We confirmed that only non-pathogenic strains will be used and no animal or plant infestation experiments will be conducted. E. coli DH5a, jurkat cell line and 293t cell line have been widely used in scientific research and is not harmful to the environment itself, and mammalian cell lines are difficult to survive outside the laboratory. The Lentivirus vector has deleted the toxic gene and it is a pseudotyped virus. Therefore, it has no toxic effect and it is not easy to infect the host outside the laboratory. In addition, we will not insert any toxic or harmful genes into our lab.
The project is just foundational, and we don't have a specific real-word application. But if we eventually use our project for some fields such as cancer field, we construct the cellular pathways we envisioned in T-lymphocytes. Then if an error occurs in the process of genetic modification, leading to the death of T cells or unexpected toxicity, it will cause great harm to cancer patients. So we won't use our system in any fields where can likely be in danger.
Morally speaking, these risks are small or non-existent given that we do not intend to use animals or introduce anything into the environment.
Since we are conducting basic research, all our experiments will be carried out in the laboratory. Most of the experiments are very basic experiments such as molecular cloning, cell culture, and fluorescence processing, and the risks to the human body and the environment are very low. Lentiviral vectors and infected cells are relatively risky to the human body. But given that this technology has been widely used, and many iGEM teams have used this method, as long as we strictly abide by the experimental specifications, we can minimize the risk.
The principle investigators Jiandong Jiang and Jingyu Lang are responsible for the safety and security of biology labs. Both of them have reviewed our experimental plan and given us some advice on the safety and security of these experiments.They are familiar with some of the biosafety and biosecurity risks that may be encountered during the use of E. coli, mammalian cells, and lentiviral vectors.
Safe Lab Work
We read and signed the laboratory safety responsibility statement, which includes:
Wear lab coats when entering the laboratory, gloves and other armor for experimentation.
It is strictly forbidden to smoke, eat or drink any food in the laboratory or use laboratory equipment (such as electric stoves, microwave ovens, etc.) to cook the food.
When using the equipment, the experiment should be carried out in strict accordance with the operating procedures, and the unfamiliar instruments should be familiar and reused.
Strictly categorize experimental waste and raw domestic waste.
Chemical waste generated by the experiment should be placed at a special storage point and must not be dumped or placed indiscriminately.
When a safety accident occurs, the power should be cut off first, scientifically processed, etc.
Click to view the full agreement:
(Laboratory Safety Responsibility Document doc.)
We received two hours of laboratory safety training at the director of the Experimental Center Office of the College of Life Sciences at Nanjing Agricultural University. All training courses are documented. The entire lab team previously worked in the same biosafety level laboratory, and the team members were experienced and familiar with the job requirements and environment. Every member entering the laboratory must pass the biosafety and biosafety exams and be familiar with all safety equipment locations and safety planning routes for a particular laboratory space. In addition, we have strict regulations on the treatment of experimental waste. All contaminated waste must be sterilized before it can be disposed of. For discarded drugs, they are handled uniformly by the college.
