Policy and Practice

Interviews

In order to get a better perspective of the clinical applications of our project we interviewed Dr. Toni Winder who is a neurologist specializing in ischemic stroke. He elaborated on current stroke treatments and offered a clinical opinion on the use of genetic therapies for treating stroke and TBI patients. We also interviewed Dr. Randall Barley, a cell culture expert, to learn more about the mechanisms and techniques involved in genetic engineering and cell culture. These two interviews helped us become more aware of potential complication in our project and the clinical impact our work could have. The final interview was with a stroke victim, which allowed us to gain a better understanding of how this injury can affect a person’s daily life. This meeting made us more aware of the hardships faced by those afflicted by stroke and their receptiveness towards genetic therapies as potential methods of recovery.

Dr. Toni Winder Neurologist Lethbridge, Alberta

An interview with Dr. Winder discussing brain injury and the effects it has on patients

Dr. Randall Barley Ph.D. Experimental Surgery Lethbridge, Alberta

An interview with Dr. Barley discussing cell therapies and genetic engineering

Ethics & Human Practice

In an effort to conduct our research in an ethically responsible manner, we used cell cultures rather than live animals for our initial tests (in accordance with the 3Rs principle defined by the Canadian Council on Animal Care). In anticipation of future testing in mouse models of stroke or traumatic brain injury, we have begun writing animal welfare protocols and initiated a discussion about obtaining consent for animal trials with the veterinarian at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Isabelle Gauthier, who is also a member of the University of Lethbridge's Animal Welfare Committee.

With regards to human practice, because microglia can be derived directly from patient bone marrow cells, this study has the potential to provide a method of personalized, non-immunogenic neural rehabilitation [16]. In addition, we are also addressing the growing prevalence of bacterial antibiotic resistance around the globe [17]. Our antibiotic-free plasmid selection system will help curb the spread of antibiotic resistance by reducing the potential for horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance from lab strains to wild bacterial strains and by reducing the amount of antibiotics in lab waste and thus decreasing selective pressure towards antibiotic resistance.

Collaboration with Public Health Agency of Canada

Together with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), we organized a discussion revolving around synthetic biology and the potential impact on public safety. One of our members, Suneet Kharey, travelled to Ottawa in October and presented at the PHAC our project details with emphasis on safety. This event was attended by over 70 participants (in person and via WebEx) from PHAC, Health Canada, and other departments including Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, Foreign Affairs, Trade Development, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). We participated in this conference from Lethbridge via WebEx.

During this conference, it became evident that there is a growing concern over the decreasing costs of DNA synthesis and the potential impact on public safety. Although the primary aim of synthetic biology is towards the development of biological parts for useful purposes, synthetic biology can easily be used for bioterrorism thereby raising the eyebrows of regulators and law-makers alike. In a controlled environment, the exploitation of DNA synthesis technology was demonstrated by the successful reconstruction of the Spanish Influenza Virus in 2005 (Science, 2005). It is nearly a decade since and the cost of DNA synthesis has decreased significantly (ref) and will continue to decline (ref) as technology is continually revolutionized.

It is clear that synthetic biology is dual-use, which was a major concern for PHAC and other authorities. Following the presentations by Suneet Kharey and a representative from PHAC, a round table discussion occurred with respect to policy and regulation development regarding current policies concerning synthetic biology. We discussed the risks and safety about doing synthetic biology in the institutional and/or professional environment and how this differs from do it yourself (DIY) labs. It was evident that policies and regulations need to be kept up to date with the current state and evolution of synthetic biology.

Most importantly, through this conversation we were able to develop the beginnings of a working relationship with PHAC as they were willing to collaborate with us and other iGEM teams in the future towards the goal of developing new and strengthening current policies. Since this conference, we have had preliminary talks with PHAC already about hosting an annual iGEM conference for Canadian teams moving towards fulfilling this goal.

References

[16] Hinze, A. & Stolzing, A. (2012). Microglia differentiation using a culture system for the expansion of mice non-adherent bone marrow stem cells. Journal of Inflammation, 9, 12.

[17] World Health Organization. (2014). Microbial resistance: global report on surveillance. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/drugresistance/documents/surveillancereport/en/