Team:Grenoble/Safety

Manipulation of living organism allows producing artificial form of life and metabolism. These modifications, although well controlled, require application of the precautionary principle. Caution involves the implementation of different blocking to limit the propagation of these organisms in the nature:

Nutritional blocking: organisms could survive only with artificial substances. In this way, in case of release into the nature such organisms would die. Evolutionary blocking: organisms couldn’t adapt themselves and evolve alone in the nature. This blocking prevents mutations of the organisms that allow them to survive. Preprogrammed cellular death: implementation of a suicide gene which is inhibited during wet work. In this way, organisms couldn’t survive outside the laboratory.

Through the iGEM competition, we face to the risks of synthetic biology. So it’s important to deal with safety issues our project could cause.

Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of: researcher safety, public safety, or environmental safety? Our project is based on the utilization of mercury, which raises questions about security for the researcher but also for the public and the environment. Mercury is an element that has toxic effects on brain and renal function. During our project, mercury is conserved in the laboratory and is subjected to special treatment for elimination of heavy metals. About searchers, protections are simpler: it is necessary to work without contaminating the material. If it is contaminated, it shall not be touched with bare hands. Hence the use of protective equipment. 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? 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? 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?