Team:WHU-China/Safety

Q: Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of:
- researcher safety,
- public safety, or
- environmental safety?

A: No. Our practice is based on the safety guidelines detailed below. Our project doesn’t involve pathogenic microorganisms or producing any dangerous products and none of the modifications are pathogenic. So the project will not raise any safety issues in terms of these three concepts. As to the researcher safety, all of our researchers were trained well and pasted the safety test before we carry out our project in the laboratory. Besides, all of our biomaterials are well disposed to be environmentally friendly. All of our work is performed under the approval of Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory Bio-safety Regulations of China and the Biological Experimental Safety Regulations of Wuhan University (WHU).

Q: Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise any safety issues? If yes,
- did you document these issues in the Registry?
- how did you manage to handle the safety issue?
- How could other teams learn from your experience?

A: No, all of the BioBricks we sent or intended to send were made from DNA parts usually used in our host lab, they are all considered BSL1 with no particular safety issues.

Q:Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?
- If yes, what does your local biosafety group think about your project?
- If no, which specific biosafety rules or guidelines do you have to consider in your country?

A:Yes, at Wuhan University, we have our own biosafety group which give guidelines to all of our work in the laboratory. Such guidelines include safety issues on laboratory safety, public safety, environmental safety, etc. For example, in our institution’s own biosafety rules, we should obey the following: Laboratory coveralls, gowns or uniforms must be worn at all times for work in the laboratory；Eating, drinking, smoking, applying cosmetics and handling contact lenses is prohibited in the laboratory working areas；Laboratory furniture should be sturdy. Open spaces between and under benches, cabinets and equipment should be accessible for cleaning；Only authorized persons should be allowed to enter the laboratory working areas. and laboratory doors should be kept closed. These are just a part of the guidelines, regrettably, we do not have a link to them online, instead, they are printed into brochures and each member of us has one.
Before we carried out our experiments, the professors helped to confirm the safety of the project. They also supervised our experimental safety and gave us guidelines.
We have already discussed our project with the professors in the committee. During the discussion, they showed their concern about how we deal with the materials after utilization and how we deal with the product we make. Finally, we decided that the biomaterials should be deposed immediately to make sure that they will do no harm to human or environment. For example, reagents will be poured into specific waste tanks, which are classified into poisonous or innocuous. The innocuous ones are deposed directly, while the poisonous ones are handed over to professional companies for sequent disposal

Q:Do you have any other ideas how to deal with safety issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?

A: Since different laboratories follow different regulations, experience sharing seems more important. Workshops and jamborees held in each year has provides a good opportunity to widely spread the most valuable and latest technologies and developments on securities issues. What’s more, there should be an official guidelines related to biosafety issues, which is suitable for just this competition. It is necessary to upload these official guidelines on the main page of iGEM. And a booklet of them will be helpful and welcomed. There must be a basis of judging the safety of each bio-part. All the biobricks should be classified into different level of biosafety and the information should be also informed on each biobricks’ main page. As to some dangerous parts, the potential danger and the right usage should be well illustrated.

      Before entering the laboratory, we have already received a three-hour training on laboratory safety, including safe application of electricity, water, reagents, and operational safety, to make sure that all our process is in accordance to Biological Experimental Safety Regulations of Wuhan University (WHU).
     To be more detailed, first of all, the leader of our laboratory told us the biosafety rules in every particular according to the Biological Experimental Safety Regulations of Wuhan University (WHU) and our country’s national biosafety regulations. Then, he showed us the laboratory, the laboratory is designed for Biosafety Levels 1 or 2, Walls, ceilings and floors are smooth, easy to clean, impermeable to liquids and resistant to the chemicals and disinfectants normally used in the laboratory, the reagents are placed according to their properties, Safety systems such as fire, electrical emergencies, emergency shower and eyewash facilities are covered. Finally, each of us took part in a safety test and we all past it.
     Then we will discuss our safety measure in detailed from three aspects: the proper use of microorganisms, reagents and experiment equipments.
     The microorganisms utilized by us are obtained from China Center for Type Culture Collection, and most of them are not pathogenic. For example, The E.coli we used to produce competent cells are DH5α, which are classified as BSL1 in terms of bio-safety level. Besides, right after experiments, microorganisms are disposed by ultra-violet or high temperature before being thrown away. As a result, no bacteria have any chance of escaping from the laboratory, thus preventing any potential harm they may do to environment and humans.
     In addition, we have credible resource of chemical reagents, and we make special effort to employ them appropriately. All our reagents are ordered by our college uniformly, which has long-term cooperative company, thus the safety of the material can be guaranteed. So the materials used in our project wound not risk to the safety and health of team members or others in the lab. In the process of experiment, we place the reagents according to their properties. For instance, volatile reagents will be stored in fume hoods, and dangerous ones such as strong acid and alkali are marked and placed in specified place. During the process of experiments, we strictly follow the guidance of protocol for proper operation. After utilization, the biomaterials are deposed immediately to make sure that they will do no harm to human or environment. All of our work is performed under the approval of Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory Bio-safety Regulations of China and the Biological Experimental Safety Regulations of Wuhan University (WHU), Our project doesn’t involve pathogenic microorganisms or producing any dangerous products and none of the modifications are pathogenic, infective, or toxic. None of our parts are associated with threats to environmental quality or security concerns. For example, reagents will be poured into specific waste tanks, which are classified into poisonous or innocuous. The innocuous ones are deposed directly, while the poisonous ones are handed over to professional companies for sequent disposal. Even if they are released by design or accident, there would not be any risks to the safety and health of the general public or the environmental quality. All of our materials are very common and it is invaluable to make malicious misuse by individuals, groups or states, and it is even more impossible to cause any security problems.
     At the same time, we take special measures to ensure the individual safety. For example, instead of using the most common EB for Gel Electrophoresis Staining, we choose the less well-known goldviewer. Despite its little imperfections in sensitivity compared to EB, goldviewer has no match in that it’s innocuous.
      In the terms of experimental equipments, we take special measures to ensure security of operators as well as long life performance of the equipment. Once we enter the laboratory, we will put on the lab coats, rubber gloves and disposable gloves; in case of contacting with volatile liquid, we will wear masks for overall protection. Besides, in consideration of sterile manipulation and self-protection, we purchase a bio-safety cabinet specially. Every night before leaving the laboratory, we will check to make sure that all the equipments, such as faucets, drying ovens and air-conditioners, have been shut off. And autoclaves are not allowed to run without attention. To maintain the sanitation of the laboratory, we perform a general cleaning every week. At last, we have made several marks to remain the experimenters of the potential danger. For example, beside the microwave oven, we set a notice bearing: “look out for being burnt”, to preventing our teammates from any possible injuries.