Education
Development and Functional Analysis of a Lab-on-a-Chip Model for NRAS-G12D Mutant Multiple Myeloma
Introduction
Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) will shape near-future healthcare by moving powerful lab tests onto palm-sized chips faster, cheaper, and closer to the people who need them. However, most of the public has never heard of it. Our iGEM Education effort set out to change that by meeting learners where they are. We produced clear, story-driven podcast episodes that explain LOC; we visited an elderly center to discuss how LOC could contribute to drug development; we designed kid-friendly activities to spark curiosity early on; and we took to the street with a simple pamphlet to start conversations. Across all settings, we emphasized the same principle: not just what LOC is, but why it matters now—how accessible diagnostics and on-chip experiments can improve lives in the near future. By tailoring content for different audiences, we turned an unfamiliar niche technology into a relatable, future-promising idea.
<Goal 1: Education for everyone>
Scientific discovery and knowledge are universal and should not be limited by national borders, but rather benefit all people and serve as a guiding light for progress. Although we are not talking about national borders, the message directly connects to our goal, which was to provide education for everyone. Although the concept of Multiple Myeloma and Lab-on-a-Chip might sound too complicated and far away from our life, they are still affecting the everyday lives of the people around us, and the positive impact we can bring by providing a widespread inclusive education is immense, especially in these kinds of topics. A scientific innovation only creates impact when it is able to be accessed by and benefited by the people in need. Despite the complexity of the topics, we can help people—from students to patients—understand how biotechnology can improve diagnosis and treatment through providing proper education. These small actions by us could further create a cascading impact in our world, as open education not only inspires a few people but also empowers communities as a whole, to make informed decisions about health, ethics, and technology, ultimately contributing to the society’s well-being. This motto of ours also reflects the spirit of iGEM itself: science that is collaborative, transparent, and shared globally.
[Reaching all age groups]
In iGEM, especially for teams who chose diseases as topics like us, we believe that education for all age groups is vital. This is because cancer can affect anyone, regardless of age or background.
By teaching children, we aim to plant the seeds of scientific curiosity and awareness early on, since they are the future consumers and creators who will one day develop, use, and improve technologies like our Lab-on-a-Chip model. For teenagers, education equips them with both knowledge and responsibility as the next generation of researchers, innovators, and advocates in biotechnology and healthcare. And for the elderly, who are the main victims of cancers such as multiple myeloma, education offers understanding, empowerment, and direct benefit from the advancements we are developing right now. By reaching every age group, we not only spread scientific literacy but also create a society that is informed, compassionate, and united in the fight against cancer.
[Minorities]
Our goal in education was not only to reach all age groups but also to focus on minorities often overlooked by other programs or groups. In South Korea, as of May 2025, 5 out of every 100 people were foreign nationals—the highest rate in history.
Despite their growing presence, the challenges they suffer, as well as potential as future members of society, are often overlooked. To address this, we visited a childcare center with mostly multicultural children, offering simple and engaging lessons in synthetic biology to help overcome language and cultural barriers in learning.
For the elderly, instead of teaching our own families, we chose to visit a nursing home, where residents have limited access to information or technology but are also most vulnerable to diseases like cancer. By reaching out to these groups, we aimed to bring science and awareness to those who need knowledge the most but have the least access to it.
<Goal 2: Make changes from where we are>
Whether it is a small or big change, even small actions can have a significant impact on our society. Our team believes that addressing challenges from within—schools, communities, or local community centers—is the first step to bigger societal developments. We focus on how biotechnology and scientific knowledge can directly improve people’s lives. For example, raising awareness about Multiple Myeloma, improving access to cancer treatment tools, and teaching how lab-on-a-chip technology works allows individuals to engage with science. Through these efforts, we aim to encourage community participation, inspiring others to recognize problems in their daily lives and take action. Making changes where we are, we hope to show that science is a tool that enables people to contribute to a healthier society.
Idea workshop
In order to make wise moves to directly aim toward our education goals, we invested a significant amount of our meeting time into reviewing previous activities by other teams, brainstorming our own activities based on our goals, and giving feedback to each other’s ideas.
These were all a process to finalize the ideas that were necessary to reach our goal of equal education and starting a small impact. As a result, we were able to come up with activities for three age groups – children, teenagers, and the elderly.
Activities
<Children>
[What did we do?]
We visited a children center in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, reaching out to the youngest of our education age groups. We first began with a brief, easy to understand presentation about our project, and what we aim for. Being fully aware that our project's contents may be challenging for children aged 8 to 11, we adopted the idea "Awareness starts with language" and taught children English words related to the project. Through quizzes and drawing sessions, we made our children visit not only educational but also entertaining and enjoyable.
[Impact from us]
This activity helped children become familiar with a new science concept, stimulating their sparks of curiosity towards science. By linking language with biotechnology and adding friendly activities, we lowered the barriers between children and science. Also, by planting early awareness of diseases, especially cancer and Multiple Myeloma, we hoped to make a meaningful step that would later help them connect the knowledge into everyday life.
[Impact on us]
Engaging with children was a unique and valuable experience for us, as the most of our opportunities to present our speech were in front of adults. However by talking to children and shifting the audience completely, we learned how important clarity and communication is in spreading science. We realized that If science is not understandable, it is not truly accessible to the public. In addition, seeing how children ask questions stimulated us to rethink our project from a purer and more fundamental perspective, reminding us of the curiosity we had at the very beginning of our project.
<Teenagers & Students>
[What did we do?]
To reach teenagers and students, we created our own podcast introducing our project and uploaded it on our team’s official social media account with 500+ followers.
Our first episode was about Multiple Myeloma. We aimed to inform them with the most crucial and essential pieces of information about multiple myeloma. By explaining mechanisms of the immune system as background scientific knowledge, we tried to make the podcast inclusive to teenagers with all knowledge levels. Also, the causes of Multiple Myeloma were discussed, emphasizing that gene mutations causing multiple myeloma is usually not inherited, rather it’s somatic – accumulating as people age.
The second episode focused on Lab-on-a-Chip. Since many listeners are not familiar with this term, we explained step-by-step what it is, how it’s made and what it does. Moreover, we discussed the layers of Lab-on-a-Chip and analyzed the structure in detail. Lastly, Lab-on-a-Chip’s purpose is clearly stated inside the podcast, to make sure that teenagers understand that there is evident purpose to this technology.
The final episode featured applications of Lab-on-a-chip on Multiple Myeloma. This episode was divided into two parts to discuss each topic separately and clearly. The first part was about the pros and cons of Lab-on-a-Chip. We covered where Lab-on-a-chip really shines, and where it raises concerns - such as replication accuracy. The second part was about Lab-on-a-chip on Multiple Myeloma. This part explored how 3D cell interactions inside bone marrow can be fully simulated on the chip, opening potentials towards personalized treatments.
[Impact from us]
Through a familiar platform that teenagers use in everyday life, our podcast successfully increased their exposure to Multiple Myeloma and Lab-on-a-chip in a natural and approachable way. The content inside the podcast simplified complex science, while also informing them about the next level biotechnology. By discussing causes, mechanisms and applications all through a connected flow, we helped teenagers and students understand the idea of our project thoroughly and practically. Ultimately, the series encouraged students to engage more deeply with Lab-on-a-chip technologies – in broader context, synthetic biology.
[Impact on us]
Thinking about and preparing content for teenagers was definitely the most challenging for us, since we had to find ways to capture their attention and also be clear about our key messages. So, through the process of creating a series of podcasts, we learned how to communicate effectively with our group of audience and make engaging content. This activity helped us in advancing our skills like writing scripts, simplifying scientific concepts, and delivering accurate information. Overall, we realized how essential it is to make science contents both relatable and accessible to teenagers.
<Elders>
[What did we do?]
Approaching the oldest of our age group, we visited the elderly center at Gyeonggi-do, Korea. We prepared a short, informative presentation introducing Multiple Myeloma and how it could affect the elderly. To add on, we introduced Lab-on-a-Chip technology, mentioning it as a promising platform in researching Multiple Myeloma. For the effectiveness of education, we used several educational tools.
First, we made slides including large letters and a video about organ-on-a-chip, allowing the elderly participants to get a visual understanding of the concept.
Second, we created pamphlets and summarized key information using simple language and legible graphics, making it a specialized educational tool for the elderly.
Lastly, we brought interactive puzzles. By designing puzzles with pictures of bone marrow, blood cell and Lab-on-a-Chip, the elderly participants were able to visualize and actively engage with it.
[Impact from us]
The visit helped raise awareness of the elderly patients about Multiple Myeloma. This is a meaningful step, as they are a vulnerable group to Multiple Myeloma. In that sense, our presentation informed them of health risks and to care beforehand. In addition, legible and clear visual materials, such as pamphlets and puzzles, helped participants to understand complex concepts intuitively. By showing how Lab-on-a-Chip research can relate to their lives, we encouraged them to feel less distant from fast developing science technologies.
[Impact on us]
Through this visit, we realized the importance of using the right educational tools and methods that would work best for a specific age group. For example, large blocks of text were ineffective for elderly participants, so we utilized different highlighting techniques to make the texts simple and easy to read. Also, we learned how to communicate better with the elderly, despite all the physical challenges. Finally, this experience helped us grow in understanding that as educators, making sure the audiences connect science to their own lives is essential after delivering information.