Team:GreatBay SZ/Safety
Overview
As iGEMers, our team considers the safety of paramount significance throughout the whole competition season. Before starting our own experiments, all of our team members have been through a long period of training period necessary for conducting genetically modified organisms, so as to ensure no harm or danger will be exerted on our student researchers. BIOT, our final product, is also devised to be a secure device for people to use in daily life for charging and energy supplying.
Lab Safety
Waste Management
In our lab, we designate specific sites for all kinds of laboratory wastes(fluid, solid, pipette tips...).
- Liquid and fluid biological wastes go to designated sinks.
- Waste pipette tips are first collected in waste tanks, then to specific bins.
- Bins for solid wastes are also set up for usages.
Latex Gloves And Hand Washing
We make sure to put on latex gloves before every lab and wash hands before and after every lab in order to keep us from unintentionally spreading bacterias and contaminating biological products.
Lab Coats And Goggles
Lab coats and goggles are also mandatory for labs to ensure the safety of experimenters to avoid harm to the body and especially protect eyes from hazardous chemicals.
Using UV Equipment
Because of the dangerous nature of UV equipment, specific training is given to all students to minimize the possibility of encountering danger to skin and eyes.
Hazardous Chemicals
We minimize the probability of receiving harm by putting the fluid hazardous chemicals into a separate and labeled glass. Teachers and advisors in the lab will also help carry the waste to local stations for standard wastewater treatment.
Making Agar Gels
We employ a non-toxic gel stain to make the agar gels. Additionally, we set up separate zones for manufacturing the gels. We also have protocols for the wasted gels.
Emergencies
Teachers and advisors are in the lab for assistance and emergencies.
Solutions To Specific Safety Problems
Sulfuric Acid for Humidity Control
Our team utilized sulfuric acid to control the humidity of the air for harvesting energy using our battery. We made sulfric acid solutions in different concentrations; the relative humidity could be remained at a constant level with the presence of sulfric acid in each concentration. Our supervisors who had received professional training helped us to make the solutions with all the necessary protection. In this way, the safety of the team members was ensured. Refer to hazardous chemicals for what we do to eliminate safety problems.
Clonging Gene from H7:O157
We needed to clone genes from E.coli O157:H7, so as to constructed the plasmid for pilin expression. E.coli H7:O157 is in risk group 2 and it may cause diarrhea and bleeding in intestine through food. We asked the senior supervisor in our team who is well-trained and full-of-experience to help us do the experiment of PCR cloning related to the part (gspO) from O157 with mask on, so that the safety of all the team members was ensured. Moreover, all the cloning experiments were done in the biosafety cabinet. The pathogen was well-contained and have no contact with the lab environment.Thus, no live cell nor part from H7:O157 was released into the environment outside of the lab, which eliminated any possible risk brought by E.coli O157:H7.
Laws And Policies
Through the reading of related domestic or international laws and policies (e.g., Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety), we have confirmed that the project does not conflict with the local laws and regulations, with no remarkable biosafety or biosecurity issue. The regulations show that the living modified organism we use and its products belong to the low-risk category. We also understand the things that we need to pay attention to if we want to further commercialize this product. For example, the processes of application to relevant agencies, the safety identification required when developing industrialized assembly lines, and the need to ensure transportation of the products are "in safe manner," etc.
CO-VID precautions
Responding to the national and regional arrangements on the COVID pandemic, temperatures are taken before one can enter the building. Masks are also mandatory while communicating and conducting experiments to avoid virus transfer.