Biology is the building block in everything we are all constructed of. The world and all the living entities within, including us, are all biological subjects. Biology enables humanity to navigate our origin, comprehend the present, and predict our future. However, there is so much more to explore than simply studying life. These fundamental yet marvellous discoveries biologists have unveiled after countless hours of experiments have revolutionized the way we live.

From how we crop our produce, treat illnesses, and engineer sustainable energy, biology is the key to wonders. The fields of study in this realm, including synthetic biology and biotechnology, are the real agents in this groundbreaking journey. Synthetic biology paved the way for cutting-edge life redesign to customize a new blueprint. Scientists merge biology with engineering principles to reinvent a never-before-seen entity, mostly microorganisms. Similarly, biotechnology applies biology to generate and improve products and technologies such as vaccines, genetically modified crops, and biodegradable plastics.

Together, these disciplines establish the foundation for a ticket to a better life despite the global challenges. In an inclusive effort to tackle these issues, the United Nations (UN) has formulated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure thorough development for all aspects targeted. Aligned with the idea, biological science is crucial in orchestrating knowledge and tools to understand the challenges, proposing solutions, fostering innovations and research, and evidence-based policymaking.

The complex global issues and the spirit of implementing science to bestow to communities have inspired the establishment of GenBio. We aspire to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and community empowerment. We foster lab and industrial-scale research and innovations that might seem out of reach to be accessible for all through our digital and non-digital platforms.

GenBio adopts the values of SDGs 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 4 (Quality Education), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Our vision to #InnovatingLifeEmpoweringHumanity drives the incorporation of biology and technology to shape a better future for all. GenBio aims to reinforce scientific collaboration, integrate biological knowledge into real-world applications, and empower communities through education, innovations, economic growth, and engagement. Our core values emphasize innovation, empowerment, collaboration, and sustainability.

GenBio transcends the power biology delivers to communities by providing opportunities for them to thrive. Our executions embody the ambition to demonstrate the wonders of biology for people from all walks of life. We craft biological education content through our digital platforms so young audiences can learn about the science behind our day-to-day living. Here, we seize social media to encourage brainstorming, discussion, and expert insights and foster innovative ideas as we strive to advocate awareness and accessible science for all. Moreover, our platforms accommodate collaboration between researchers, key industrial players, and communities.

Synergistically, our community-building events, seminars, workshops, and educational programs aim to enlighten communities in urban and rural areas of Indonesia. We ensure that biological values embrace wider audiences in conversations and aspirations for a collaborative effort in addressing global predicaments. Our main focus is promoting clean and healthy lifestyles to overcome antibiotic resistance, one of the emerging issues rapidly circulating in Indonesia, as well as other communicable and non-communicable diseases. Our community-driven initiatives can create a brighter future where science benefits everyone.

Join GenBio and make an impact! Be a part of the change! Connect with GenBio and help us build a healthier generation through biology and community empowerment. Let’s turn biological knowledge into action!

#InnovatingLifeEmpoweringHumanity

Suma, the founder of GenBio, talks about combating antibiotic resistance among children.

May 17, 2025
Serang

At GenBio’s launch event on May 17, 2025, the founder, Swiluva Sigalovada Swilly Sumardy Ma, who goes by Suma, visited Taktakan, Serang. There, 82 elementary school students—we call them ‘BioHeroes’—from SDN Cipanas and SDN Penggung Serang were present alongside their parents and teachers to hear about advancing health awareness through scientific approaches. Furthermore, the students were enthusiastic about viewing the visual of day-to-day objects under the microscope and engaging in free oral checkups with dentists.

The event started with Suma greeting the participants in the first session. Here, he highlights antimicrobial resistance, an emerging issue rising significantly in Indonesia. According to the Ministry of Health Indonesia, the number of cases of antibiotic resistance in the nation peaked at an all-time high and skyrocketed to 70.75% in 2023*. Yet this ascending concern was widely known in medicine, as it was recorded to have caused 1.27 million deaths globally in 2019**. The antibiotic resistance issue is often associated with oral diseases, as the mouth is regarded as the gateway for bacterial infection, and surprisingly, has infected 33.5% of Indonesians aged 3–15***.

Given its potential threat, educating children and the young generations about this topic has become crucial. GenBio exists to inspire elementary school students in Serang to mitigate and prevent this issue, starting from home, as a community-driven initiative that aims to deliver simplified yet impactful science to society.

Comprehending a complex subject like antibiotic resistance in children could be a challenge. Therefore, GenBio introduced “Kumin” and “Kumon,” representing bacteria's pre- and post-microbial resistance using child-friendly characters and animation. Ultimately, Suma also addressed easy yet essential daily habits to prevent microbial infections, including: using antibiotics appropriately, practicing good hygiene, and avoiding consuming leftover antibiotics.

The session progressed with seminars by drg. Thalianabilla Khalisha and drg. Sasqia Faadillah Andikoputri. The doctors discussed oral health and developing proper hand-washing habits. Students were ecstatic to learn appropriate hand-washing techniques by singing along with their parents and teachers. The children were also thrilled to participate in the toothbrushing demonstration guided by the doctors and Suma.

Eventually, it was time for the oral checkups. Students were accompanied by their parents and teachers in numerical order to sit down with the dentists for examinations to identify whether any oral diseases were present. In parallel, others excitedly took part in the “MicroMagic” session to peek into the microscopic world while waiting their turn. They glanced over the microscope for objects like water, flowers, leaves, bread, and tempeh. Unexpectedly, this session became the highlight of their day.

Interestingly, around 75% of the attendees were suffering from cavities, ranging from mild to moderate. These findings corresponded with the fact that more than 50% of the parents and children were unaware of implementing clean and healthy lifestyles at home by practising daily toothbrushing. Moreover, only one-third of the participants had their teeth checked by the dentist before, while the rest had never had any oral examination. Therefore, parents and children were encouraged to brush their teeth daily using the “Hero Kit,” which comprises a toothbrush, toothpaste, and oral health booklet previously distributed by GenBio.

The alarming public awareness regarding clean and healthy lifestyles in Serang has proven the criticality of accelerating scientific literacy among communities. This event revealed that children and parents are strongly willing to learn about healthy lifestyles; they just need the proper access and guidance. Therefore, GenBio exists to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and its practical application through both online and offline initiatives. In alignment with this, GenBio is committed to facilitating education and community empowerment through science-based public health campaigns in rural and urban areas in Indonesia.

Stay tuned for upcoming GenBio adventures, where we will continue to meet young BioHeroes and inspire them to harness science as their superpower to build healthier generations!

Source:
*Kementerian Kesehatan RI. (2024). Waspada Bakteri Kebal Antibiotik.
https://sehatnegeriku.kemkes.go.id
**Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. (2022). Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial
resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. The Lancet; 399(10325): P629-655.
***Kementerian Kesehatan RI. (2023). Kesehatan Gigi dan Mulut. Jakarta.
https://repository.badankebijakan.kemkes.go.id/

Eighty-two elementary school students in Serang sit down for seminars on the practical hacks to tackle microbial infections from Suma, the founder of GenBio.

May 17, 2025
Serang

When we sat at the registration desk at 08:30 AM on a scorching Saturday on May 17, 2025, the kids appeared timid as they approached. Some of them were clinging to their parents' or teachers’ hands and hiding in the back, while peeking into the goodie bag we distributed at the front. Each was equipped with our “Hero Kit”, consisting of a toothbrush, toothpaste, and an educational booklet on clean and healthy lifestyles. However, once the seminar began with talks from Suma–short for Swiluva Sigalovada Swilly Sumardy Ma, as the founder of GenBio–the venue lit up immediately with their smiles.

Meet our BioHeroes. Yup, you read it right! These are Indonesia’s future generations who value applying science to their daily lives. At GenBio’s launch event held in Taktakan, Serang, they learned about antibiotic resistance and how crucial it is to care for their health and use antibiotics appropriately. Once it was time for the hand-washing and toothbrushing demonstration with the dentists and Suma, students were dancing along excitedly to the song. The euphoria escalated quickly as the dentists invited them to the front stage to practice it directly.

Even though some of them were slightly frightened when it was time for the oral examination, they listened attentively as the dentists advise them to care more for their oral health, as it regarded as the gateway for microbial infection and contributes to their overall well-being. Their parents were fully engaged in the conversation and were stunned as more than 75% of the students are experiencing cavities. Many of the parents and children were unaware of incorporating a daily toothbrushing habit into their lives. Nevertheless, many of them expressed gratitude and relief as they were enlightened about the issue and the next step to take to solve it.

Eventually, as some students were taking their turn for free oral checkups with the dentists, the rest were more than eager to witness the microscopic world during GenBio’s “MicroMagic” session, where they discovered how simple objects including water, flowers, leaves, bread, and tempeh would look under the microscope. The queue took more than half of the venue, and many students stood again on the line to check other objects, or to take another glance to the object they have seen previously.

One particular moment had the crowd bursted into laughter as one of the kids answered “Banyu.” when he was asked which object he would like to see. Putra, our MC of the day was startled as he had no idea that “banyu” is the Javanese for water. Surprisingly, the “MicroMagic” session gained more excitement than the team had foreseen before. Interestingly, some of them couldn’t reach the ocular lens of the microscope and had to be carried by our MC or the coordinator of the session, Putri.

The view we observed that day made the statistics released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which stated that Indonesian students were ranked 74th out of 80 countries in terms of science literacy*, sound unlikely. There we were, standing right in front of 82 attendees from SDN Cipanas and SDN Penggung Serang in our launch event that day, witnessing their eyes beaming with joy and enthusiasm for each session. Even though the statistics highlighted their lack of scientific comprehension, and yes, we recognize that scientific knowledge could be foreign to students in marginalized communities, but their spirit and curiosity remained on fire. They needed a spark, and GenBio was there to light it for them.

GenBio strive to pave the way for science to become accessible and easy-to-comprehend materials for children and youth. We connect with our audiences through online platforms to share applied science in our day-to-day living. As part of our evident dedication to support the establishment of well-educated and healthy generations, we meet with our agents of change, who goes by BioHeroes, to raise their awareness regarding science and how simple habits, starts from home, can transform their lives.

Stay tuned! GenBio’s next adventure might be in your city. Until then, keep learning, keep the spark of curiosity alive, and stay heroic!

Source:
*Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2022). Education GPS: Indonesia. https://gpseducation.oecd.org/