Difference between revisions of "Team:ETH Zurich/core/human-practices"

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           To address this problem, we adapted our selection process to include three iterations of phage training. Phage training consists in performing the phage selection procedure multiple times. In practice this is accomplished by isolating the amplified phages and infecting the target host strain again. During each iteration mutations are accumulated across the whole phage genome. In this manner the selected phage has an increased infectivity with respect to the phage isolated during the first selection step.<br><br><br></p>
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           To address this problem, we adapted our selection process to include iterations of phage training. Phage training consists in performing the phage selection procedure multiple times. In practice this is accomplished by isolating the amplified phages and infecting the target host strain again. During each iteration mutations are accumulated across the whole phage genome. In this manner the selected phage has an increased infectivity with respect to the phage isolated during the first selection step.<br><br><br></p>
 
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Revision as of 00:07, 22 October 2019

Contents

Human Practices

Through our human practices work we aimed to ensure the responsibility and benevolence of our work. We identified <a class="a-link" href="#nav-antibiotics-resistance/" onClick="showCorrectTab('nav-antibiotics-resistance/');"> antibiotic resistance</a> as a globally relevant topic and decided to work on phage therapy to offer a potential solution. First, we brainstormed societal concerns that are linked to our project, and we identified <a class="a-link" href="#nav-clinical-application/" onClick="showCorrectTab('nav-clinical-application/');">clinical application</a>, <a class="a-link" href="#nav-patient-safety/" onClick="showCorrectTab('nav-patient-safety/');">patient safety</a>, <a class="a-link" href="#nav-biosafety/" onClick="showCorrectTab('nav-biosafety/');">biosafety</a> and <a class="a-link" href="#nav-regulatory-process/" onClick="showCorrectTab('nav-regulatory-process/');">regulatory process</a> as significant issues to consider. 

     <img src="T--ETH_Zurich--hp-overview-figure.png" alt="hp-overview-figure" class="responsive-50 center">

The following questions arose among others:

  • How could our new method be applied in a clinical setting?
  • Is phage therapy safe for the patient and if not, what needs to be done to ensure its safety?
  • What happens if our synthetic phages escape into the environment? Do they pose a threat to the ecosystem?
  • How is the use of phage therapy regulated today and what would be necessary to obtain a good regulatory framework in the future?

Next, we met with stakeholders from the clinic and experts in safety and regulation to discuss these questions and get some general <a class="a-link" href="#nav-project-feedback/" onClick="showCorrectTab('nav-project-feedback/');"> feedback</a> on our project. Additionally, we were able to use various platforms to <a class="a-link" href="#nav-public-engagement/" onClick="showCorrectTab('nav-public-engagement/');">inform</a> the general public about phage therapy and synthetic biology and in return get some valuable feedback from society. Finally, we <a class="a-link" href="#nav-integrated-human-practices/" onClick="showCorrectTab('nav-integrated-human-practices/');">integrated</a> the gathered knowledge to improve the design of our project.

      <img src="T--ETH_Zurich--hp-integrated-figure.png" alt="integrated-hp-overview-figure" class="responsive-50 center">

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