Team:MITADTBIO Pune/Safety
Considering the implications of synthetic biology tools beyond the lab scale, it is crucial to maintain safe and ethical use of engineered organisms. Our team understands the risk of working in the lab and intends to take all necessary measurements and precautions to prioritize the safety of the members involved in the handling of these engineered organisms. We were given appropriate safety training before we started working on the project. Having learned about disinfection and sterilization, we know how to clean-up before and after we work using bacterial cultures. All our equipment is autoclaved in advance, so as to prevent any possible contamination. Bacterial cultures are autoclaved before discarding them. After this, all our cultures are packed into a bag that is sealed tightly. This biological waste is then sent to Vishwaraj Hospital via our MoU, where a company called Presco takes care of the final disposal.
SAFETY REGARDING ORGANISMS USED
Our project involves no pathogenic materials or animal/human testing. We have used Escherichia coli JM109 and BL21 as our chassis organisms. They do not pose significant risks to the users in the laboratory or anyone outside in case of escape and both of these organisms used are grouped under risk group 1. Our project is monitored according to the Department of Biotechnology, India(DBT) and we strictly follow the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC) guidelines. Our labs are designed according to the safety guidelines prescribed by IBSC.
Our primary PI, Dr. Renu Vyas is the chairperson of the IBSC; while secondary PIs Dr.Nayana Patil and Dr. Madhura Chandrashekar are the secretary and the internal expert respectively. All of them are responsible for the safety and security of the biology labs of the institute and will be overseeing any safety risks that may arise during the project.
SAFETY IN THE PROJECT
Our project aims at degrading the polyethylene plastic used in the sanitary pads using nontoxic enzyme Laccase and OmpR gene. Our bacterium has been engineered to grow on used sanitary pads, so our major experiments will involve growing the bacteria on said pads in a controlled environment. K+ ions are released majorly after RBCs lysis of menstrual blood and will be used as a trigger for the expression of OmpR and Laccase genes via the KdpF promoter of KdpFACB operon isolated from E. coli. Therefore we plan to assess the activity of the said KdpF promoter by cultivating the transformants in K+ enriched media, performing relevant assays and then validating in serum.