Team:UT Dallas/Safety

From 2011.igem.org

(Difference between revisions)
Line 431: Line 431:
         <div class="article">
         <div class="article">
           <h2><span> Safety</span></h2>
           <h2><span> Safety</span></h2>
-
           <p><b>1. Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of researcher, public, or environmental safety?</b></p>
+
           <p><b>1. Specifically, are any parts or devices in your project associated with (or known to cause):</b></p>
-
<blockquote>Materials that pose a safety risk (i.e. cell cultures, ethidium bromide, UV transilluminator, etc) are handled according to standard lab safety protocol and Materials Safety Data Sheets. Materials containing safety hazards are disposed in separate containers with “biohazard” designations. Appropriate protective gear, such as gloves, is worn at all times. Our bacterial chassis, E. coli DH5α, is disabled to where it is nonpathogenic and cannot survive outside of lab conditions. In addition, all exposed counters are disinfected using 70% ethanol after each use of the lab. All lab equipment is thoroughly cleaned and autoclaved after use and access to the lab is limited by cardkey.</blockquote>
+
<p><b>- pathogenicity, infectivity, or toxicity?</blockquote>
 +
<p><b>- threats to environmental quality?</p></b>
 +
<p><b>- security concerns?</p></b>
 +
<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></blockquote>
<p><b>2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise any safety issues?</b> </p>
<p><b>2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise any safety issues?</b> </p>
<blockquote>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.</blockquote>
<blockquote>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.</blockquote>

Revision as of 02:33, 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.

2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise any safety issues?

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.

3. Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?

UT Dallas has an Institutional Biosafety Committee 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.

4. 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?

We are engineering a suicide mechanism whose induction can be used to regulate the activity of cells harboring our BioBricks. Disseminating pertinent safety information through the Registry is a practical alternative to engineering biosafety measures into parts, devices and systems.




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"