Team:ITESM-Guadalajara/Human

HUMAN PRACTICE

Since the beginning of the project we knew that if we wanted this idea to succeed, there was plenty of work to be done, especially when Biophrame represents a life project and a real company for all the team. Networking activities and surrounding us with the appropriate people at the right time was essential.

Our perspective

If we wanted to be seen as a leader company, and also as reference and inspiration for others, we needed to think in a global perspective, considering that everything that affects a specific area influences the rest. Having this in mind, we knew that some critical activities we had to start working on were: start building relationships with important interest groups (suppliers, target market, financial sources, possible future employees and advisors) because the closer we are to them, the greater the help we can get; ensure that the appropriate safety regulations and measures are accomplished; how to be ethically consistent with our actions and values; and finally the impact we want to generate in our community at the social, environmental, economical and technological facets.

Networking

During all the these months, we assist and organize different events that were really helpful for us, not only for the present but also for future horizon, the most significant ones are listed in the next table. It is important to mention that because of the close relationship we have with our university, we had the opportunity to get the advice of many experts in diverse topics, including the legal (steps for certification and regulation according to the operation of plant and use of biological organisms, intellectual property issues), business (marketing, human resources, finance, accounting) biotechnology engineering (bacteria, genetic modification, environment), and others. We contacted and interviewed some of the representatives of our target market, who were pretty interested in our product and signed a document of future purchase intention.

Biological Safety

To ensure that our processes and company as a whole perform in a safety way, two of the main priorities are to protect the personnel working in the plant and reduce the environmental impact, this is why we have been taking the necessary measures for the plant design, the type and material chosen for the equipment, place to storage bacteria and biobricks, and waste management.

To ensure that our microorganisms don’t reach the environment, especially our genetically modified E. coli, we will hire a company specialized in treating biological wastes. We’ll place our biomass in a closed leak-proof container with a label that reads: “biohazard”. The recollection of our biomass waste will be done once a week. Furthermore, the majority of the E. coli produced in the aerobic fermentation will be dead by the end of the process because it will take place at 100ºC, a temperature in which E. coli is not very likely to survive.

Community

As part of our networking activities and social involvement, we have been working closely with ITESM Campus Guadalajara, according to QS ranking, ITESM is the 7th best university in Latin America. Main support that has been given to us is locating our pilot plant in their facilities, as well; we contacted the business incubator of the university, who has helped us to better our business plan format. We have presented our engineered genetics project to a wide variety of public such as potential customers (e.g. Altus Biopharm, Kurago biotek, Sohia, and OPKO pharmaceuticals), university students, teachers of ITESM, and other igem Mexican teams, all these by in class presentation, biotech conferences, Skype sessions and personal visits to customers.

Also, a great concern faced by biotechnology and biomedicine students in Mexico is the lack for job opportunities (interesting and attracting for them), this is why we keep a close relationship with the alumni organizations of these careers, whom also have helped us quiet much with their feedback on our presentation, moreover many of them also expressed their emotivity to come and work with us.

One of our main goals is to encourage the development of a biotech cluster in Jalisco, which already doesn’t exist but according to forecasts there is a high likelihood this will happen in a couple of years.

At last, as we are the first team from the whole city, Guadalajara, which is going to iGEM contest, we are proud and quite committed to keep this as a tradition for future generations. During the last months we have started to promote the contest within the engineering students and many are getting ready to make their teams, for sure we will help them unconditionally.