Safety is the main prerequisite for our project research and laboratory work. The iGEM SZPT-CHINA team fully complies with the safety rules of the iGEM competition. We completed the additional safety Check-In form as required by the iGEM safety committee. For more details, please click on our complete "Safety Form".
Safe Lab Work
The entire laboratory work strictly abides by the following laboratory management rules and safety in the whole laboratory work.
| ITEMS | Lab Rules |
|---|---|
| Enter the laboratory | Under the influence of the coronavirus, we uniformly performed nucleic acid tests for the coronavirus. Body temperature was monitored regularly before entering the laboratory; the data of each person was registered. The hand sanitizer was used to wash and disinfect hands. The laboratory was routinely disinfected. |
| Personal protection | Experimenters always wear experiment coats, rubber gloves, and masks, and must tie their long hair into a hat or tie them up. When using corrosive substances (such as acids and alkalis), it was compulsory to be carried out in a fume hood, and goggles were worn. |
| Safety equipment | Experimenters must be trained in laboratory safety management, training in the use of emergency showers, eyewashes, and other emergency equipment, including fire blankets, fire extinguishers, and emergency buttons. Strictly abide by the manual of the experimental equipment and keep the registration and use records. |
| Building safety | Experimenters must be familiar with the location of the fire exit, fire evacuation plan, and emergency room. Pay attention to the water and electricity switch before and after leaving the laboratory. |
| Chemical safety | Reasonably arrange the locations and proper storage methods of different chemical substances, such as in fume hoods, flammable cabinets, and conventional chemical storage cabinets. Try to avoid the use of toxic chemicals. |
| Waste disposal | The laboratory waste was needed to be inactivated before being discharged, and it was not allowed to discard it casually. Fragile items such as glass were wrapped before discarding to avoid scratching others' hands. |
Safe Project Design
Biological chassis
In the project design, we chose the following chassis for safety considerations: E.coli BL21, Streptococcus salivarius K12, and Lactobacillus (strain MG1363).
E.coli BL21 is currently the most commonly used strain for expressing foreign proteins. It is used for in vitro detection of dental caries, and its safety is controllable. Streptococcus salivarius K12 is an oral probiotic. In our dental caries treatment, it can successfully colonize the oral cavity and is endowed with excellent safety. Lactic acid bacteria are a type of food-grade microorganisms that are recognized as safe. The laboratory we worked in is classified as Biosafety Level 1 (BSL 1), so we can handle these three strains well, which also means that they will not cause any harm to humans and the natural environment. For details, please click on "Safety Form".
Suicide mechanism
The leakage or improper placement of bacteria may cause pollution to the environment. A controllable suicide mechanism was adopted to improve biological safety. A suicide mechanism regulated by the lysine riboswitch was adopted based on the difference lysine concentration between the human oral environment and the the external environment. Click the "Design"section for details.