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Safety is the most important aspect of our project. Students are required to undergo complete laboratory rules and safety training. All experimental procedures must be carried out in the presence of the supervisor or teaching assistant. No experimental reagents or materials can be taken out of the laboratory.
We conduct experiments strictly in the laboratory environment and dispose of laboratory waste properly. Microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and Agrobacterium involved in the experiment are sterilized by high-pressure steam and then handed over to qualified laboratory waste disposal companies for recycling.
We test whether promoters could respond to cadmium using transient transfection on tobacco leaves. It is an experimental method which could investigate the short-term impact of marker gene expression(here GFP and GUS reporter gene). So it won't alter the genetic material of host plants and decrease the risk of releasing genetically modified plants to the enviroment.
Our project raises the concern of using
hazardous chemicals, for example,
Cadmium and nuclear acid dye etc.
The amount
of heavy metals (CdCl2) used in the experiment will be strictly controlled
within safe
limits.
The store and use of
CdCl2 were overseen by two instructors and they have been properly disposed of
after use to
ensure that there is no harm
to the students and environment.
Plant quarantine is also an important
measure
for
protecting team members and lab
space.
During the experiment, a syringe will be used to inoculate
plants with bacterial solution. Improper use of the syringe
may cause harm to team members or colleagues in the laboratory. Team members or colleagues will
wear gloves and be
supervised by a professional when using syringes to avoid mishandling them. After use, the used
syringe needle will be
strictly required to be placed in a sharps container.
When running gel electrophoresis, we will add some nucleic acid dyes, which can be harmful to
the human body. Therefore,
we must wear lab coats and even goggles to prevent these dyes from corroding into our bodies.
In our social practice, companies and organisations have expressed the hope that they can trial plant their products in their fields once our laboratory work has matured. However, there are many biosafety issues that need to be considered for engineered plants that want to be used in real-world environments. Our current work in the lab is done in strict accordance with biosafety practices, and the experimental plants are never taken out of the lab.
However, we need to
carry out long-term conception, and we have carried out the following safety considerations and
practices as safety
preparations before subsequent testing or actual placement:
From now on, we will pay more attention to the whole
biological network
structure of our
luminescent chassis plant - Ben's Tobacco and other tobacco plant groups in outdoor areas,
including the interactions
and impacts among animals, plants and microorganisms associated with the plant's outdoor
environment, and we will also
consider researching the impacts of the luminescent plant's root metabolites on soil and water.
The next step will also
consider investigating the effects of the root metabolites of the luminous plant on the soil and
water environment.
After obtaining detailed test data, we will fully communicate with the user enterprises
or
organisations that have the
intention of trial planting, obtain their full informed consent, and under the premise of
legal
compliance, and within a
limited space, we will conduct the next step of experimental testing in limited co-operation
with them.