PROJECT SAFETY
We have designed Escherichia coli BL21 and Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 in our project. These two strains belong to the biosafety level 1, which are low risk to human beings. We promise that we will not use any other organisms in our experimental project and any parts involved in the experimental process will not be dangerous.
The plasmids with target genes were introduced into the E. coli BL21 and Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. We introduced several genes into several Escherichia coli BL21 so that some can fluoresce under formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide, some can absorb formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide, and some can secrete sucrase (beta-fructofuranosidase). Additionally, the CscB gene was introduced into Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 to facilitate the construction of a sucrose/H+ symporter for sucrose secretion.
We ordered our DNA/RNA from two companies, TSINGKE BIOTECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. and AZENTA LIFE SCIENCES, both of which are members of The International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC).
We have taken several actions that help to manage the risks in our project. We consulted with Professor Weiwen ZHANG, a director in Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy of Tianjin University and a member of Safety & Security Committee of iGEM in 2022, by online meeting about managing risks in release. What’s more, we made a responsible communication plan by an online collaboration application, Microsoft Teams, allowing everyone to look up and edit information about our parts and safety instructions. Instead of using formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide in gas form, we use formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide solution in low concentration and always operated them in chemical fume hood to reduce any risk as much as possible.
We collected people’s opinions, attitudes, behavior, concerns by survey and interview in strict accordance with relevant laws, which are The Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, The Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China and The Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China.
LABORATORY SAFETY
According to the biosafety rules in experiment operation, all the biowastes will be sterilized by autoclaving, and the environment will be sterilized by bleaching or decontaminated by 75% ethyl alcohol or ultraviolet.
Our laboratory is equipped with fire blanket, medical kit, eye washers and fire extinguishers and other facilities to ensure that accidents can be dealt with in the first time.
All the members in wet team learned about safety and security training from lab manager Jing Guo, and got a lab permission from school: https://lab.admission.sustech.edu.cn/. They strictly follow the safety instructions in lab: do not eat food in the laboratory, immediately clean the experimental table at the end of the experiment, and all work tables for daily cleaning and necessary disinfection, before leaving check the doors and Windows and electrical appliances and always in lab coat.
We take several laboratory biosafety and biosecurity measures to manage the risks. We record any operations in lab in a notebook to make sure we can find out and report any mistakes if accidents happen. We made an inventory controls in both printed and electronic system to track who has what physical materials and where the materials are. Lone worker or out of hours are not allowed in the lab and we made a personnel schedule to make it clear for members. Every time team members enter the laboratory, they are required to follow the safety instructions and are prohibited from changing the experiment plan without permission. Every time we meet together, risk managements above are strengthened. Every month we have security training on each member. Before we start a new experiment, we always ask experts in the laboratory to make sure safety and security.
When we use formaldehyde solution and hydrogen sulfide solution, we will strictly follow the safety instructions, wear safety protective equipment including face masks and goggles, operate in the chemical fume hood, and pour the waste liquid into the chemical waste bucket after use. And chemical waste bucket will be regularly disposed of by the school.