Introduction
Ensuring a safe and secure working environment is a fundamental aspect of responsible innovation and research. Our commitment to minimizing risks extends not only to our iGEM team but also to our university colleagues, the broader society, and the environment. To achieve this, we adopt a comprehensive safety approach that encompasses various aspects, ranging from physical and laboratory-related hazards to the safety of our project's design.
On this page, we will delve into the safety measures that we have meticulously integrated into both the design and experimental phases of our project. These measures are intended to identify and mitigate potential risks, thereby creating an environment where innovation can thrive responsibly.
All research conducted by the iGEM team Westlake-China 2023 complies with the 2023 iGEM safety policies and rules. The majority of the organisms and parts used and/or generated are listed on the iGEM 2022 White List. Throughout the entire development of our program, we adhere strictly to all national and institutional rules and regulations.
Lab Safety
Safety Features of our labs
As our wet lab is divided into cell experiment and bacterial experiment, our team is working partially in biosafety levels 1 and 2 classified labs. All of the team members had to follow multiple introduction sessions given by the lab technician of each lab. These introductions elaborately covered safety policies and rules inside the specific labs. The location of all safety equipment was shown during our training.
Experimentation is conducted in our lab of which is equipped with safety features including:
1.Biosafety Cabinet
2.First Aid Kit
3.Extinguisher
4.Flame Retardant Benches
5.Spill Kits
6.Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Safety tests (required by school)
Before students can access and work in a laboratory at Westlake University, they are mandated to complete and pass safety courses meticulously developed by our Lab Asfety Education and Training Platform. This ensures that students working in our labs are well-informed about the inherent risks associated with laboratory work and are proficient in implementing measures to prevent and manage potential accidents.
Waste Disposal
Students are reminded to diligently label all solutions and plates and to ensure the proper disposal of waste materials into their respective bins. Separate bins are provided for general waste, bio-hazardous waste, and gloves. Items such as pipette tips, gels, Eppendorf tubes, and Falcon tubes used during experiments are disposed of in biohazard waste bins. The contents of these bins are subsequently handled by more experienced personnel.
Furthermore, students conducting experiments in the laboratory are continually supervised by qualified advisors and strictly adhere to designated working hours. measures to prevent and manage potential accidents.
Biological Safety
Vectors
For our project, we used multiple vectors, of which detailed information can be found on the Parts wiki page. Moreover, we used SHuffle strain and BL21 to express GFP and scFv designed by us, for Part improvement.
Bacteria Strains
In our research, we employed a variety of E. coli strains. For more efficient transformations and expression, we tried BL21 and SHuffle strain. Notably, all these cells have been modified for safe use in an BL-1 lab setting. Any lab work involving GMO-based bacteria was diligently recorded in the GMO notebook available within the laboratory.
Mammalian Cell lines
Because our antibody design is aimed at targeting HER2 antibodies in breast cancer cells, we need to use both HER2-negative and HER2-positive cell lines. For the HER2-positive cell lines, we selected SK-BR-3 and BT-474, and for the HER2-negative cell line, we chose MDA-MB-231. All the cell line is categorized in Risk group 1 in the Netherlands.