Difference between revisions of "Team:ICT-Mumbai/Safety"

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<h4>Dealing with hazardous materials</h4>
 
<h4>Dealing with hazardous materials</h4>
 
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Latex gloves and spatulas were used to handle Ethidium Bromide (_ETBr)-containing agarose gels since is carcinogenic. Used gels were put in labelled bags that were handed over to a contractor for disposal by incineration at a municipal facility.
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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.
 
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<h4>Disposal of waste</h4>
 
<h4>Disposal of waste</h4>
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All bacterial waste was discarded plastic containers and autoclaved before disposal. This included bacterial cultures and plates.
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<p>Please visit the <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Safety">Safety Hub</a> to find this year's safety requirements & deadlines, and to learn about safe & responsible research in iGEM.</p>
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<p>On this page of your wiki, you should write about how you are addressing any safety issues in your project. The wiki is a place where you can <strong>go beyond the questions on the safety forms</strong>, and write about whatever safety topics are most interesting in your project. (You do not need to copy your safety forms onto this wiki page.)</p>
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<h3>Safe Project Design</h3>
 
<h3>Safe Project Design</h3>
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We chose B. Subtilis as our chassis organism.
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<p>Does your project include any safety features? Have you made certain decisions about the design to reduce risks? Write about them here! For example:</p>
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<h4>Safety regulation in our country on the release of GMOs</h4>
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While there are tremendous applications of synthetic biology which can benefit the society, risks
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<li>Choosing a non-pathogenic chassis</li>
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associated with using such genetically modified organisms in the wild are significantly alarming. But
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<li>Choosing parts that will not harm humans / animals / plants</li>
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risks are ubiquitous and unavoidable. Our modus operandi should be minimization of risks. One way
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<li>Substituting safer materials for dangerous materials in a proof-of-concept experiment</li>
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to manage such risk is governmental oversight <a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2011/369573/"><u>(Dhan Prakash, 2011)</u></a> .
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<li>Including an "induced lethality" or "kill-switch" device</li>
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In India, there are 6 different committees which regulate the release of GMO into wild. The one with
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ultimate power to allow the release or not is GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee). No
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person can manufacture, transport, use, process or sell GMOs without the approval from GEAC.
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State, Institutional, District level committees,The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RDAC)
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takes note of developments in biotechnology at national and international level and prepares suitable
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recommendations. </p>
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<h3>Safe Lab Work</h3>
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<p>What safety procedures do you use every day in the lab? Did you perform any unusual experiments, or face any unusual safety issues? Write about them here!</p>
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<h3>Safe Shipment</h3>
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<p>Did you face any safety problems in sending your DNA parts to the Registry? How did you solve those problems?</p>
 
 
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Revision as of 10:23, 10 October 2018

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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.

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.

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.