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INTEGRATED
HUMAN
PRACTICES

From the outset, our team recognized that developing Aechmi: a biological system for real-time sepsis biomarker detection using CRISPR/Cas13a, AI, and Catalytic Hairpin Assembly (CHA), required more than scientific expertise. It demanded ongoing dialogue with people who hold experience, knowledge, or have lived through sepsis. Human Practices in iGEM captures this "bigger picture," ensuring our work is responsible, inclusive, and meaningful.

To illustrate this process, we organized our Human Practices into three main categories:

  1. Defining and Understanding Sepsis This category brings together the voices that helped us understand sepsis from different perspectives.

    • Through Survivor Eyes: individuals who survived sepsis and shared with us their recovery journey.
    • Medical Experts: researchers and healthcare professionals who provided scientific and therapeutic knowledge.
    • Clinician Insights: doctors who deal with sepsis in their daily clinical practice and guided us through challenges in diagnosis and treatment.

  2. Developing Aechmi Here we grouped all contributions that directly influenced our design choices.

    • Designing Experiments: feedback that improved our wet lab experimental design.
    • Dry Lab: computational and modeling expertise that strengthened our theoretical framework.
    • Building Device: technical and practical suggestions that guided the design of our future device.

  3. Connecting with the Public, Confronting the Future This category includes the perspectives that encouraged us to think beyond the lab, reflecting on the broader social and future impact of Aechmi.

    • Engaging with the Community: advice on how to reach diverse audiences and communicate our work in an accessible way.
    • Bioethics: guidance on ethical issues in diagnostics, patient rights, and safety.
    • Entrepreneurial Strategies: input from experts in business and innovation on sustainability and future development of our project.

This structure allowed us to show not only who we consulted, but also how each perspective systematically informed our project. In this way, our Integrated Human Practices became more than just a series of conversations: they turned into a methodology of structured consultation, continuously aligning Aechmi with the medical, social, and ethical realities surrounding sepsis.

General triangle logo made of colored polygon shards with diagonal white captions ENTREPRENEURIAL STRATEGIES BIOETHICS ENGAGING WITH COMMUNITY THROUGH SURVIVOR EYES CLINICIAN INSIGHTS MEDICAL EXPERTS DESIGNING EXPERIMENTS DRY LAB BUILDING DEVICE

Integration Across the Project Lifecycle

  • Early concept: Identified unmet clinical needs through survivor interviews.
  • Design stage: Selected biomarkers, developed the CRISPR/Cas13a + CHA system, and considered microfluidic compatibility.
  • Testing & iteration: Refined performance and usability based on clinician and engineering feedback.
  • Patient support & outreach: Developed educational content, creative therapy initiatives, and online survivor forums, and other outreach events that focused on including marginalized groups to knowledge, science and healthcare.
  • Ethical & societal considerations: Integrated accessibility, bioethics, and humanitarian deployment potential.
Haley Vazquez
Sylvia
Marisa Giachetti
Bridget
Elaine
Helen
Dr. Apollonas N. Zygomalas
Dr. Andreas Iliadis
Dr. Sotiris Ifandis and Dr. Apostolia Pastra
Maria Nora Zakian
Galtsidi Irene
Christos Makris
Alexandros Gkillas
Theodoros Skondras
Prof. Theodoros Christopoulos
Prof. Demitrios Vynios
Dr. Giamarellos-Bourboulis
Georgios Nikitas
Apostolos Dragoumanos
Alexander Katsaounis
Deimede Chrysovalado
Dr. Angeliki Tserepi
Ioanna Galani
Nikolaos Bouropoulos
Dr. Konstantinos Bissas
Nikolaos Koskinas
Christine Caron
Vasiliki Goula
Dr. Vasileios Xirafas

Through Survivors Eyes

By engaging with five sepsis survivors; Haley, Sylvia, Bridget, Helen, and Elaine, we were able to understand sepsis not only as a medical condition but as a deeply personal, life-altering experience. Each of them shared how delayed diagnosis, lack of awareness, and emotional trauma shaped their recovery journeys. Their stories emphasized the importance of early detection, empathy in patient care, and emotional support during and after hospitalization. These insights inspired us to design Aechmi as a rapid, user-friendly diagnostic tool that empowers both patients and clinicians while remaining sensitive to the human experience behind every diagnosis. Moreover, hearing how survivors found comfort in creativity and mindfulness motivated us to organize events centered on art and emotional healing, such as art therapy, bioart exhibition, yoga, and meditation workshops. Through these initiatives, we aimed to highlight the role of mental and emotional well-being in recovery and to build a bridge between science, empathy, and community support.

Medical Experts

Discussions with Dr. Apollonas N. Zygomalas, surgeon–laparoscopist, and Dr. Andreas Iliadis, pediatric intensive care specialist, helped us align Aechmi with real medical practice. Dr. Zygomalas stressed practicality and guided us on using multiple biomarkers for reliability, cost-effective design, and the supportive role of AI. Dr. Iliadis explained how sepsis develops from SIRS and emphasized the need for prognostic biomarkers that detect it 24–48 hours early. He also encouraged a portable, minimally invasive patch to reduce infection risk. Their insights shaped Aechmi into a clinically relevant, realistic, and patient-centered diagnostic tool.

Clinician's Insights

Through our conversations with Dr. Sotiris Ifandis, Dr. Apostolia Pastra, nurse Irene Galtsidi, and physiotherapist Maria Nora Zakian, we gained a deeper understanding of sepsis from the perspective of those directly caring for patients. Dr. Ifandis and Dr. Pastra introduced us to music breathing, guided imagery, and movement-based expression, highlighting how art and breath can aid emotional healing after trauma. Nurse Irene emphasized the urgency of early recognition in the ICU and the emotional burden on medical staff, guiding us to make Aechmi a rapid and easy-to-use diagnostic tool. Nora underlined the role of physiotherapy and yoga in recovery, inspiring our yoga and meditation workshops, and shared her experiences as a woman in STEM, which led us to organize a Women in STEM roundtable. These discussions connected the scientific, emotional, and human sides of sepsis care, shaping Aechmi into a tool that supports both patients and healthcare professionals.

Dry Lab

Discussions with Prof. Christos Makris, Dr. Alexandros Gkillas, and Theodoros Skondras Mexis guided the computational development of Aechmi. Prof. Makris helped refine biomarker selection and implement SHAP-based explainability for our machine learning models. Dr. Gkillas advised on signal processing, anomaly detection, and statistical analysis of electrochemical signals, shaping our diagnostic algorithm. Theodoros Skondras Mexis provided expertise in AI and model evaluation, assisting us in selecting and training the most effective machine learning approaches. Together, their guidance allowed us to transform complex datasets and signals into a robust, interpretable, and clinically relevant computational system.

Designing Experiments

Discussions with Professor Theodoros Christopoulos, Professor Demitrios Vynios, and Dr. Giamarellos-Bourboulis guided us in shaping the experimental foundation of Aechmi. Professor Christopoulos advised us on selecting the most suitable biofluid, integrating microfluidic technology, and ensuring reliable detection through amplification efficiency. Professor Vynios introduced the idea of using semipermeable membranes within the microneedles to isolate miRNAs effectively and highlighted the importance of lyophilizing the CRISPR/Cas system. Dr. Giamarellos-Bourboulis offered crucial clinical insight, helping us validate our biomarker selection and assess miRNA levels in real patient samples. Their combined expertise helped us translate our concept into a scientifically robust and clinically meaningful experimental design.

Building Device

Discussions with scientists and engineers from diverse fields that guided the design of our future device. Dr. Galani, Dr. Tserepi, Mrs. Chrysovalado, Professor Katsaounis, Professor Bouropoulos, Mr. Dragoumanos, and Mr. Nikitas provided crucial insights on materials, microfluidics, electrochemical sensing, microRNA isolation, and system scalability. Their combined expertise allowed us to refine both the biological and engineering aspects of Aechmi, ensuring accurate detection, efficient signal amplification, and practical usability. Through these conversations, we were able to transform our concept into a functional, well-integrated prototype that balances scientific precision with real-world applicability.

Entrepreneurial Strategies

Discussions with Dr. Nikolaos Koskinas and Dr. Konstantinos Bissas helped us develop the entrepreneurial aspect of Aechmi. Dr. Koskinas emphasized affordability, accessibility, and real-world impact, highlighting how essential such tools are in humanitarian settings. Dr. Bissas guided us in shaping a clear value proposition and long-term business strategy through the use of the Business Model Canvas. Together, they helped us view Aechmi as not only an innovative idea but also a sustainable, implementable solution.

Engaging with the Community

Discussions with Mrs. Vasiliki Goula, President of the Association of People with Diabetes “Zoi Glykia,” and Christine Caron, sepsis survivor and director at the Canadian Sepsis Foundation, helped us connect Aechmi with real human experiences. Mrs. Goula highlighted the increased vulnerability of people with diabetes to sepsis and the importance of prevention and awareness. Christine shared her personal story of surviving septic shock and the challenges of being unheard in healthcare, reminding us that empathy and communication are vital parts of prevention. Through these conversations, we were inspired to view sepsis not only as a medical issue but also as a deeply social and human one.

Bioethics

Our discussion with Dr. Vasileios Xirafas helped us ensure that Aechmi was developed within a solid ethical framework. He guided us through the core bioethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice, showing how they apply to synthetic biology and medical devices. His insights encouraged us to reflect on the broader implications of our work and to make ethical responsibility an integral part of our design process.

Conclusion

By combining reflective, responsible, and responsive Human Practices, we ensured that Aechmi addresses real human needs, respects ethical boundaries, and integrates feedback from diverse stakeholders. Our structured approach transformed consultations into a continuous methodology, aligning Aechmi with medical, social, and ethical realities and demonstrating that technical innovation can be human-centered, ethically grounded, and ready for real-world integration.