Our project used two non-pathogenic strains of E.coli: DH5alpha and Top10. Those strains were used for transformation and amplification of plasmids pSyn_6 with ligated SQR. They were also used for amplification of pSB1C3 plasmid and gene submission. Miraprep protocol was used for DNA plasmid extraction.

The second organism used in the project is cyanobacterial organism Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 strain. This is a transformable strain of freshwater non-pathogenic model organism used for investigation of molecular genetics.

The laboratory of iGEM NU_Kazakhstan is a BSL1 laboratory, which indicates that none of the organisms used in the lab are known to be not pathogenic in humans. The basic laboratory safety rules included wearing gloves and coats, which prevented the spread of contamination and prevented exposure of biological organisms outside of the laboratory. The members of the iGEM NU_Kazakhtan team were required to undergo a safety session from the laboratory Teacher Assistants about the rules of working in the laboratory, utilizing reagents & laboratory equipment and disposal of organic/inorganic wastes. A series of lectures were conducted by last year team members in order to acknowledge the location of laboratory materials, rules of dishwashing and autoclaving. All team members were informed about equipment to be used during emergency situations and first medical care in the laboratory and passed a survey confirming them to be aware of laboratory rules.