Team:Minnesota/Safety
Team:Minnesota
#Minnesota 2018
EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT
Safety: Safe project design:
_____E. coli strain JW3841-1 is a non pathogenic strain, and there is no likelihood that any infection will lead to acute signs of diseases. The anstey of this strain is E. coli K-12 BW25113, which is documented as a biosafety level 1 bacteria in the iGEM white list website. Since E. coli JW2841-1 is not pathogenic and is not known to post any possible risks to lab workers, human communities and animal communities, we consider the model organism itself as very low risk. If released in the environment, the engineered bacteria will die if the environmental organic mercury was run out, so ideally the use of this “kill switch” mechanism will not post any long term risks to the environment and the animal community. In our plasmid design, these three genes: Mer, GlnA and GFP are linked closely, and if no organic mercury present in the environment, the transcription of mercury resistant protein complex will be repressed. The inactivation of Mer gene will also cause the glutamine synthetase malfunction, and stopping of this vital process will lead to cell death. Safe lab work:
_____In our project, the use of ethidium bromide is inevitable for the purpose of high quality gel staining results. EtBr is a carcinogen that can intercalate double stranded DNA, but the use of it in the laboratory is below the level of toxicity. The use of EtBr in the lab is strictly regulated by safety supervisor, and any experiment that involves the use of this mutagen is conducted on a single bench to prevent cross contamination. When disposing the gel, we wrapped it with plastic wrap and placed them in double-lined trash bags. Another risk related to gel electrophoresis is the use of UV light for visualization. UV is also a mutagen that can break the bond between adjacent pyrimidine and form pyrimidine dimers, that can lead to skin damage and possibly skin cancer. We also want to prevent exposing our gel under the UV light because it can also cause mutation in bacterial DNA. To prevent possible risks, proper eyewears, covers and gloves are used.
_____Our experiments is also under very low biosecurity risk. The lab that we worked in is only accessible to authorized lab workers and should be accessed using a key. There is no previous item missing or stealing history in the lab also, so the risks of both authorized and unauthorized people stealing lab properties are very low. Our research files and lab notes are also securely stored either in google doc or locked in the lab. We are keeping track of every experiment and every lab material/equipment on lab notes.
_____Individual safety is also our biggest concern. Before starting the project, each team member that will involve in the wet lab is required to finish a series of lab safety trainings on the University of Minnesota safety training website, and all the pdf documents of training records are archived. Individuals working in the lab have access to general lab safety equipment (i.e. eye wash station, shower, biohazard waste bins, gloves, eyewear, lab coats, etc.), and we ensure that team members have the capability of handling their own individual lab safety before the experiment starts. Safe shipment:
_____We didn’t have any problem with shipping our DNA parts to the registry. The DNA was nicely sealed and labeled clearly, and since DNA parts are from non-pathogenic E. coli, it is safe to send them.We followed the shipping standards on the USPS website of forensic materials.
×