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Team:Amsterdam/Project/Safety
From 2011.igem.org
Safety is of primary concern in every profession, and for research this is no different. Because the iGEM contest inevitably involves genetically modified organisms (GMOs), working safely is of the utmost importance to its participants and their environments. The Amsterdam team has taken care to analyse the threats to safety involved with, and putatively caused by, their work. We conclude that, while caution and proper lab procedure should of course be maintained, the safety of the public, the environment, our colleagues and ourselves should be in no significant danger during or following work on the project.
Researcher safety
While the labs in which we work are generally full of chemicals, they are stored securely and at all times are treated with appropriate (pre)caution, as per ML-I regulations. Gloves, labcoats and safety glasses are used to protect against harmful chemicals, and material safety datasheets are available within the lab in printed and digital form.
Public safety
A non-pathegenic strain of E. coli (Top10) is used in our experiments. It forms no threat to people exposed to it. Note that while plans are being made to characterize the effect of our CryoBricks in species other than E. coli, these other species will be selected for non-pathogenicity.
Environmental safety
Efforts are made to restrain the GMOs we work with to a controlled lab environment. All waste is handled in accordance with general safety regulations. Chemicals are treated as specified by their supplier; organic waste is disposed of via biohazard containers, and where appropriate even autoclaved and/or treated with bleach beforehand. The windows are kept closed, and hands are washed upon entering and leaving the lab.
Biosafety at the UvA
One of our chief advisors, Pernette Verschure, is tasked with supervising the SILS department's responsible handling of GMOs, with respect to biosafety. She is closely involved with the project, attends all our meetings, and keeps an eye out to ensure we work safely.
But what if...
In the unlikely scenario the precautions described above are insufficient to prevent GMOs from leaving the lab uncontrolled, a safety hazard exists mainly in the shape of horizontal gene transfer. E. coli is adapted to survival in the intestines of endotherms, where increased cold tolerance isn't much of a benefit. However, it's not unthinkable its CryoBricks can be transferred to other bacteria via conjugation. This may grant the recipient an increased cold resistance. Uncontrolled spreading of CryoBricks may enhance various species' ability to survive in various environments, which might have severe consequences.
Note that in order to reduce the environmental impact of a putative CryoBrick-equipped E. coli outbreak, one of our project's goals is to place the entire system under control of an on/off switch, so that cold resistance genes will only be expressed in presence of an external 'on' signal. We feel such a 'safety catch' may be used, and should be considered, in any experiment involving GMOs.
