Team:McGill/Safety

From 2011.igem.org

Revision as of 00:31, 15 July 2011

General

We are working with E.coli and HEK293 human cells, both classified as Biosafety Level 1 organisms. E.coli are being used to construct our bricks and vectors, all of which are intended to be expressed solely in mammalian cells. In the rare case that the E.coli express our bricks, they would not gain any survival advantages or pathogenicity. HEK293 cells are a human cell line with no capacity to thrive outside of the laboratory setting.

Personnel Safety

McGill iGEM has taken steps towards ensuring the safety of all students working on the projects. Our team members have all taken and passed the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Training for Laboratory Personnel offered by the Environmental and Health Safety (EHS) services of McGill University. Most have also taken additional biosafety classes offered by the university and have backed it with previous laboratory experience. For more information regarding the training offered to us at McGill, see http://www.mcgill.ca/ehs/training

Research Safety

The techniques and organisms involved in our projects set it at Biosafety Levels 1 and 2. Work is done in laboratories equipped to deal with such risks. Supervision by graduate students and laboratory staff is also constantly available.

Public and Environmental Safety

McGill iGEM practises appropriate waste management in accordance with the standards of the EHS, a first step in ensuring public and environmental safety. In the unlikely event that outside contamination does occur, neither of the organisms we are working with pose a threat to the public or environment, as previously described.

Biobrick Safety

The first brick we shall be submitting is a synthetic transcription factor and poses no risks in terms of biosafety. The second brick will be a modified growth factor receptor and is potentially oncogenic when expressed in mammalian cells. Since all work with this brick shall proceed in vitro using transient transfections, there is risk to neither host or researcher.

McGill University Services: Environmental Health and Safety Environmental Health and Safety have been informed of our work. We are awaiting their endorsement.