Team:UniGE-Geneva/Safety
Inspiration
The replacement of animal testing by alternative in vitro methods is now being encouraged by the World Health Organization and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, replacing animal models is a big challenge for laboratories because current in vitro cell cultures poorly reflect the physiological organization of tissues. This has led to low success rates for drugs because a high proportion (~98%) of those that appear efficacious in vitro do not succeed during in vivo trials. Therefore, we believe there is an urgent need to improve in vitro drug testing to better simulate the in vivo physiology of animal models.
Project
We would like to create a drug-testing toolbox that is capable of measuring the effects of multiple interdependent biological activities with physiological relevance. By mimicking physiological conditions that occur in vivo, our goal is to improve in vitro drug testing to reduce the reliance on animal experimentation, as well as increase the efficiency and accuracy of drug screening. For this aim, we will use novel cell co-culture formats, including cancer and hepatocyte cell lines. Importantly, our co-culture formats aim to improve upon several aspects of existing spheroid cultures.
Content
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Safety
Please visit the Safety Hub to find this year's safety requirements & deadlines, and to learn about safe & responsible research in iGEM.
On this page of your wiki, you should write about how you are addressing any safety issues in your project. The wiki is a place where you can go beyond the questions on the safety forms, and write about whatever safety topics are most interesting in your project. (You do not need to copy your safety forms onto this wiki page.)
Safe Project Design
Does your project include any safety features? Have you made certain decisions about the design to reduce risks? Write about them here! For example:
- Choosing a non-pathogenic chassis
- Choosing parts that will not harm humans / animals / plants
- Substituting safer materials for dangerous materials in a proof-of-concept experiment
- Including an "induced lethality" or "kill-switch" device
Safe Lab Work
What safety procedures do you use every day in the lab? Did you perform any unusual experiments, or face any unusual safety issues? Write about them here!