金秋十月，福州大学郭绍彬老师携其团队FZU-China亮相新一期FLIS TALK, 为福州西湖国际学校的学子带来一堂别开生面的合成生物学讲座。
On October 19, Mr. Shaobin Guo from Fuzhou University and his team FZU-China presented a lecture on Synthetic biology to the students of Fuzhou Lakeside International School at the FLIS TALK.
何谓合成生物学？这是21世纪十分热门的新兴学科，一种将生物科学应用到日常生活中的崭新方式。英国伦敦的皇家科学院（Royal Society）认为：合成生物学结合了其他领域的知识与工具，涉及的领域包括系统生物学、基因工程、机械工程、机电工程、信息论、物理学、纳米技术及电脑模拟等等。而iGEM, 即国际遗传工程机器设计竞赛，就是一年一度世界级的合成生物学竞赛。
What is it? Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary area of research that seeks to create new biological parts, devices, and systems, and to redesign systems that are already found in nature. As for iGEM, The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition is a worldwide synthetic biology competition that was initially aimed at undergraduate university students, but has since expanded to include divisions for high school students, entrepreneurs, and community laboratories, as well as 'overgraduates'.
国际遗传工程机器设计竞赛（International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition, iGEM）是一年一度的世界级的合成生物学竞赛。该竞赛由麻省理工学院（MIT）于2004年首创，旨在培养合成生物学人才，促进各国大学本科生在该领域的学习、交流与合作。每年，大赛主办方提供给各参赛队伍一份DNA标准样本库，各队自行选题并通过设计和模型分析，将所需样本导入现有的生物体系，合成全新的生物工程系统（即“基因工程机器”）。
iGEM developed out of student projects conducted during MIT's Independent Activities Periods in 2003 and 2004. Student teams are given a kit (so called ‘Distribution Kit’) of standard, interchangeable parts (so called 'BioBricks') at the beginning of the summer from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts comprising various genetic components such as promoters, terminators, reporter elements, and plasmid backbones. Working at their local laboratories over the summer, they use these parts and new parts of their own design to build biological systems and operate them in living cells.
讲座中，FZU-China团队通过电影复仇者联盟、足球比赛及乐高游戏等大家熟悉的事物，深入浅出地让FLIS学子对合成生物学有了基本了解。团队宣讲人Huimin Zhang小姐不失时机提问：如果拥有蝙蝠侠、蜘蛛侠一般的财力，你最想通过合成生物学改变什么现状？乳糖不耐受的同学立即将喝牛奶提上日程……不过，合成生物学的应用范围可广着呢！例如通过研究吃石油的细菌治理石油泄漏；制造能与二氧化碳发生反应的酶类，缓解全球变暖……
During the presentation, the FZU-China team gave FLIS students a basic understanding of synthetic biology through familiar things such as the movie Avengers, soccer games and Lego games. Ms. Huimin Zhang, the speaker of the team, wasted no time to ask: If you had the financial power of Batman and Spider-Man, what would you like to do, to change the status quo through synthetic biology? Lactose intolerant students immediately put drinking milk on their agenda… However, synthetic biology has a wide range of applications! For example, we could work on sea-cleaning by studying oil-eating bacteria; create enzymes that react with carbon dioxide to mitigate global warming, and more.
至此，便引出了郭老师团队的核心研究项目：光遗传学在抑郁症研究中的应用。光遗传学作为合成生物学领域的一个工具，是一种用光来进行调控的模块。近年来，越来越多人深受抑郁之苦，而许多抗抑郁药物对人体都有一定程度的副作用。有鉴于此，FZU-China团队希望通过光遗传学调控细菌，让细菌利用食物中的谷氨酸合成GABA（γ-氨基丁酸），在GABA浓度达到一定程度后细菌会自行裂解释放细胞内的GABA，从而补充进人体缓解抑郁症状。为令观众更好理解这一过程，以FZU-China团队的绘本为蓝底，FLIS中学部几位学子为大家带来一出生动精彩的改编短剧，这种新型治疗手段亦令同学们震撼不已！
This brings us to the core research of Mr. Guo's team: Development of optogenetic switch-based gut bacteria to potentially alleviate depression by supplementing GABA. Optogenetics is a biological technique that involves the use of light to control neurons that have been genetically modified to express light-sensitive ion channels. In recent years, more and more people are suffering from depression, and many antidepressant drugs have some degree of side effects on the human body. In view of this, the FZU-China team project was inspired by studies showing that optogenetics can reduce or reverse depression-related behaviors. That led them to think that what if there was a way to alleviate depression using light as the input signal. Using light for treatment of depression is much more humane compared to traditional ways of treating depression (such as antidepressants and electroconvulsive therapy). Imagine one is sunbathing and eating tasty foods containing glutamates – the depression may already be alleviated before GABA is produced. In order to make the audience better understand this process, several FLIS Secondary students presented a vivid and wonderful adaptation of the skit based on the FZU-China team's illustrated book, which also shocked the students!
▲ 当天恰好是郭老师的生日。FLIS为他准备了蛋糕，学子们唱起生日歌，郭老师也与大家分享了蛋糕。本次FLIS TALK在温馨的氛围中落下帷幕！
宣讲中，FZU-China团队还向大家介绍了iGEM比赛，众学子也不禁心生期待。相信经过此番宣讲，FLIS学子已对这种实现天马行空的奇想、改变人类历史的学科有了初步认识。或许，有一天我们也可以目睹大家踏上iGEM比赛的舞台，将奇想注入现实，合成全新的生物工程系统？感谢郭老师及FZU-China团队，我们下期FLIS TALK再见！
During the presentation, the FZU-China team also introduced the iGEM to the audience, and the students could not help but be excited about it. Thanks to this presentation, FLIS students now have a preliminary understanding of this kind of discipline that can turn science fiction into reality and change the history of mankind. Perhaps, one day we can also witness our students on the stage of the iGEM competition, turning their fantasy into reality and synthesizing a new bioengineering system? Thanks to Mr. Guo and the FZU-China team, and we’ll see you at the next FLIS TALK!
▲ FLIS IB(MYP)项目主管Travis Coyne（龙在天）与郭老师团队就科学授课形式进行了亲切交谈。
▲ 郭老师团队与FLIS中学部科学教师团队合影。
