Team:DTU-Denmark/Safety
Safety
Regarding the organism
As mentioned in the project description, filamentous fungi are important producers in the biotechnological industry and they form the base of our project.
We have chosen to work with Aspergillus niger as it is an important production organism, and the tools required to genetically engineer it already exists. We have used the specific strain ATCC1015 [1].
This Aspergillus strain is classified as Biosafety Level 1, which indicates that it is safe to use and handle in the lab. In addition to this designation, we have performed a safety check-in, as spore-forming fungi are not directly in the whitelist.
Aspergillus spores are airborne and can not only contaminate other samples but additionally cause aspergillosis. Therefore, anytime we worked with Aspergillus we worked in a biosafety cabinet which was cleaned thoroughly with ethanol before and after work.
Fermentation safety
During our project, we will be using large-scale fermentations to verify our promoters. This introduces new challenges in safely handling our organism and the larger equipment.
To the first point, Aspergillus niger, and many other filamentous fungi, the production of spores is dependent on external conditions of the fermentation.
Throughout our work with large-scale fermentation only members who had received training in bioreactors participated in the experiment.
These team members wore safety goggles, gloves, and lab coats whenever entering the fermentation platform and made sure that qualified personnel were on-site for help and advice if needed.
