Human Practices
Stakeholder engagement, ethical considerations, and how community feedback shaped our project development and implementation strategies.
Overview
"The rationale of human practice is human-centered. We engage with people from all walks of life and communities to bring our ideas into reality."
Key Milestones
9th Southern China Regional Meeting
Participating in the 9th Southern China Regional Meeting gives us an experience to look at our project from different perspectives. This meeting also lays a foundation for choosing the project and Market Strategy in Entrepreneurship.
BGI Skincare Consultation
By consulting with the responsible person for product R&D of BGI skincare and the sales manager, we gained insights into the lifecycle of a skincare product from concept to production and verification, product and market launch.
Microbiology Club Meeting
We held a Microbiology Club Meeting at school to introduce "What is iGEM?" and "How does our project work out?"
Motivation
In SFLS, we gathered a group of people who are passionate about biology, interdisciplinary studies, computer science, and economics. At the beginning of the project, our group wanted to generate an appealing project that would have a long-term impact on society and the human race.
Initial Brainstorming (May)
Considering humanistic care and innovation, our brainstorming in May came up with two proposals:
Cineole Personal Care Products
Gluten Intolerance Products
Community Testing
Engaging in the 9th Southern China Regional Meeting, we testified to which of the projects is more intriguing and socially impactful to the majority. By making a questionnaire, we had our first clue.
Survey Results: Consumer Intentions
Total Valid Responses: 79
Demographics
Q1: Gender Distribution
Q2: Age Distribution
Probiotic & Gluten Intolerance
Q4: Used Probiotic Products?
Q5: Gluten Intolerance in Family?
Q6: Preferred Solutions for Gluten Intolerance (n=4)
Q7: Willingness to Try Probiotic Products (n=4)
Eucalyptol Product Preferences
Q8: Preferred Product Type for Eucalyptol
Q9: Preferred Fragrance Production Methods
Key Findings
Q10: Most Needed Product Functions
Q11: Purchase Channels
Q12: Preferred Product Form
Q13: Most Important Factor
Q14: Research Direction Interest
The survey validated our decision to focus on Cineole Personal Care Products
Value Proposition
Environmental
Eco-friendly production without deforestation
Societal Responsibility
Addressing skin health for communities
Innovation
Cutting-edge bioengineering technology
Profitability
Sustainable business model
Interactions
May 17th: 9th Southern China Regional Meeting
Preparation
- PPT presentation
- Questionnaire distribution
Process
We introduced our project to high schools and undergrads, gathering valuable feedback and perspectives from diverse audiences to validate our project direction.
Sept 24th: Interview with BGI Skincare Stakeholders
Interview with the responsible person for product R&D of BGI skincare and the sales manager, one of our key stakeholders.
Interviewees: Mrs. Ye and Mr. Zhao
Key Questions
- The R&D process of skincare products
- How to choose the appropriate form of raw material addition (cream, serum, or mask)
- What industry standards/laws and regulations need to be followed if entering production
- Product commercialization and promotion
Insights
Safety
- Safety evaluation, including microbial testing and heavy metal detection.
- Product on trucks can easily reach 40-50 degrees in summer. Conduct stability tests to ensure that the product's activity has no safety issues.
- After selecting eco-friendly packaging materials, a 1-2 month observation period is needed for stability testing to ensure the compatibility between the packaging and the product.
- Acne treatment products are best tested in controlled experiments, but absolutely cannot be tested on people under 15 years old.
Work on Core Concept
Because the core concept of Eucaplyn is under the Environmental Protection category, everything that is perceivable in the product should be eco-friendly. Packaging, outer packaging design, and even glass bottles can be recycled. The secondary use of makeup boxes prioritizes environmental protection.
Market Strategies
Mrs. Ye pointed out that few companies make use of eucalyptol as an anti-acne product in the skincare market. This is because eucalyptol is usually treated as an independent antibiotic and anti-inflammatory product. If we can apply eucalyptol successfully in the product and verify for efficacy and safety, there is a big chance to differentiate ourselves in the market.
Sept 29th: Microbiology Club Meeting
We held a Microbiology Club Meeting at school to introduce "What is iGEM?" and "How does our project work out?" to our school community, fostering interest in synthetic biology and sharing our research journey.
Interactions with Other Groups
Throughout our journey, we engaged with fellow iGEM teams and participants, fostering collaboration and exchanging ideas to strengthen our project and build lasting connections within the synthetic biology community.
Value Proposition
After the engagements we have with other teams and people, we considered our value proposition in four categories.
Technology Innovation
Having taken an overview of others' projects and core ideas, we are aware of the importance of fostering innovation during the bioengineering process. We specifically identify the common objectives, including efficient gene expression and the optimization of gene combinations. Based on our research of available approaches and the advantages of cineole, we chose to follow the path of increasing productive yield through adjusted cineole extraction and promoter.
Social Responsibility and Entrepreneurship
By communicating with other groups, we adopt new ideas and professional advice. Most of the groups have products or models as their outputs, which could be applied to solve real-world problems and are useful within their specific fields. We realized that we should also incorporate our bioengineering output in a suitable scene where the application could be used to resolve problems and fulfill human needs.
As a result, clarifying our position as a bioengineered skincare manufacturer is a better choice. To seek innovation in the cosmetics industry, we could focus on improving technology and the commercial value of entrepreneurial ideas. That is to say, we not only produce cineole, but also develop a finished product (cineole cream) with clear technical and functional advantages. In this way, we connect science and technology with human-centered design and economic growth.
Safe and Sound
During group communication and learning, some people point out concerns about productive safety. To address this, we ensure the unharmfulness of resources and resulting compounds through researching and carefully selecting our ingredients.
After the experimental steps, we also need to include several rounds of testing for cytotoxicity and dermatological aspects.