Safety

Safety is of the upmost importance to the Wet lab division of the BU/Wellesley iGEM team. All of the members have been trained in accordance with the Boston University Office of Research Compliance standards. The laboratory space is in full compliance with laboratory safety measures as defined for BSL1 and is kept in a clean, organized condition.

Furthermore, in our research exploration of transcription factor interactions in ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'', we strive to conduct experiments and construct DNA plasmids in the most biologically safe methods possible. Our studies use the genomic DNA from ''M. tuberculosis'' as well as the genomic DNA of the nonpathogenic strain of ''Mycobacterium'' called ''Mycobacterium smegmatis''. Working only with the DNA and ''E. coli'' bacterium in our research, instead of the ''M. tuberculosis'' organism, allows us greater flexibility to use and study the genome in a risk-free and biologically safe manner. Additionally, the Biobrick parts we intend to construct using these transcription factor genes and promoters will be biologically safe and present no risk of harm to the environment and overall public health. Their only use will be for the study of interactions of these transcriptional factors.

In conclusion, the BU/Wellesley wet lab division will be documenting all of our safety procedures and guidelines in our online notebooks for future iGEM teams to see. Our hope is that future iGEM projects can continue to maintain, and even excel, biosafety standards to ensure the unintentional exposure or release of pathogens or toxins into the environment.