Needed: a list of ways that DIY bio and community labs can positively impact human health

[Scott]

Hello all,

I thought I would throw this question out to the greater DIYbio community. As a backgrounder, Public Health Agency of Canada is holding a DIYbio Summit in Ottawa on March 16th. Derek Jacoby and I, amongst others, are invited panelists at the summit. I believe it will be web-casted (details to follow).

We are tasked with putting together a list of ways that DIY bio and community labs can positively impact human health. What existing DIYbio projects have already met this challenge and what new ideas do you think are possible ways that community biolabs can contribute? Are you working on any open DIYbio projects in this arena? Links would be greatly appreciated.

some topics: health and the environment, biosensors, antibiotics discovery projects, health-related DNA barcoding, water quality biosensors, genomics, microbiome, waste treatment.

Cheers,

Scott

Open Science Network, Vancouver, BC

[Maria Chavez]

BIoCurious has many Community Projects with an Open Science focus, the
three most active that might apply to your request are:

DIY BioPrinter: meeting for 4 years now with a goal to design an Open
Hardware BioPrinter and a system for DIY communities to explore this
technology. The project is open to collaboration via web conference
with project participants in Vancouver B.C, Florida, and even Brazil
joining in. Project wiki
https://sites.google.com/site/bioprinterwiki/

DIY Microscope: Project to hack a DNA sequencer into a lab microscope
project and will be shared for others to do the same, access to less
expensive microscopy can positively impact many projects. Wiki
https://sites.google.com/site/biocuriousmicroscopewiki/

Real Vegan Cheese: Engineer a cultured food to eventually reduce the
carbon impact of the diary industry. Wiki -
https://wiki.realvegancheese.org/index.php/Real_Vegan_Cheese

Counter Culture Labs in Oakland is working on Open Insulin and attempt
to design a generic (and lower cost) form of insulin.
https://experiment.com/projects/open-insulin

I'm not sure the depth of information you are looking for but I'd be
happy to fill in details for the projects I'm on (those listed above).

-Maria

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[Bue Thastum]

Hi Scott

If nutrition is included as a part of human health, we're currently doing a DIY spirulina growing project in Biologigaragen/Labitat (as are a bunch of other people at other places as well).
https://labitat.dk/wiki/Spirulina_growing

Cheers 

[Jason Bobe]

Hi Scott -

I think Sushi-gate is a good example of they type of public health benefit that can be created via citizen access to genomic technologies. In that case, citizen science leading to a more secure food supply chain.

http://phe.rockefeller.edu/barcode/sushigate.html

This led to Boston doing its own investigation:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/specials/fish

In 2009, this initial work by high schoolers happened at Rockefeller University rather than a community lab, but a role community labs are well-suited for in the future. (Genspace grand opening was in 2010.)

Jason

[Kalem Tysick]

I can't find anything on this summit when I do a Google search. Where will it probably be and how can I sign up to go?

[Scott]

Wow, thank you all for sharing your projects, ideas and links. I think things that can positively impact human health can be interpreted broadly here.

Kalem, I don't yet have all the details but they did say "due to venue space limitations, we will be offering virtual teleconferencing to allow participation by the wider DIY Biology community". I will post what details are made available. Are you in Ottawa?

Cheers,

Scott

[Jason Bobe]

One other health related advancement that blends DIY, hardware, health is OpenAPS:

http://openaps.org/

Dana is great, one of the leads:

https://twitter.com/danamlewis

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[Kalem Tysick]

Hey Scott,

Yes I do live in Ottawa. I've lived here my whole life. Would love to go to a DIYBio summit here if there was going to be one, which you say there is, so that makes me happy. I guess I'll stand by for those details when they're made available to you.

Thanks,

Kalem

[Winnie Poncelet]

We're breeding mealworms in ReaGent in Belgium. We're cooperating with an organisation that educates people on this. The idea is to teach people another form of urban farming and food autonomy.

Next to that some members are also getting a spirulina and aquaponics system up and running. So people are very interested in food autonomy, perhaps for health reasons, I don't know.

On Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 3:43:40 AM UTC+1, Scott wrote:

[Scott]

Hi all,

Again, thank you for all these excellent ideas. I've posted the Canadian DIY Biology Summit details (pdf's for the poster and agenda) on our website. The link to the webcast is in the poster. Note that, being in Ottawa, it starts early at EST. The details will be taken down after the event.

http://www.opensciencenet.org

Cheers,

Scott