Safety

Safety is an important issue in every laboratory due to the variety of equipment, reagents, and organisms used. Our team recognizes the crucial role of safety when conducting experiments. Therefore, the iGEM Team Erlangen stands by the safety and security guidelines provided by the iGEM competition and German regulations and laws. The following page provides information about the safety and considerations that our team has taken into account for this iGEM project.

Safe Project Design

Our ultimate goal is to create a faster, cheaper and more accessible way to quantify short chain fatty acids using bacteria. For that we choose to work with a non-pathogenic E.coli strain (NEB 5-alpha) that poses no risk to human health and cannot survive outside of lab conditions. Even after transforming the bacteria, we ensure that the pathogenicity does not increase so there is no higher risk to work with the transformed GLOW.coli.

Safe lab work

Before starting the work in the laboratory, all team members from the wet lab team received security and safety training by Prof. Dr. Robert Slany. Common lab procedures to lower the risks were followed such as:

• Wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) was required of all participants.
• After the work is done, all surfaces were cleared and decontaminated.
• Bringing any food or beverages into the laboratory is strictly prohibited.
• Washing hands after getting in contact with any organisms, whether GMO or non-GMO, and before exiting the laboratory.
• Labelling of all solutions and plates in addition to proper disposal of waste materials into their respective bins.

Experiments are carried out in the laboratories of at the Biological-Technical Development Laboratory (BTE) which is equipped with safety features including:

• Biosafety Cabinet
• Chemical fume hood
• Lab ventilation system
• Flame Retardant Benches
• First Aid Kit
• Eyewash station

As well as Fire Extinguisher and a safety shower in close proximity.

During experiments, we used the NEB 5-alpha Competent E. coli strain which is a derivative of the DH5α strain and falls into Biosafety Risk Group 1. Therefore, the Biosafety Level 1 of the laboratory in the BTE was sufficient for all our experiments. The E. coli strain was consistently handled in a sterile environment to ensure safety and prevent contamination.