Safety

“Better safe than sorry.” ~Proverb

This applies in real life as well as the lab. During our project we enjoyed the support of Dr. Mirko Himmel, a biosafety expert, and the members of the Ignatova lab. They gave us a lot of advice and helped us identify four major areas of consideration for the safety of our project.

1. Safe lab work

Our laboratory in the Ignatova lab at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is classified as biosafety level 1 (S1). In order to guarantee a safe work environment, all guidelines and requirements of german legislature were followed (GenTG [1]). Before starting experiments in our wet lab, we had safety training teaching us about the safety measures to be taken during our daily work and in emergencies. We also learned how to safely handle genetically modified organisms and hazardous chemicals. Our work will fully comply with the iGEM safety and security rules, as well as the rules of the federal state Hamburg and Germany [1].

Specifically we observed the following safety guidelines in our daily work

Labregulations

Protective personal equipment: safety goggles, lab coat, gloves, solid footwear, eye protection for work with UV-light
Awareness of safety signs, emergency exits and evacuation procedures
Training with the lab’s safety equipment (eye wash station, emergency showers, fire extinguishers)
Knowledge of emergency phone numbers
Safe storage of chemicals: Flammable and/or hazardous chemicals are stored in suitable containers and safety cabinets if necessary
No food or drinks in the lab
Correct waste disposal (see below)
Cleaning lab benches before/after experiments with 70 % Ethanol

2. Safe Project Design

Safety is not just about how we conducted our practical work in the lab, but also about what that work actually comprised. With this in mind we focused on designing a safe project that could not be misused. Our project, the transformation of multiple plasmids with just one selection marker, has several safety aspects that must be considered. First our project employs a complex system with multiple plasmids, minimizing the risk of dual-use issues. Since we use less antibiotics and resistance genes than comparable methods the stress on our bacteria is reduced making unforeseen mutations less likely. This also minimizes the risks of accidental releases. We only worked with the well established and characterized bacterial strain E. coli DH5α. All experiments were performed in our own laboratory.

3. Waste management

We took correct waste disposal very seriously to protect our already polluted environment. Liquid waste was separated into the following categories, halogenated organic solvents, halogen-free organic solvents, inorganic alkalis, inorganic nitrated acids and inorganic nitrate-free acids. The liquid waste containers were stored under a fume hood. Liquid waste contaminated with ethidium bromide was filtered through activated charcoal prior to disposal. Solid waste was separated into carcinogenic, toxic and other waste. All genetically modified materials were collected in a closed designated bin and autoclaved before final disposal. After sorting the waste in our lab we used the universities waste management service for appropriate disposal of our waste.

4. Survey

In our online survey ‘Synthetic Biology - Great Potential, but Too Hard to Understand?!’, we observed the essential principles of data protection according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR [2]). All participants were informed about the purpose, form and scope of data collection and data processing. In addition the participants consent was requested. The participants were also informed about their right to revoke their consent. The survey was conducted anonymously.

References:

[1] Online source: Federal Republic of Germany, accessed 21st October 2019, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gentg/

[2] Online source: European Union, accessed 21st October 2019, https://eur-lex.europa.eu https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32016R0679

Team:Hamburg/Safety