Safety

Overview

The CJUH-JLU-China team has always been committed to maintaining safety throughout the whole process of research. To ensure the safety of the experiments, our team members have held in-depth discussions with safety officers at every step of the project and continuously foresaw and avoided potential hazards. We have strictly abided by laboratory safety regulations and specifically implemented a series of safety measures. This page will introduce our efforts to ensure safety of the BreFast project in detail.

Staff

In late May, the members of the CJUH-JLU-China iGEM team underwent rigorous two-week laboratory safety training and demonstrated their competence by successfully passing the safety test. Specifically, the experimental group members received approval to work in cancer biology laboratories. Consistent with best practices, the team adhered strictly to a policy that prohibits working alone in the laboratory, and instead ensured that experiments were conducted under the supervision of safety officer Yueru Shi. This approach was designed to effectively minimize the risks associated with handling hazardous materials, such as concentrated hydrochloric acid, ethidium bromide nucleic acid dye, and ethanol.

Equipment

In the experiment, we handled biological materials with biosafety cabinets and chemical fume hoods.

Laboratory waste is properly disposed of in medical dustbins, glass bins or sharp containers. Flammable chemicals are stored in controlled chemical cabinets away from fire sources.

We also placed fire extinguishers, hydrants, and first aid kits near the laboratory to prevent life-threatening accidents

Reagent

Hazardous chemicals, such as hydrochloric acid, ethidium bromide, and ethanol, are securely stored in specially designed containers. To ensure the safe handling of these chemicals, they are only used under the supervision of the lab safety officer, Ms. Yueru Shi, and in the appropriate operating space.

It is of utmost importance that these chemicals are handled with care and precision, as they pose a significant risk if mishandled. Therefore, all laboratory personnel must follow strict safety protocols when working with these hazardous chemicals to minimize the risk to themselves and others.

Organism

Our project involves using a breast cancer screen system that does not involve any living organisms. This ensures that our engineered organisms or their components cannot grow and spread in the environment, making them safe for use in real-life applications. We used Escherichia coli Trans1-T1 for the bacterial strains, and MCF7 (human breast cancer cell), MBA-MD-231 (human breast cancer cell), and MCF10A (human normal mammary epithelial cell) for the mammalian cell lines.

Summary

The CJUH-JLU-China team is dedicated to developing a breast cancer screen kit with the aim of benefiting humankind. The project has carefully considered the safety of personnel, equipment, reagents, and organisms throughout its course, and all experimental procedures have been executed in accordance with the Laboratory Safety Code. This is a testament to our responsibility and accountability in ensuring a safe and secure environment for all involved.