Team:UT Dallas/Safety

From 2011.igem.org

(Difference between revisions)
m
 
(18 intermediate revisions not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
-
<!-- *** What falls between these lines is the Alert Box! You can remove it from your pages once you have read and understood the alert *** -->
+
<!--<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">-->
 +
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
 +
<head>
 +
<title>biz solution</title>
 +
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="texxt/html; charset=utf-8" />
 +
<link href="style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
 +
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery-1.3.2.min.js"></script>
 +
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/script.js"></script>
 +
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/cufon-yui.js"></script>
 +
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/arial.js"></script>
 +
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/cuf_run.js"></script>
-
<html>
+
</head>
-
<div id="box" style="width: 700px; margin-left: 137px; padding: 5px; border: 3px solid #000; background-color: #fe2b33;">
+
<body>
-
<div id="template" style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: large; color: #f6f6f6; padding: 5px;">
+
<style media="screen" type="text/css">
-
This is a template page. READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
+
@charset "utf-8";
-
</div>
+
body {
-
<div id="instructions" style="text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: small; color: #f6f6f6; padding: 5px;">
+
margin:0;
-
You are provided with this team page template with which to start the iGEM season. You may choose to personalize it to fit your team but keep the same "look." Or you may choose to take your team wiki to a different level and design your own wiki. You can find some examples <a href="https://2008.igem.org/Help:Template/Examples">HERE</a>.
+
padding:0;
-
</div>
+
width:100%;
-
<div id="warning" style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: small; color: #f6f6f6; padding: 5px;">
+
color:#959595;
-
You <strong>MUST</strong> have a team description page, a project abstract, a complete project description, a lab notebook, and a safety page. PLEASE keep all of your pages within your teams namespace.
+
font:normal 12px/1.8em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
-
</div>
+
background:#404040;
-
</div>
+
}
-
</html>
+
html, .main {
 +
padding:0;
 +
margin:0 auto;
 +
width:970px;
 +
}
 +
.logo {
 +
float:left;
 +
width:300px;
 +
height:51px;
 +
padding:15px;
 +
margin:0 auto;
 +
}
 +
h1 {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:0;
 +
color:#afaeae;
 +
font:bold 38px/1.2em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
 +
letter-spacing:-2px;
 +
}
 +
h1 a, h1 a:hover {
 +
color:#afaeae;
 +
text-decoration:none;
 +
}
 +
h1 span {
 +
color:#9dd9ff;
 +
}
 +
h1 small {
 +
display:block;
 +
padding:0;
 +
font:normal 12px/1.2em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
 +
letter-spacing:normal;
 +
}
 +
h2 {
 +
font:normal 24px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
 +
padding:8px 0;
 +
margin:0;
 +
color:#595959;
 +
}
 +
h3 {
 +
font:normal 46px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
 +
padding:80px 0 0;
 +
margin:0;
 +
color:#FFF;
 +
}
 +
p {
 +
margin:8px 0;
 +
padding:0 0 8px 0;
 +
font:normal 12px/1.8em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
 +
}
 +
p.spec {
 +
}
 +
a {
 +
color:#97c950;
 +
text-decoration:underline;
 +
}
 +
a.rm, a.com {
 +
padding:0;
 +
text-decoration:none;
 +
padding:5px 15px;
 +
background:#78bbe6;
 +
color:#FFF;
 +
}
 +
.header, .content, .menu_nav, .fbg, .footer, form, ol, ol li, ul, .content .mainbar, .content .sidebar {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:0;
 +
}
 +
.header {
 +
padding:0;
 +
margin:0 auto;
 +
}
 +
.hbg {
 +
padding:0;
 +
margin:0;
 +
background:#78bbe6;
 +
height:271px;
 +
}
 +
.hbg img {
 +
float:left;
 +
}
 +
.hbg .text {
 +
float:left;
 +
width:317px;
 +
text-align:center;
 +
}
 +
.menu_nav {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:0;
 +
height:81px;
 +
}
 +
.menu_nav ul {
 +
list-style:none;
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:0;
 +
float:right;
 +
}
 +
.menu_nav ul li {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:25px 5px 0 0;
 +
float:left;
 +
}
 +
.menu_nav ul li a {
 +
display:block;
 +
margin:0 5px 0 0;
 +
padding:10px 15px;
 +
color:#fff;
 +
text-decoration:none;
 +
font-size:13px;
 +
line-height:16px;
 +
background:#cccccc;
 +
}
 +
.menu_nav ul li.active a, .menu_nav ul li a:hover {
 +
text-decoration:none;
 +
background:#78bbe6;
 +
}
 +
.content {
 +
padding:13px;
 +
margin:0;
 +
}
 +
.mainbar {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:0;
 +
float:right;
 +
width:643px;
 +
}
 +
.mainbar img {
 +
padding:4px;
 +
border:1px solid #f2f2f1;
 +
background:#FFF;
 +
}
 +
.mainbar img.fl {
 +
margin:4px 16px 4px 0;
 +
float:left;
 +
}
 +
.mainbar .article {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:10px 0 5px 20px;
 +
}
 +
.mainbar .article a {
 +
color:#78bbe6;
 +
}
 +
.mainbar .post-data a {
 +
color:#595959;
 +
}
 +
.mainbar .spec a.rm, .mainbar a.com {
 +
color:#FFF;
 +
}
 +
.sidebar {
 +
padding:0;
 +
float:left;
 +
width:301px;
 +
}
 +
.sidebar .gadget {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:10px 20px 5px 0;
 +
}
 +
.sidebar .gadget .title {
 +
text-align:right;
 +
}
 +
.sidebar .gadget span.q {
 +
text-align:right;
 +
font:normal 60px/12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
 +
color:#d9d9d9;
 +
}
 +
ul.sb_menu, ul.ex_menu, .testi {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:0;
 +
color:#939393;
 +
list-style:none;
 +
}
 +
ul.sb_menu li, ul.ex_menu li {
 +
margin:0;
 +
}
 +
ul.sb_menu li {
 +
padding:2px 0;
 +
}
 +
ul.ex_menu li {
 +
padding:2px 0;
 +
}
 +
ul.sb_menu li a, ul.ex_menu li a {
 +
display:block;
 +
color:#959595;
 +
text-decoration:none;
 +
padding:5px 5px 5px 15px;
 +
background:url(
 +
https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/archive/e/e1/20110714195925%21Menu_link.gif) no-repeat left center;
 +
}
 +
ul.ex_menu li span {
 +
padding:0 0 0 15px;
 +
}
 +
ul.sb_menu li a:hover, ul.ex_menu li a:hover, ul.sb_menu li.active a, ul.ex_menu li.active a {
 +
background:url(https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/1/1b/Menu_hover.gif) no-repeat left center;
 +
}
 +
ul.sb_menu li a:hover {
 +
text-decoration:underline;
 +
}
 +
ul.ex_menu li a:hover {
 +
text-decoration:underline;
 +
}
 +
.content .mainbar .comment {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:16px 0 0 0;
 +
}
 +
.content .mainbar .comment img.userpic {
 +
border:1px solid #dedede;
 +
margin:10px 16px 0 0;
 +
padding:0;
 +
float:left;
 +
}
 +
.fbg {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:20px;
 +
background:#78bbe6;
 +
}
 +
.fbg img {
 +
padding:4px;
 +
border:1px solid #cfd2d4;
 +
background-color:#fff;
 +
}
 +
.fbg p, .fbg h2 {
 +
color:#fbfbfb;
 +
}
 +
.fbg a {
 +
color:#fbfbfb;
 +
}
 +
.fbg .col {
 +
margin:0;
 +
float:left;
 +
background:url(
 +
https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/0/04/Fbg_line.gif) repeat-y right;
 +
}
 +
.fbg .c1 {
 +
padding:0 20px 0 0;
 +
width:260px;
 +
}
 +
.fbg .c2 {
 +
padding:0 20px;
 +
width:320px;
 +
}
 +
.fbg .c3 {
 +
padding:0 0 0 20px;
 +
width:270px;
 +
background:none;
 +
}
 +
.fbg .c1 img {
 +
margin:8px 16px 8px 0;
 +
}
 +
.fbg .c3 img {
 +
margin:8px 16px 4px 0;
 +
float:left;
 +
}
 +
.footer {
 +
}
 +
.footer_resize {
 +
margin:0 auto;
 +
padding:20px;
 +
width:930px;
 +
}
 +
.footer p {
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:4px 0;
 +
}
 +
.footer a {
 +
color:#9a9a9a;
 +
padding:inherit;
 +
text-decoration:underline;
 +
}
 +
.footer a:hover {
 +
text-decoration:none;
 +
}
 +
.footer .lf {
 +
float:left;
 +
}
 +
.footer .rf {
 +
float:right;
 +
}
 +
ol {
 +
list-style:none;
 +
}
 +
ol li {
 +
display:block;
 +
clear:both;
 +
}
 +
ol li label {
 +
display:block;
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:16px 0 0 0;
 +
}
 +
ol li input.text {
 +
width:480px;
 +
border:1px solid #c0c0c0;
 +
margin:2px 0;
 +
padding:5px 2px;
 +
height:16px;
 +
background:#fff;
 +
}
 +
ol li textarea {
 +
width:480px;
 +
border:1px solid #c0c0c0;
 +
margin:2px 0;
 +
padding:2px;
 +
background:#fff;
 +
}
 +
ol li .send {
 +
margin:16px 0 0 0;
 +
}
 +
.search {
 +
padding:0;
 +
margin:0;
 +
}
 +
.search span {
 +
width:280px;
 +
display:block;
 +
background:#FFF;
 +
height:29px;
 +
margin:0;
 +
padding:0;
 +
border:1px solid #e1dddd;
 +
}
 +
.search input#s {
 +
float:left;
 +
width:230px;
 +
padding:7px 0 7px 10px;
 +
margin:0;
 +
border:0;
 +
background:none;
 +
color:#afaeae;
 +
font:normal 12px/15px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
 +
}
 +
.search .btn {
 +
float:left;
 +
padding:0;
 +
margin:0;
 +
border:0;
 +
width:auto;
 +
}
 +
.pagenavi {
 +
clear:both;
 +
font:normal 11px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
 +
margin:0 auto;
 +
text-align:right;
 +
padding:20px 0 20px 20px;
 +
}
 +
.pagenavi a, .pagenavi .current {
 +
margin-left:3px;
 +
padding:3px 8px;
 +
text-decoration:none;
 +
color:#939393;
 +
background:#f9fbfc;
 +
border:1px solid #d9e3cb;
 +
}
 +
.pagenavi a:hover, .pagenavi .current {
 +
background:#78bbe6;
 +
color:#FFF;
 +
}
 +
.pagenavi .pages {
 +
float:left;
 +
}
 +
.fl {
 +
float:left;
 +
}
 +
.fr {
 +
float:right;
 +
}
 +
.clr {
 +
clear:both;
 +
padding:0;
 +
margin:0;
 +
width:100%;
 +
font-size:0;
 +
line-height:0;
 +
}
 +
</style>
 +
<div class="main">
 +
  <div class="header">
 +
    <div class = "logo">
 +
   
 +
      <h1><span>UTDallas</span> iGem<small></small></h1>
 +
    </div>
-
<!-- *** End of the alert box *** -->
+
    <div class="menu_nav">
 +
      <ul>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas"><font size="3" face="verdana">Home</a></font></li>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Team"><font size="3" face="verdana">Team</a></font></li>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Project"><font size="3" face="verdana">Project</a></font></li>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Protocols"><font size="3" face="verdana">Protocols</a></font></li>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Parts"><font size="3" face="verdana">Parts</a></font></li>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Modeling"><font size="3" face="verdana">Modeling</a></font></li>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Notebook"><font size="3" face="verdana">Notebook</a></font></li>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/HumanPractices"><font size="3" face="verdana">Human Practices</a></font></li>
 +
        <li><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Safety"><font size="3" face="verdana">Safety</a></font></li>
 +
       
 +
      </ul>
 +
      <div class="clr"></div>
 +
    </div>
 +
    <div class="clr"></div>
 +
    <div class="hbg"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/b/b2/Original_Banner_for_UTD_website.png" width="970" height="300" alt="" />
 +
    <!-- <div class="text">
 +
        <h3>Creating Futures</h3>
 +
      </div>-->
 +
    </div>
 +
  </div>
 +
  <div class="content">
 +
    <div class="content_bg">
 +
      <div class="mainbar">
 +
        <div class="article">
 +
          <h2><span> Safety</span></h2>
 +
          <p><b>1. Specifically, are any parts or devices in your project associated with (or known to cause):</b></p>
 +
<p><font size = "2" face = "arial"><blockquote><b>- pathogenicity, infectivity, or toxicity?</blockquote>
 +
<p><blockquote><b>- threats to environmental quality?</blockquote></b>
 +
<p><b><blockquote>- security concerns?</p></b></blockquote></font>
 +
<p><b>Would the materials used in your project and/or your final product pose:</p></b>
 +
<p><b>a. Risks to the safety and health of team members or others in the lab?</p></b>
 +
<p><b>b. Risks to the safety and health of the general public if released by design or accident?</p></b>
 +
<p><b>c. Risks to environmental quality if released by design or accident?</p></b>
 +
<blockquote>Our laboratory activity is consistent with the NIH “Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules” as overseen by our Institutional Biosafety Committee (see question 3). While we handle all laboratory materials that pose a potential safety risk according to standard lab safety protocol and Materials Safety Data Sheets, we took the following steps to ensure that the health and safety of laboratory personnel remained a priority when using certain materials and equipment as outlined below: <p><b>Ethidium bromide (EtBr):</b> All EtBr use is strictly performed on a designated bench with separately kept equipment (pipettes, tips, waste receptacle, gloves etc). Any materials that come in contact with EtBr, including gels used in electrophoresis, are handled with nitrile gloves and lab apron and disposed in specially marked receptacle with a “biohazard” designation.</p>
 +
<p> <b>Cell culture: </b>While our bacterial chassis, E. coli DH5α, is disabled to where it is
 +
nonpathogenic and cannot survive outside of lab conditions, we exercised standard
 +
lab safety protocol to avoid any direct contact with it and associated materials such
 +
as antibiotics and exposed tips, plates/broth, and so on. These are all disposed
 +
in “biohazard” designated receptacles. Furthermore, all exposed counters are
 +
disinfected using 70% ethanol immediately following cell culture and also after each
 +
other use of lab. In addition, lab equipment is thoroughly cleaned and autoclaved after
 +
use.
 +
<p>
 +
<b>UV Transluminator: </b>Use of the transluminator (i.e. during gel extraction) was
 +
performed while wearing protective gear such as UV-protective goggles. Further
 +
exposure to UV rays and hazardous materials was limited by wearing a long-sleeved
 +
lab apron and nitrile gloves.</p>
-
{|align="justify"
+
d. Risks to security through malicious misuse by individuals, groups or states?
-
|You can write a background of your team here. Give us a background of your team, the members, etc.  Or tell us more about something of your choosing.
+
-
|[[Image:UT_Dallas_logo.png|200px|right|frame]]
+
-
|-
+
-
|
+
-
''Tell us more about your project.  Give us background.  Use this is the abstract of your project.  Be descriptive but concise (1-2 paragraphs)''
+
-
|[[Image:UT_Dallas_team.png|right|frame|Your team picture]]
+
-
|-
+
-
|
+
-
|align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas | Team Example]]
+
-
|}
+
-
<!--- The Mission, Experiments --->
+
<p>Access to our building and laboratory is strictly limited by cardkey and is further. </p>
-
{| style="color:#1b2c8a;background-color:#0c6;" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" border="1" bordercolor="#fff" width="62%" align="center"
+
overseen by security personnel at the building entrance.</p></blockquote>
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas|Home]]
+
<p><b>2. If your response to any of the questions above is yes:</b> </p>
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas/Team|Team]]
+
<blockquote><p>a. Explain how you addressed these issues in project design and while conducting
-
!align="center"|[https://igem.org/Team.cgi?year=2010&team_name=UT_Dallas Official Team Profile]
+
laboratory work.</p>
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas/Project|Project]]
+
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas/Protocols|Protocols]]
+
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas/Parts|Parts Submitted to the Registry]]
+
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas/Modeling|Modeling]]
+
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas/Notebook|Notebook]]
+
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas/Safety|Safety]]
+
-
!align="center"|[[Team:UT_Dallas/Attributions|Attributions]]
+
-
|}
+
 +
See question 1
-
==Safety==
+
<p>b. Describe and document safety, security, health and/or environmental issues as you
 +
submit your parts to the Registry.</p>
-
Please use this page to answer the safety questions posed on the [[Safety | safety page]].
+
<p>We are working with genes encoding known properties and utilized safety measures
 +
to ensure that biohazardous materials including antibiotic-resistant cells are contained
 +
within the lab and are appropriately disposed. Therefore, we assess that none of our
 +
planned parts raise safety issues and all other documentation will be available on our
 +
parts page.</p></blockquote>
 +
<p><b>3. Under what biosafety provisions will / do you operate?</b></p>
 +
<blockquote><p>a. Does your institution have its own biosafety rules and if so what are they? Provide a
 +
link to them online if possible.</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>b. Does your institution have an Institutional Biosafety Committee or equivalent group?
 +
If yes, have you discussed your project with them?</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>UT Dallas has an Institutional Biosafety Committee (http://provost.utdallas.edu/policy/
 +
utdpp1016) that manages all safety responsibilities under NIH “Guidelines for Research
 +
Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules”. Throughout the course of this work, we
 +
ensured that all lab activity respected safety measures.</p><p>Describe any concerns or changes that were made based on this review.</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>c. Will / did you receive any biosafety and/or lab training before beginning your project?
 +
If so, describe this training.</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>Our instructors demonstrated use of all equipment and materials in accordance with
 +
safety guidelines. This training included an emphasis on wearing protective gear at all
 +
times, proper use of large machines such as the autoclave, waste disposal, and specific
 +
comments on the use of EtBr-exposed materials.</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>d. Does your country have national biosafety regulations or guidelines? If so, provide a
 +
link to them online if possible.</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>The NIH outlines specific “Guildlines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA
 +
Molecules” (http://oba.od.nih.gov/rdna/nih_guidelines_oba.html), which were strictly
 +
observed throughout the course of our project.</p></blockquote>
 +
<p><b>4. OPTIONAL QUESTION: Do you have other ideas on how to deal with safety or
 +
security issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could
 +
parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?</b></p>
 +
<blockquote><font size = "3" face = "arial">As part of our project, we are engineering a systemic kill-switch whose induction can
 +
be used to regulate the activity of cells harboring our BioBricks. This device will exist in
 +
a secondary bacterial population that will confer an additional level of user control. We
 +
would encourage fast-acting kill-switches as standard practice in synthetic biology to
 +
enable immediate inactivation should significant risks to safety become evident.</font></blockquote>
 +
 
 +
<br></br><br></br>
 +
          <div class="clr"></div>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
 
 +
                  <div class="clr"></div>
 +
        </div>
 +
        <div class="article">
 +
 
 +
              </div>
 +
 
 +
     
 +
      </div>
 +
      <div class="sidebar">
 +
        <div class="gadget">
 +
          <div class="search">
 +
         
 +
             
 +
 
 +
             
 +
            </form>
 +
   
 +
          </div>
 +
     
 +
        </div>
 +
        <div class="gadget">
 +
 
 +
          <h2><span></span><font size="5" face="Arial"><a href = "https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Notebook"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/1/1d/Arrow-left.jpg" ALIGN= "left" height = "30" width = "30"></a><a href= "https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Notebook"><font size = "4" face = "arial" color = "#495B70">Back to Notebook</a></font></font></h2>
 +
          <div class="clr"></div>
 +
          <ul class="sb_menu">
 +
           
 +
          </ul>
 +
        </div>
 +
                      <div class="gadget">
 +
       
 +
          <div class="clr"></div>
 +
          <div class="testi">
 +
           
 +
 
 +
                </div>
 +
        </div>
 +
      </div>
 +
      <div class="clr"></div>
 +
    </div>
 +
  </div>
 +
  <div class="fbg">
 +
 
 +
    <div class="col c1">
 +
      <h2><span>Image Gallery</span></h2>
 +
      <a href="#"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/e/eb/Pic_1.jpg" width="58" height="58" alt="" /></a> <a href="#"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/8/87/Pic_2.jpg
 +
" width="58" height="58" alt="" /></a> <a href="#"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/e/e8/Pic_3.jpg" width="58" height="58" alt="" /></a> <a href="#"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/2/2a/Pic_4.jpg" width="58" height="58" alt="" /></a> <a href="#"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/1/17/Pic_5.jpg" width="58" height="58" alt="" /></a> <a href="#"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/7/76/Pic_6.jpg" width="58" height="58" alt="" /></a> </div>
 +
    <div class="col c2">
 +
      <h2><span><font size="5" face="arial">UT Dallas</span></font></h2>
 +
    <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/a/ad/Nserl_Pic.png" width="112" height="138" alt="" ALIGN = RIGHT />   
 +
<p>
 +
      </font></p><p><a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/UTDallas"><font size="3" face="verdana">Click here to learn more&nbsp; about UTD</a></font></p>
 +
    </div>
 +
    <div class="col c3">
 +
      <h2><span><font size="5" face="arial">Notebook</span></font></h2>
 +
      <p>
 +
</p><p> <a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Notebook"><font size="3" face="verdana">Learn more...</a></font></p>
 +
 
 +
    </div>
 +
    <div class="clr"></div>
 +
  </div>
 +
  <div class="footer">
 +
    <div class="footer_resize">
 +
 
 +
    <!-- <p class="lf">&copy; Copyright <a href="#">MyWebSite</a>.</p>
 +
      <p class="rf">Layout by Cool <a href="http://www.coolwebtemplates.net/">Website Templates</a></p>-->
 +
 
 +
      <div class="clr"></div>
 +
    </div>
 +
  </div>
 +
</div>
 +
</body>
 +
</html>

Latest revision as of 04:56, 3 September 2011

biz solution

Safety

1. Specifically, are any parts or devices in your project associated with (or known to cause):

- pathogenicity, infectivity, or toxicity?

- threats to environmental quality?

- security concerns?

Would the materials used in your project and/or your final product pose:

a. Risks to the safety and health of team members or others in the lab?

b. Risks to the safety and health of the general public if released by design or accident?

c. Risks to environmental quality if released by design or accident?

Our laboratory activity is consistent with the NIH “Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules” as overseen by our Institutional Biosafety Committee (see question 3). While we handle all laboratory materials that pose a potential safety risk according to standard lab safety protocol and Materials Safety Data Sheets, we took the following steps to ensure that the health and safety of laboratory personnel remained a priority when using certain materials and equipment as outlined below:

Ethidium bromide (EtBr): All EtBr use is strictly performed on a designated bench with separately kept equipment (pipettes, tips, waste receptacle, gloves etc). Any materials that come in contact with EtBr, including gels used in electrophoresis, are handled with nitrile gloves and lab apron and disposed in specially marked receptacle with a “biohazard” designation.

Cell culture: While our bacterial chassis, E. coli DH5α, is disabled to where it is nonpathogenic and cannot survive outside of lab conditions, we exercised standard lab safety protocol to avoid any direct contact with it and associated materials such as antibiotics and exposed tips, plates/broth, and so on. These are all disposed in “biohazard” designated receptacles. Furthermore, all exposed counters are disinfected using 70% ethanol immediately following cell culture and also after each other use of lab. In addition, lab equipment is thoroughly cleaned and autoclaved after use.

UV Transluminator: Use of the transluminator (i.e. during gel extraction) was performed while wearing protective gear such as UV-protective goggles. Further exposure to UV rays and hazardous materials was limited by wearing a long-sleeved lab apron and nitrile gloves.

d. Risks to security through malicious misuse by individuals, groups or states?

Access to our building and laboratory is strictly limited by cardkey and is further.

overseen by security personnel at the building entrance.

2. If your response to any of the questions above is yes:

a. Explain how you addressed these issues in project design and while conducting laboratory work.

See question 1

b. Describe and document safety, security, health and/or environmental issues as you submit your parts to the Registry.

We are working with genes encoding known properties and utilized safety measures to ensure that biohazardous materials including antibiotic-resistant cells are contained within the lab and are appropriately disposed. Therefore, we assess that none of our planned parts raise safety issues and all other documentation will be available on our parts page.

3. Under what biosafety provisions will / do you operate?

a. Does your institution have its own biosafety rules and if so what are they? Provide a link to them online if possible.

b. Does your institution have an Institutional Biosafety Committee or equivalent group? If yes, have you discussed your project with them?

UT Dallas has an Institutional Biosafety Committee (http://provost.utdallas.edu/policy/ utdpp1016) that manages all safety responsibilities under NIH “Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules”. Throughout the course of this work, we ensured that all lab activity respected safety measures.

Describe any concerns or changes that were made based on this review.

c. Will / did you receive any biosafety and/or lab training before beginning your project? If so, describe this training.

Our instructors demonstrated use of all equipment and materials in accordance with safety guidelines. This training included an emphasis on wearing protective gear at all times, proper use of large machines such as the autoclave, waste disposal, and specific comments on the use of EtBr-exposed materials.

d. Does your country have national biosafety regulations or guidelines? If so, provide a link to them online if possible.

The NIH outlines specific “Guildlines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules” (http://oba.od.nih.gov/rdna/nih_guidelines_oba.html), which were strictly observed throughout the course of our project.

4. OPTIONAL QUESTION: Do you have other ideas on how to deal with safety or security issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?

As part of our project, we are engineering a systemic kill-switch whose induction can be used to regulate the activity of cells harboring our BioBricks. This device will exist in a secondary bacterial population that will confer an additional level of user control. We would encourage fast-acting kill-switches as standard practice in synthetic biology to enable immediate inactivation should significant risks to safety become evident.




Back to Notebook

Image Gallery

UT Dallas

Click here to learn more  about UTD

Notebook

Learn more...

Retrieved from "http://2011.igem.org/Team:UT_Dallas/Safety"