Melany Jumbo, Quito - Ecuador

Biotechnology Engenieer 🧬

✅

Principles and Practices

Ethics, safety, and security are essential considerations throughout (and beyond!) this class. We have therefore designed the Class Assignment this week to give you a strong foundation, and then will ask you to reflect each week and in the design of your final project.

Class Assignment

1. First, describe a biological engineering application or tool you want to develop and why. This could be inspired by an idea for your HTGAA class project and/or something for which you are already doing in your research, or something you are just curious about.

Biological engineering aplication

I would like to develop a method of administration for bacteriophage cocktails in the poultry industry. In Ecuador, it has been shown that prolonged use of low doses of antibiotics generates resistance that reaches 100%. My undergraduate thesis is one of the few pieces of evidence that demonstrates this problema. Therefore, looking for alternatives to avoid the uncontrolled use of antibiotics that have a critic importance for human medicine, is very necessary. To do this, I have to thought that the use of bacteriophages (inactivated) can be a great alternative to counteract infections caused by Salmonella spp., E.coli and other kind of bacterias. However, another challenge is the large-scale administration of these cocktails. From what I have researched, it’s possible to use aerosols on chicken beds, put these cocktails in the feed or water.

(NutriNews, 2015).

To have greater efficiency, these bacteriophage cocktails need to be encpsulated. Finally, I want to evaluated different factor and alternative ways to implement this idea.

1. Next, describe one or more governance/policy goals related to ensuring that this application or tool contributes to an "ethical" future, like ensuring non-malfeasance (preventing harm). Break big goals down into two or more specific sub-goals. Below is one example framework (developed in the context of synthetic genomics) you can choose to use or adapt, or you can develop your own. The example was developed to consider policy goals of ensuring safety and security, alongside other goals, like promoting constructive uses, but you could propose other goals for example, those relating to equity or autonomy.

🗨️ I think my phage cocktail application can contribute to strengthening controls in the poultry industry regarding the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. What I seek is to raise awareness among the general population and the personal dedicated to the poultry sector about the increase in antibiotic resistance and how this industry indirectly contributes to this problem with inadequate precesses. To provide an alternativ to avoid the excessive use of antibiotics that is beneficial for their pocket and practical to implement.

Big Goals and Sub-Goals.

🟠 Reduce the inappropiate use of antibiotics that have a critical importance in human medicine within the poultry industry.

🟢 Implement restricitons on the use of antibiotics considered critically important for human health.

🟢 Establish a system of surveillance and crontrol of the use of antibiotics in poultry farms, with sanctions for innappropriate or excessive use.

Organización Panamericana de Salud (2023) and Agrocalidad (2020)

🟠 Search for altenartives techniques to reduce the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in poultry industry.

🟢 Allow the use of new technology and modified products under appropiate regulations.

🟢 Inform to the relevant authorities to seek reform of laws that stagnate research and development of science at the biological an other levels.

1. Next, describe at least three different potential governance "actions" by considering the four aspects below (Purpose, Design, Assumptions, Risks of Failure & “Success”). Try to outline a mix of actions (e.g. a new requirement/rule, incentive, or technical strategy) pursued by different "actors" (e.g. academic researchers, companies, federal regulators, law enforcement, etc). Draw upon your existing knowledge and a little additional digging, and feel free to use analogies to other domains (e.g. 3D printing, drones, financial systems, etc.).

   • Purpose: What is done now and what changes are you proposing?

   Currently, it’s evident that there is a great resistance to third-generation antibiotics such as cephalosporins in the poultry industry. Although Ecuador does not legally allow the use of growth factors (antibiotics) to help chickens grow. I propose more alternatives to avoid the use of antibiotics and that the laws be more specific since it can be interpreted that these antibiotics can be used to combat infections and this area is not very regulated, despite the fact that it’s requested that it be controlled by a veterinarian.

   • Design: What is needed to make it “work”? (including the actor(s) involved - who must opt-in, fund, approve, or implement, etc)

   I think we need a big team:

   WHO?	WHY?/ FOR WHAT?	WHO?	WHY?/ FOR WHAT?
   Scientist and Researchers	Isolation, characterization, and preparations of the phage cocktail.	Veterinarians	Diagnosis of the bacterial infections, prescriptions and monitoring.
   Poultry Producers	Customers willing to adopt and try the phage cocktail in their poultry.	Agrocalidad (Regulator Agencies)	Establish the regulatory frameworks, productions, marketing, phage cocktail.
   Pharmaceuticals	Large-scale production, marketing & distribution.	Investors & Financial Institutions	Financing to suppert the research, development and production.

   • Assumptions: What could you have wrong (incorrect assumptions, uncertainties)?

   🧪 It may happen that the phage cocktail is not very effective and doesn’t reduce the bacterial load that causes the infection (in case of disease).

   🧪 Using sprays or encapsulations to cover and protect the phage cocktail may not be very effective in withstanding intestinal acidity.

   🧪 Understand the possible short and long term side effects.

   🧪 Try to come up with a generalized cocktail and not so specific for each case, since the costs may be high and it may not be suitable for sale in the industry.

   • Risks of Failure & “Success”: How might this fail, including any unintended consequences of the “success” of your proposed actions?

   ❗The bacterias we want to attack may generate a phage resistant.

   ❗Difficulties may arise in the large-scale production of stable and effective phage cocktails

   ❗May be de regulatories hurdles to the approval and use of phage therapy.

2. Next, score (from 1-3 with, 1 as the best, or n/a) each of your governance actions against your rubric of policy goals. The following is one framework but feel free to make your own:

1. Last, drawing upon this scoring, describe which governance option, or combination of options, you would prioritize, and why. Outline any trade-offs you considered as well as assumptions and uncertainties. For this, you can choose one or more relevant audiences for your recommendation, which could range from the very local (e.g. to MIT leadership or Cambridge Mayoral Office) to the national (e.g. to President Biden or the head of a Federal Agency) to the international (e.g. to the United Nations Office of the Secretary-General, or the leadership of a multinational firm or industry consortia). These could also be one of the “actor” groups in your matrix.

Based on all the work done previously, I would prioritize the regulation and control of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. In conjunction with the improvement of Ecuadorian laws to strengthen research without it being hindered by ambiguous laws without foundations. Also, inform the relevant authorities such as Agrocalidad and other control entities. Ministry of Public Health, disseminating and emphasizing the major problem of antibiotic resistance to third-generation cephalosporins. Finally, socializing these problems with the leaders of the poultry industry in Ecuador, such as Pronaca, in the main provinces such as Santo Domingo, Guayas, Pichincha, El Oro and Manabí.

Weekly Assignment