Team:Pasteur Paris/Safety
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Safety
While creating DIANE, we kept safety in mind at all times, both for ourselves and for our future customers. Before entering the lab, all team members were given specific safety training by the lab staff, which included how to properly use a biosafety cabinet, dispose of the biological waste and locate the escape routes.
Safety in the lab
The strains that were studied were classified as risk group 1 and 2 organisms, which means they are dangerous to immunosuppressed individuals and could potentially pose a threat to our health. Therefore, the team worked in a Biosafety Level 2 Lab and a member of the lab staff was available at all times.
A biosafety cabinet was used during all manipulations, both to protect ourselves and to avoid contamination of the bacterial cultures. To minimize the risk, we avoided working with organisms that require a vaccine beforehand and had specific disposal for biologically contaminated waste.
The chemicals used to functionalize the electrodes were mostly powders: to avoid respiratory exposure, the solutions were prepared under a chemical fume hood. Lab coats, eye protection and nitrile gloves were worn at all times. The gloves were changed periodically to ensure proper sterility during manipulation.
Safety of the product
No risk of bacterial contamination when handled
The use of risk group 1 and 2 organisms only occurs during the preparation of the aptamers, and the latter are completely non-toxic and non-immunogenic. Therefore, the only biological parts inside the device are single-strand DNA, so there is no risk of contamination by dangerous bacterial strains when using DIANE.
No risk of bacterial contamination when handled
Concerning the electrodes, carbon nanotubes are almost insoluble in water once they are fixed, and can bind aptamers for several months. This means that chemicals will not leak into the sample and contaminate it, and do not threaten the health of the handler when the electrodes need to be replaced.
No bacteria in industrial manufacturing
Furthermore, the scaling-up to industrial level would not pose a biological threat. Because the strains are only used during the selection of the right sequence, the large-scale synthesis of aptamers do not require the use of bacteria.