulation-driven design approach. Inspired by Dr. Lu’s perspective, we envisioned using modeling to predict antifungal resistance pathways. From these early reflections, the concept of multicellular yeast as a research platform was born.
Discussion with Dr. Boxun Lu
Date: January 15th, 2025
Respondent: Dr. Boxun Lu
Respondent Profile: Researcher @ Department of Neurobiology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University; Study neurodegenerative diseases, develop original drug development strategies
Key Takeaways:
Professor Lu suggested that with the rise of large-scale AI models, an exciting direction is to simulate living cells through artificial digital systems — what he called an “AI Yeast System”. Such a concept, he noted, could have transformative implications for biopharmaceutical research and resonated strongly with our project’s vision of simulation-driven design.
His insights inspired us profoundly and laid the foundation for our modeling strategy to predict and guide experimental design (see our Model page). After extensive internal discussion, we refined our idea and decided to employ multicellular yeast as a platform for dynamic screening of antibiotic-resistance targets — forming the initial blueprint of the project we are presenting today.
After extensive discussion, we refined our idea and decided to employ multicellular yeast as a platform for dynamic screening of antibiotic-resistance targets — forming the initial blueprint of the project we are developing today. It was here that the concept of multicellular yeast as a research platform was born.
Following this conceptual inspiration, we sought advice from Dr. Hengchi Chen, who encouraged us to root our ideas in real-world environmental changes. He reminded us that antifungal resistance is deeply intertwined with ecological pressures and climate change, both of which drive the rise of pathogenic fungi.
Discussion with Dr. Hengchi Chen
Date: March 7th, 2025
Respondent: Dr. Hengchi Chen
Respondent Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher @ the University of Göttingen, Ecology
Topic: The Rise of Polyploids During Environmental Catastrophes
Polyploidy did not arise randomly but surged during major environmental upheavals such as the K–Pg mass extinction, suggesting that climate change may promote the emergence and survival of polyploids.
- Dr. Chen found the idea of using multicellular yeast as a new chassis fascinating, but he reminded us that the we need connect out project with our life closely, for example, the climate change makes more and more fungi to appear, and lots of fungi are antibiotic with the abundant use of antibiotic, it is the time for us to find a new way to think the mechanism behind this phenomenon . He advised us to anchor the project in a concrete situation where multicellular yeast is crucial for tackling new crisis, and to make sure its structural stability is convincingly supported.
- Conversations with people familiar with the field gave us fresh perspectives. Their feedback not only clarified our goals but also inspired us to look deeper into why multicellular yeast matters and what it could contribute to research on antifungal resistance.
To broaden our perspective, we then consulted international researchers such as Prof. Will Ratcliff, whose pioneering work on multicellularity inspired us to think creatively about both system design and public engagement.
These early discussions transformed a conceptual idea into a research direction grounded in both biological feasibility and societal relevance.
Email exchange with Dr. Willim Ratcliff
Date: March-April, 2025
Respondent: Dr. Willim Ratcliff
Respondent Profile: John C. and Leslie C. Sutherland Professor, School of Biological Sciences @ Georgia Institute of Technology; Study major transitions in evolution (mainly multicellularity)
Topic: Re: Students from Fudan University want to get involved in the http://snowflakeyeastlab.com/
Key Takeaways:
- Prof. Ratcliff offered invaluable insights during the early stages of our project. He encouraged us to think creatively with the concept of multicellular yeast and to keep improving and expanding upon our initial ideas.
- The outreach lab organized by Prof. Ratcliff greatly inspired us by demonstrating how even complex scientific concepts developed in laboratories can be simplified and shared with the public, thereby promoting accessibility and ensuring equal opportunities for quality education.
Discussion with Prof. Don Cleveland
Date: July 26th, 2025
Respondent: Prof. Don Cleveland
Respondent Profile: A member of three major U.S. academies and an eminent cancer and neurobiologist, is Dean of UC San Diego’s Cell & Mol. Med. Dept. He was 2013 American Society for Cell Biology President, won the 2018 Life Science Breakthrough Award for hereditary ALS research, and advanced mitotic spindle and chromosome movement studies.
Topic: Exploring yeast gene markers and strategies for broad gene coverage
Key Takeaways:
- We had an in-depth exchange with Prof. Cleveland on the current frontiers and prospects of synthetic biology. He shared his own research experiences, which greatly inspired and encouraged us.
- We asked about the feasibility of labeling or visualizing as many yeast genes as possible to trace mutation sites. Prof. Cleveland explained that, given the vast number of yeast genes, it is technically unfeasible to identify a universal marker that covers most genes.
- Based on his advice, we reflected on the limitations of our current capabilities and recognized that clarifying mother-daughter genetic variations exceeds our technical scope. This conversation helped us realign our project direction and identify future research possibilities.
This exchange refined our project scope and reinforced a pragmatic research ethos: aim high, but design experiments we can reliably execute and interpret.
As our project evolved, we realized the importance of aligning innovation with clinical needs. We sought guidance from medical professionals to ensure our work addressed real-world challenges.
Discussion with Prof. Guanghua Huang
Date: April 15th, 2025
Respondent: Prof. Guanghua Huang
Respondent Profile: Executive Director @ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University; Study fungi morphological development, pathogenic mechanism, drug resistance mechanism and new drug screening of pathogenic Candida species in humans
Key Takeaways:
- Prof. Huang emphasized the need to distinguish between basic biological research and engineering applications. The multicellular yeast system, he noted, may exhibit enhanced resistance due to intercellular cooperation—an advantage for both industrial fermentation and drug screening.
- He suggested modeling resistance evolution through gene knockout of resistance-related loci or drug-induced selection, effectively simulating how clinical fungal pathogens acquire resistance.
- For a more thorough understanding of our multicellularity, he recommended using ultrasonic dispersion to separate multicellular clusters into single cells and streptomycin resistance markers to streamline strain selection, which may help us distinguish the differences in characteristics between multicellularity and single cells.
- He encouraged focusing on clinically relevant antifungal drugs and employing synthetic biology tools to capture and record mutation trajectories during resistance development.
- His guidance clarified our research direction and provided practical strategies for connecting our multicellular yeast platform with clinically meaningful antifungal resistance studies.
Prof. Huang’s concrete methodological advice directly informed our experimental design and helped align our platform with translational research needs.
Discussion with Prof. Liping Zhu
Date: May 13th, 2025
Respondent: Prof. Liping Zhu
Respondent Profile: Expert in Clinical Mycology and Antifungal Resistance
Topic: Bridging Basic Research and Clinical Needs in Antifungal Resistance
Prof. Zhu began by emphasizing the growing global challenge of antifungal resistance. Multidrug-resistant species such as Candida auris and Candida glabrata are spreading rapidly, while the number of immunocompromised patients—such as cancer and organ transplant recipients—continues to rise.
“We must focus on the fungi that truly matter in clinical settings.”
This statement reminded us that basic research must always maintain a clear line of sight to clinical needs.
Prof. Zhu’s guidance helped us rethink the positioning of our multicellular yeast platform. He proposed that our platform could serve as a drug pre-screening system, provided that we also address the challenge of translating results to clinical pathogens.
Prof. Zhu also reminded us that successful research depends on feasibility and collaboration. He encouraged us to conduct clear feasibility analyses, define our goals, and build interdisciplinary partnerships with clinicians, microbiologists, and engineers. He stressed that research should be viewed as a long-term, collaborative journey rather than a short-term competition.
We incorporated his advice by reaching out to medical researchers for cross-disciplinary input on experimental design. His words strengthened our commitment to developing a project that bridges science and service, making our research not only technically innovative but also socially meaningful.
Conversations with Prof. Huang and Prof. Zhu were pivotal. They reminded us that antifungal resistance is not just a research topic but a growing medical crisis, especially for immunocompromised patients. Their advice helped refine our methods—from using streptomycin resistance markers to modeling resistance evolution—and focus on clinically meaningful outcomes. We learned how multicellular yeast could serve as a pre-screening system for antifungal drugs, bridging basic research and patient-centered needs.
To deepen this connection, we participated in a clinical immersion program at Huashan Hospital. Observing patients with cryptococcal meningitis revealed the human urgency behind our work: rising drug resistance, limited treatments, and lives at stake.
This experience reinforced why we began—to create technology that truly serves people. It strengthened our commitment to developing DR.sTraTeGY as a bridge between bench science and bedside application.
Clinical Immersion at Huashan Hospital, Infection Department
Date: July 21st-31st, 2025
Respondent: Huashan Hospital, Infection Department
Topic: Clinical Insights into Cryptococcal Meningitis and Antifungal Resistance
Key Takeaways:
- During our clinical immersion at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, we directly observed patients suffering from cryptococcal meningitis. Many presented with severe and life-threatening symptoms such as increased intracranial pressure, persistent vomiting, high fever, and even septic shock.
- However, there is currently no drug that can directly cure cryptococcal meningitis. The antifungal fluconazole remains the only medication available for initial treatment, yet its clinical effectiveness is increasingly compromised.
- Clinical data showed that up to 84% of patients were resistant to fluconazole, underscoring the urgent need for new antifungal agents and novel resistance-tracking strategies.
- Seeing these cases firsthand reminded us that antifungal resistance is not an abstract research topic — it is a real and urgent medical challenge. This experience strengthened our determination to design DR.sTraTeGY as a platform that can accelerate antifungal drug discovery and bridge basic research with clinical impact.
- This direct clinical exposure connected our theoretical aspirations with urgent medical needs, reinforcing the human focus of our project.
After grounding our project in clinical reality, we sought feedback from the biotechnology industry. At the Suzhou Biopharmaceutical Technology Conference, we shared our concept with R&D professionals and learned how industrial application could transform research prototypes into real-world solutions.
Attendance at Suzhou Biopharmaceutical Technology Conference
Date: June 27th, 2025
Respondent: Suzhou Biopharmaceutical Technology Conference Participants
Topic: Industry Insights and Project Feedback
Key Takeaways:
- Our team participated in the Synthetic Biology Forum at the Suzhou Biopharmaceutical Technology Conference, where we explored the latest advancements and learned how industry leaders are leveraging synthetic biology for product development.
- Discussions and presentations broadened our perspective on the applications of synthetic biology in real-world contexts, helping us refine our project concept and align it more closely with industrial needs.
- By presenting our project—using Saccharomyces cerevisiae to track antibiotic resistance targets—we received valuable feedback from professionals in leading biopharmaceutical companies. They shared insights into current R&D pipelines, screening strategies, and future directions in antibiotic resistance research.
- We established connections with several company representatives, enabling us to maintain communication and integrate industrial perspectives into the ongoing evolution of our project.
Following these industrial dialogues, we learned how practical implementation could transform scientific prototypes into viable tools for society.
At the same time, we are also actively sharing and communicating projects with various teams, and the unique insights of each team provide rich suggestions for our project promotion.
Attendance at Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai iGEM Regional Meet-up
Date: June 28th, 2025
Respondent: Jiangsu–Zhejiang–Shanghai iGEM Teams
Key Takeaways:
- The regional meetup gathered iGEM teams from 18 universities, including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, and Jiangnan University, fostering vibrant exchanges through booth exhibitions and project presentations.
- Rethinking Human Practices: Dr. Yuhan Bao, iGEM 2025 Liaison Officer and Human Practices Committee Coordinator, encouraged teams to move beyond conventional outreach and integrate HP into experimental design. He also advised visualizing the Design–Build–Test–Learn (DBTL) cycle on the wiki to highlight iteration and improvement.
- Enhancing Team Collaboration: iGEM 2025 Ambassador Xiaohan Zhang emphasized that effective teamwork is central to every successful project, underscoring the importance of clear communication and role coordination.
- Through open discussion and peer feedback, we gained new insights into both project design and Human Practices execution. A question raised during the session — “How can resistance screening be effectively implemented?” — prompted us to reflect on and refine our experimental design, further strengthening the coherence of our project.
Through these collaborations, we strengthened our teamwork and expanded our understanding of how community exchange enriches responsible research.
Attendance at the 12th CCiC
Date: August 6th-8th, 2025
Topic: Biosafety, Bio-Art and Interdisciplinary Dialogue
Key Takeaways:
- In the biosafety practice seminar, perspectives from industry, anthropology, law, and AI professionals provided diverse insights into biosafety considerations and actions.
- In the roundtable "Rewriting Perceptual Structures: Aesthetic Variations in the Age of Life Technologies," Wei Ying presented the development process of bio-art and its iconic works.
- Participated in an unconference on ethics and biosafety in synthetic biology hosted by Central South University, discussing biosafety and ethical compliance in HP practices with teams from Central South University, Hainan University, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
- Exchanged ideas with HP team members from various universities in the poster session, reaching intentions for HP collaboration and sharing creative promotional materials.
By participating in national-level interdisciplinary dialogues, we positioned our project within broader ethical, artistic, and biosafety frameworks.
Through preliminary discussions and research, our project has taken shape. We wanted to know whether our project really corresponded to the goal, so we discussed it with Mr. Jiangshan.
Discussion with Mr. Shan Jiang
Date: August 7th, 2025
Respondent: Mr. Shan Jiang
Respondent Profile: Shan Jiang is Co-founder and COO of Red Panda Biosciences and an undergraduate at the University of Edinburgh. His research in biophysics and bacterial physiology is conducted under Prof. Teuta Pilizota. He began his synthetic biology career in high school under Prof. Chenli Liu at SIAT, CAS. He co-founded iDEC in 2020 and was a member of the iGEM Engineering Committee.
Topic: Refining our research direction and understanding project significance
Key Takeaways:
- We discussed with Mr. Jiang the significance of our project, especially in light of our challenge to pinpoint precise gene mutation sites. This discussion prompted us to shift focus toward constructing a gene mutation platform rather than pursuing a single locus.
- Mr. Jiang advised us not to fixate on a specific mutation site, as mutations are inherently random. Instead, he encouraged us to broaden our scope to study larger DNA fragments or regions that encompass multiple potential mutation sites.
- He also highlighted that our platform could contribute to basic research on drug target discovery, offering long-term value in biomedical applications. This suggestion helped us refine our understanding of our project’s potential impact.
This conversation bridged academic design and real-world application, reaffirming that good science must remain open-ended, iterative, and grounded in purpose.
How Can We Better Connect with Human Society?
With a scientifically and ethically grounded foundation, we turned to a new question: how can technology truly serve people? HP is most meaningful when it connects scientific work with society. To understand how to do this effectively, we exchanged experiences with iGEM teams and experts in anthropology, public policy, and healthcare
Experience sharing with BNUZH-China, NEFU-China, CAU-China
Date: January 18th, 2025
Respondent: BNUZH-China, NEFU-China, CAU-China
Topic: About HP idea exchange, data sharing
Key Takeaways:
- Learned the importance of identifying a clear real-world problem and building a complete "problem–solution–validation" loop to ensure project relevance and credibility.
- Gained insights on team communication, emphasizing direct and open dialogue among subgroups and valuing diverse perspectives to enhance efficiency and creativity.
- Understood how to expand project impact through frameworks like the Triple Bottom Line and UN SDGs, which help demonstrate social, environmental, and economic value.
- Recognized the need for market-oriented thinking, combining rigorous research with interdisciplinary collaboration to achieve sustainable application beyond the lab.
These early conversations taught us the value of collaboration and reflection, paving the way for deeper discussions on the role of humanity in scientific practice.
Dialogue with Dr. Yeyang Su
Date: August 6th, 2025
Respondent: Dr. Yeyang Su
Respondent Profile: Independent Scholar in Anthropology, expert in Medical Anthropology and iGEM Human Practices
Topic: Human Practices in Synthetic Biology
Key Takeaways:
- Human Practice is both a process-oriented and reflexive practice that requires researchers to "use oneself as a method" and embed themselves within the research.
- HP content should be closely related to the project theme, avoiding quantity-over-quality or fragmented practices in favor of well-designed, refined HP activities.
- Researchers should thoughtfully consider the subjects of their practice surveys and select the most appropriate research methods based on the research questions, avoiding methods like convenience sampling or snowball sampling that may introduce bias.
- Shared insights from medical anthropology, including the original intent behind the iGEM design maturity model and the understanding of "Integrity."
- Encouraged the team to "spend energy on what you truly want to do," emphasizing the importance of pursuing meaningful and personally motivating work.
- We shared the main challenges we faced in our Human Practices (HP) work, including limited audience engagement and difficulties linking outreach activities with our project's core goals. Each team offered constructive suggestions, such as collaborating with more iGEM teams, expanding communication channels, and inviting professionals from relevant fields to provide insights from their expertise.
- During the discussion, we found that many teams shared the same confusion: Is our HP work truly beneficial to society, or are we conducting outreach only for the sake of completing HP tasks? This question sparked deep reflection on the real purpose and value of HP.
- Together, we reached the understanding that the true significance of HP lies in two-way communication. Only through sincere dialogue and real intersections with communities can HP activities generate meaningful social impact and bring synthetic biology closer to people's lives.
Dr. Su’s anthropological perspective reminded us that science is never isolated — it thrives through empathy and dialogue.
Carpet conference with HainanU-China, HZAU-China, NKU-China
Date: August 7th, 2025
Respondent: HainanU-China, HZAU-China, NKU-China
Topic: Human Practices Exchange
Key Takeaways:
- Main challenges in Human Practices (HP): limited audience engagement and difficulty linking outreach to core project goals. Suggested solutions: collaborate with more iGEM teams, expand communication channels, involve professionals for expert insights.
- Common reflection: evaluating whether HP work is genuinely beneficial to society versus performing outreach just to complete HP tasks.
- Consensus: the true value of HP lies in two-way communication; meaningful social impact arises from sincere dialogue and real engagement with communities, bringing synthetic biology closer to people’s lives.
Together, these exchanges shaped our understanding that Human Practices are not a task, but a mindset — one that must permeate every part of the project.
Dialogue with Prof. Jianpeng Ma
Date: September 7th, 2025
Respondent: Prof. Jianpeng Ma
Respondent Profile: Director of Fudan University's Multiscale Research Institute for Complex Systems, is a leading computational biologist. His team's OPUS software suite leads the globe in protein structure prediction, powering an AI-driven platform for new drug development.
Topic: Gradual Development of AIVC & Societal Engagement
Key Takeaways:
- Iterative development: Artificial Intelligence Virtual Cells (AIVC) are built gradually, integrating data collection, experimentation, and model refinement over time rather than starting from complete knowledge of all biological, chemical, and physical details.
- Reliable predictions: This iterative cycle allows for increasingly accurate simulations even as model complexity grows.
- Broader application: The same gradual, iterative approach can be applied to societal engagement—meaningful connections don’t require full understanding upfront.
- Continuous learning: Maintaining an open mind, actively listening, and refining understanding through interaction fosters cooperation and effective dialogue in both science and society.
This parallel between iterative science and social engagement became a guiding philosophy throughout our journey.
Discussion with iGEM Munich 2025
Date: September 28th, 2025
Respondent: iGEM Munich 2025
Key Takeaways:
- We held a detailed exchange with LMU Munich focusing on our project design, education initiatives, and software development. During the discussion, both teams shared experiences on how science communication and technical innovation can reinforce each other. This interaction helped us see our own project from a broader, international perspective and understand how similar goals can take different forms in different academic settings.
- The software discussion gave us a clearer sense of our own system’s technical strengths and potential for future development. By comparing our software logic and user interface design with LMU’s tools, we identified areas for optimization and future collaboration. These insights guided us toward more focused, practical directions for the next phase of development.
Through international dialogue, we broadened our cultural perspective and strengthened our sense of global scientific responsibility.
Where is the Warning Line of Technology?
As we developed our project, we recognized the importance of establishing ethical boundaries and safety protocols to ensure responsible innovation.
Interview with Dr. Geng Hong
Date: March 20th, 2025
Respondent: Dr. Geng Hong
Respondent Profile: Assistant Professor @ Fudan Development Institute, Fudan University; Study cybercrime, privacy on mobile app, novel cybersecurity threat
Topic: AI Evaluation Tool Diagnostics & Improvement
Key Takeaways:
- Defining Data Boundaries: Dr. Hong emphasized verifying the AI’s data awareness—ensuring that the model truly “knows” the information it uses to generate scores. He suggested treating debugging as a scientific process: systematically checking whether the AI accesses the same data foundation as human evaluators and supplying missing information when needed.
- Clarifying Evaluation Logic: He highlighted the importance of aligning machine reasoning with human judgment. Teams should explicitly define their scoring logic, test whether the AI applies it consistently, and check for errors caused by webpage structure or formatting biases.
- Selecting Fit-for-Purpose Models: Dr. Hong advised prioritizing models that best suit the project’s scope and resources rather than pursuing the most advanced ones. The key is to address the project’s central problem effectively.
- Ensuring Ethical Compliance: For any research involving user interaction, he stressed the necessity of obtaining ethical approval and following Institutional Review Board (IRB) principles to maintain integrity and participant protection.
- His guidance directly addressed the technical and methodological challenges in our AI Evaluation Tool, helping us enhance its reliability, interpretability, and ethical rigor.
Through this, we not only improved our AI tool but also deepened our commitment to transparent, ethical research.
Round-table dialogue with CSU-CHINA, NKU-China, HUST-China,HainanU-China
Date: August 8th, 2025
Respondent: Members in HainanU-China, CSU-CHINA, NKU-China, HUST-China
Topic: Discussion on Biosafety
Key Takeaways:
- We discussed the clearly defined scope of China's "Biosafety Law," explained the distinction between "biosafety" (primarily focusing on laboratory biosafety) and "biosecurity" (referring to risks arising from the malicious use of biotechnology), and learnt about China's biosafety governance system.
- Together, we interpreted iGEM's requirements regarding biosafety and ethics related to human practices, summarized the biosafety work experiences of outstanding teams from previous years, and facilitated presentations by each team on their projects. Together, we identified and mutually resolved biosafety and ethical concerns encountered during the competition process.
- Our team introduced the Belmont Report, which establishes three core ethical principles for research: respect for persons (via informed consent), beneficence (maximizing benefits/minimizing risks), and justice (fair distribution of burdens and benefits).
These discussions allowed us to collectively define safety not as a constraint, but as a shared responsibility across disciplines.
Dialogue with Prof. Li Tang
Date: September 24th, 2025
Respondent: Prof. Li Tang
Respondent Profile: Professor @ Department of Public Administration, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University; Study public policy analysis; science and technology innovation policy
Topic: Science Governance, Ethics, and Public Communication
Key Takeaways:
- Prof Tang's research focuses on developing databases including sci-tech literature (1980–2024), thematic databases, and global synthetic biology policy databases such as Overton. It also involves synthetic biology governance, contributing to the Tianjin Guidelines, cross-cultural GITA studies, and science communication.
- Inclusive science communication should emphasize both the benefits and risks of synthetic biology, while addressing ethical boundaries such as informed consent and scientist conduct.
- For policy advice, tools like PKU FAZHENG can be used for research, and international governance and safety should be highlighted in public materials. Key challenges include public resistance and regulatory delays, such as slow approvals for novel materials.
- Safety concerns involve critical issues like drug resistance, gene leakage, and intellectual property theft. National governance includes measures such as wet-/dry-lab separation and dynamic black/white/grey lists.
- In China, policy flexibility is essential due to regional diversity, making direct student involvement in policy drafting less feasible compared to smaller countries. Competition judges are aware of these contextual constraints.
Prof. Tang’s guidance linked policy and practice, reminding us that science and governance must evolve together for sustainable impact.
Beyond the "Humans", More "Humans"
Additionally, We expanded our scope beyond academia, exploring how our technology could generate tangible value and empathy in the real world.
Dialogue with Mr. Jie Chen
Date: June 13th, 2025
Respondent: Mr. Jie Chen
Respondent Profile: Associate Director @ SoftBank China Venture Capital
Topic: Commercialization of the Visualization Tracking Platform
Key Takeaways:
- Differentiated Pricing Strategy: It is recommended to adopt a multi-tiered pricing model. This could include a low-cost basic software package to attract early adopters, alongside a premium, high-priced "enterprise edition" that includes dedicated technical support, custom analysis, and regular updates. The goal is to capture different segments of the CRO market.
- Focus on Financial Metrics & Value Proposition: Investors pay close attention to a company's financial health. The business plan must clearly outline the path to profitability. It is crucial to quantitatively demonstrate how the platform can help CRO clients reduce R&D cycles, lower costs, or increase success rates, translating the technical advantage into clear financial value.
- Target Market Refinement: While targeting the Yangtze River Delta CROs is a good start, it is recommended to further define the "beachhead" market. Focus initially on small to medium-sized CROs that are more agile in adopting new technologies, before expanding to larger, established players.
- Emphasize Data Assets: Beyond the tool itself, the platform's potential to generate unique, proprietary datasets from client use is a significant long-term asset. This data can be leveraged for future AI model training, new drug target discovery, or industry reports, creating additional revenue streams.
His feedback guided us in envisioning a practical pathway toward real-world deployment.
Dialogue with Xirong Tang
Date: September 21th, 2025
Respondent: Ms. Xirong Tang
Respondent Profile: Deputy Chief Architect and Director of Healthcare Architecture @ Shanghai Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.; Specialized in medical space planning and design
Topic: Medical Space Design and Wayfinding Systems
Key Takeaways:
- Environmental controls (e.g., ICU fungal limits) are strict in China, sometimes at the expense of humanistic elements.
- Materials: Stainless steel is common for cleanability; antimicrobial fabrics and copper are used in high-end hospitals but limited by cost.
- Disinfection protocols are more critical than material selection.
- Wayfinding principles we can follow in our inclusive design+ :
- Prioritize elderly needs with clear visual cues.
- Place signs at high-traffic areas (entrances, low-floor departments).
- Ground-level signage is highly intuitive; mobile navigation is emerging.
- Use of colors and animal themes (e.g., children’s hospitals) enhances accessibility.
- Balancing functionality and healing:
- Trend toward "de-medicalization" and social integration (e.g., hospital as mall/hotel).
- Nursing care and micro-environments (e.g., atriums, movie corners) are key.
- Art, lighting, music, and color improve therapeutic ambiance.
- Look to Singapore and Hong Kong for relevant design references.
We have a better understand of how to strike a balance healthcare efficiency and patient-centered care in scienfic perspectives.
Conclusion
These dialogues brought us full circle — from technological design to human experience, reminding us that science must heal as much as it innovates.
“Concern for man himself and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors… in order that the creations of our mind shall be a blessing and not a curse to mankind.”
-- Albert Einstein
Our integrated Human Practices (HP) journey began with a student's profound question: "Is this technology truly beneficial?" This sparked a reflective process that fundamentally shaped our project. Through consultations with experts in evolutionary biology, clinical mycology, and synthetic biology, we refined our multicellular yeast platform to address the urgent challenge of antifungal resistance. Our clinical immersion at Huashan Hospital transformed this from a technical concept into a human-centered mission. By engaging with anthropologists, policy experts, and fellow iGEM teams, we embedded ethical considerations and public dialogue into our project's development, ensuring DR.sTraTeGY evolves as a socially responsible innovation with meaningful real-world impact.
