Safety

Chassis organisms

For the purpose of construction of our circuit, we used E. coli DH5 α as our chassis organism. For testing the circuit in our final chassis organism of choice, we transformed the plasmids into B. subtilis as well. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies Bacillus subtilis as a GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) organism. Both these organisms are generally recognized as safe and can be used in S1 laboratories without problems.

Safe Laboratory Practices

All our experimental work was carried out in DBT-ICT Center for Energy Biosciences, which boasts of state-of-the art equipment for facilitating Microbiological research. As a responsible team, we ensured that all safety regulations are complied with and our experimentation does not pose a risk to us and others around us.

Ensuring a contamination Free Environment

Handling of all bacteria was carried out in Biosafety Laminar air flow units. This ensured a contamination free as well as a contained working environment.

Dealing with hazardous materials

Latex gloves and spatulas were used to handle Ethidium Bromide (ETBr) -containing agarose gels since it is a known carcinogen. Used gels were put in labelled bags that were handed over to a contractor for disposal by incineration at a municipal facility. Gels are viewed under UV light only with the protective barrier of a glass visor.

Disposal of waste

All bacterial waste was discarded plastic containers and autoclaved before disposal. This included bacterial cultures and plates.

Safe Project Design

We chose B. subtilis as our chassis organism. This was done keeping in mind that it is a common soil bacterium and a GRAS organism.

Safety regulation in our country on the release of GMOs

While there are tremendous applications of synthetic biology which can benefit the society, risks associated with using such genetically modified organisms in the wild are significantly alarming. But risks are ubiquitous and unavoidable. Our modus operandi should be minimization of risks. One way to manage such risk is governmental oversight (Dhan Prakash, 2011). In India, there are 6 different committees which regulate the release of GMO into wild. The one with ultimate power to allow the release or not is GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee). No person can manufacture, transport, use, process or sell GMOs without the approval from GEAC. State, Institutional, District level committees,The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RDAC) takes note of developments in biotechnology at national and international level and prepares suitable recommendations.