Team:Korea HS/Attributions
KORHS
Our Team (Team Korea_HS)
Matthew Lee, Ryan Choi, Daniel Ham, Karen Ryu, Bojeong Kim, Chaehyun Lee, Andrea Kim, Hailey Kim, Ellie Nam, Hannah Oh, Haryeong Eo, Joshua Kim, James Kwon, Sean Kim, Katie Song, Leejeung Han
Group 1: Hailey Kim, Joshua Kim, Karen Ryu, Katie Song, Leejeung Han, Ryan Choi
Group 2: Andrea Kim, Daniel Ham, Ellie Nam, Hannah Oh, James Kwon, Matthew Lee
Group 3: Bojeong Kim, Chaehyun Lee, Sean Kim
Collaboration: Daniel Ham, Karen Ryu, Bojeong Kim, Chaehyun Lee, Matthew Lee
Human Practices: Andrea Kim, Hailey Kim, Ellie Nam, Hannah Oh, Haryeong Eo, Joshua Kim
Wiki: James Kwon, Sean Kim, Katie Song, Leejeung Han, Ryan Choi
Dry Lab: Bojeong Kim, Hannah Oh, Hailey Kim, Karen Ryu, Matthew Lee, Ryan Choi
Education: Bojeong Kim, Hannah Oh, Haryeong Eo, Matthew Lee
Inclusion: Andrea Kim, Bojeong Kim, Chaehyun Lee, Ellie Nam, Hannah Oh, Matthew Lee
General Support
Woorin Lee, a visiting professor at Suwon University Department of Biological Science, served as the team’s primary instructor. He assisted with the team’s project pitch of modified buforin IIb - CYP1A1 siRNA - doxorubicin synthetic construct, which involved an engineering process of selecting and modifying target cell-penetrating peptide domain, identifying and designing RISC-inducible siRNA, and specifying feasible anticancer drugs. Moreover, he provided necessary wet lab equipment and procedures, including FITC assay, MTT assay, and RT-PCR. He also provided necessary safety supervision and technique support, such as suction, micropipetting, and dry lab support (Benchling and PEP-FOLD3 peptide analytics).
Doctor Sungju Park, a research assistant at Suwon University Department of Biological Science, served as on-field laboratory director and was present at all six lab sessions of Team Korea_HS. Along with ensuring a safe lab environment, Doctor Park encouraged experimental processes by aiding complex procedures such as total RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. He explained the principles and protocols of each assay throughout the sessions, allowing members to grasp the results and implications of wet lab accurately. The successful execution of experiments is attributable to the contributions of Professor Lee and Doctor Park.
Project Support and Advice
Our iGEM journey was led by two different PIs: Mr. Sean Dolan (March 2021~July 2021) and Ms. Jessica Ho (August 2021~November 2021). Mr. Dolan instigated the gathering of Team Korea_HS and its organization into three parts - Collaboration, Human Practices, and Wiki. He provided necessary connections to the team's primary instructor and student advisor and thoroughly introduced the scope of iGEM - the general mission, competition calendar, competition requirements, and medal criteria/awards. Furthermore, he handled the administrative aspects including registration and fee waivers which were possible with financial support and a strong team agenda.
Ms. Jessica Ho resumed Mr. Sean Dolan’s responsibilities from August 2021. As the competition reached its conclusion in August 2021, she scrupulously aided the team's overall functions by keeping the team up-to-date with upcoming freezes and in-person/online meetings. Most importantly, she assisted in the successful launch of Korea_HS agenda, such as the 2021 Autumn Dry Lab Bootcamp and Inclusion/Education webinar by providing managerial support (e.g. Zoom webinar, product purchase, and marketing) that were legally inaccessible and difficult to manage by high school students. Despite some challenges faced throughout the process, she was of great assistance in the successful completion of the competition.
Lab Support
The University of Suwon Natural Science Research Institute provided lab facilities and equipment required for the team's wet lab expenditures (Experiments). This included an array of laboratory equipment as rudimentary as a pipette tube/pump and as sophisticated as an ELISA microplate reader and involved protocols of basic cell culture, cell viability assay, microscopic cell characterization, CPP - siRNA - cancer drug transfection optimization, RT-PCR & gel electrophoresis, Prestoblue assay, and live cell count. All experiments and result analysis were made possible by the University of Suwon’s generosity and support.
Difficult Technique Support
Jordi Kontis (Democritus University of Thrace Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics), Christos Mantis (Democritus University of Thrace Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics), Melina Zikou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Computer Science Department), and Nefeli Zikou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Physics Department) - members of Team NOUS - supported Team Korea_HS to create CellDesigner carcinoma cell line dynamics model. They relayed the protocol of the central dogma construct (with wet lab-derived parameters) and allowed mathematical visualization via ControlPanel - with their experiment discerning changes in effector concentration through time for different values of NF-kB for identification of optimal case. Thus, we were able to design a construct showcasing biochemical dynamics of A549 lung carcinoma cell line by the time of CPP infusion.
General Advice Support
Jina Bae, co-leader of 2020 Korea_HS, served as the team’s primary student advisor. She clarified the responsibilities of Collaboration, Human Practices, and Wiki and developed a team roadmap that included milestones along with practical advice accompanying the roadmap. With previous iGEM experience, she provided invaluable guidance to fulfilling the “Contribution” and “Engineering Success” medal criteria given unique impediments our team faced with project design and parts.
Yoonyee Song, last year’s co-leader of Collaboration and Wiki, served as the team’s secondary student advisor. Retaining an especially strong foundation of Wiki knowledge, she supported Wiki’s design-related expenditures, such as team logo, t-shirt, and promotional/presentation video, and provided an overview of 2021 Giant Jamboree. Furthermore, she actively participated to promote the team's human practices and education agenda through a public engagement survey and dry lab/educational webinar.
Human Practices Support
Sungjun Yoon, Ph.D. is a researcher at Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Institute for Molecular and Cellular Anatomy (Aachen, Germany) specialized in consequences of keratin mutations on intraepidermal and epidermis-matrix adhesion. He advised how experimentation can account for patient quality of life-related factors, such as host response (cytotoxicity, serum degradation, or immunogenicity) with enhanced measurement variability, such as spheroid to maximize pre-clinical/clinical trial yield.
Doctor Kim Moon-hong is an obstetrician/gynecologist at Korea Cancer Center Hospital with a Ph.D. from Seoul National University College of Medicine specializing in gynecologic oncology. He provided valuable insights into the current demographics of cancer treatment and pre-clinical/clinical trials. His lecture helped us ensure sufficient application to medical practices with comparability to conventional therapeutics with our project.
Youngwoong Lee, Ph.D. is affiliated with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Department of Biological Sciences (Daejeon, Korea). Through a technical discussion of the literature (i.e. CPP modification) that our project was founded upon, he delivered necessary support on how the proposed model can account for inefficiencies in vivo through structural modification and be applied in the clinical environment through specific delivery methods and physiological mechanisms.
Doctor Byun Hwa-gyung is an assistant professor/clinical radiation oncologist at Yonsei Cancer Hospital with a Ph.D. in medicine from Yonsei University College of Medicine specializing in gastrointestinal oncology. She informed us of current developments of cancer therapeutics research and the plausible impact of CPP on the literature with extended emphasis on its comparison against representative cancer treatment - radiation therapy.
External Support
Team-Team Collaboration/Partnership: We earnestly thank Team IISER_Tirupati, IISER_Berhampur, UTEC-Peru, Siberia, IISER_Bhopal, CCU_Taiwan, TU_Darmstadt, HU_Berlin, KCIS_NewTaipei, USP-Brazil, NYC_B1O, and Shanghai_United_HS for your active collaboration with Team Korea_HS, in wet lab, dry lab, human practices, and deliverables. Moreover, we particularly would like to commend Team NOUS and ASIJ_Tokyo for maintaining strong partnerships throughout the iGEM journey in all aspects.
Direct Collaboration Initiatives (Instagram Project): We deeply appreciate Team Moscow City, NU_Kazahkstan, CCU_Taiwan, Pittsburg, ASIJ_Tokyo, KCIS_NewTaipei, Saint-Joseph, TAS_Taipei, Eindhoven, HKUST, IISER_Thiruvanathapuram, Thessaly, Aix-Marseille, IISER_Bhopal, NCKU_Tainan, IISER_Pune, UnB Embrapa, USP-Brazil, Bulgaria, IISER_Tirupati, TU_Darmstadt, WrightState, NOUS, FCB_UANL, and Warwick for your participation in Instagram Project, regardless of whether your project was published or not.
Direct Collaboration Initiatives (Northeast Asia Joint Collaboration Network): We congratulate all teams proudly involved in Northeast Asia Joint Collaboration Network - ASIJ_Tokyo, Mingdao, KCIS_NewTaipei, NYC_B1O, Dr. Phage, Alpha Luco, Ulink SIP, and HKIS - and appreciate your active involvement in the network agenda. We have created an unprecedented wave of high school communication networks envisioning iGEM success through active collaboration reaching beyond expectations of iGEM.
Direct Collaboration Initiatives (1st Global iGEM Diagnostics & Therapeutics Conference): We highly praise Team Estonia_TUIT, NOUS, IISER_Berhampur, Manchester, Queens_Canada, SHSBNU_China, UParis_BME, and Thessaly for your participation in the 1st Global iGEM Diagnostics & Therapeutics Conference. Your participation marked a critical turning point in the iGEM journey. It reflected our determined efforts and vision for a better world through iGEM.
Indirect Collaboration Initiatives: We acclaim Team IISER_Berhampur, Dusseldorf, UM_Macau, Thessaly, USZ_China, TU_Darmstadt, iBowu-China, Crete, UGM_Indonesia, Saint-Joseph, Warwick, Virginia, and Nantes for encompassing Team Korea_HS in your creative collaboration outreach. These opportunities allowed Team Korea_HS to develop a globally collaborative vision that molded our team’s identity - actively interacting with the iGEM community to improve the world through common aspirations and enthusiasm in Synthetic Biology.