Team:MCIT Indianapolis/practices

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1. Team members were required to wear gloves while in the lab space, and to remove gloves when going into lab common areas

1. No gloves were allowed to leave the lab space, and no food or drink was allowed into the lab space

1. Any materials transported between lab spaces were held in secondary containment during transport

1. All flammable liquids were kept in a flammable storage cabinet

1. The lab contained distinct waste containers for general waste, biohazard waste, biohazard sharps, and non- biohazard broken glassware

1. Liquid bacterial waste was treated with bleach before being discharged into sanitary sewage

1. Bench tops are decontaminated before and after lab work is conducted

1. Tools that came into contact with bacteria are soaked before and after use

1. Sterilization methods are used to decontaminate growth media, glassware, tubes, pipette tips, etc.

1. An emergency shower, eyewash, and first aid kit are available within the lab space in case of emergency

1. Lab notebooks are maintained in a taped-off no-glove area

1. Read labels carefully

1. Do not use any equipment unless you are trained and approved as a user by your supervisor

1. Wear safety glasses or face shields when working with hazardous materials and/or equipment

1. Wear gloves when using any hazardous or toxic agent

1. Clothing: When handling dangerous substances, wear gloves, laboratory coats, and safety shield or glasses. Shorts and sandals should not be worn in the lab at any time. Shoes are required when working in the machine shops

1. If you have long hair or loose clothes, make sure it is tied back or confined

1. Keep the work area clear of all materials except those needed for your work. Coats should be hung in the hall or placed in a locker. Extra books, purses, etc. should be kept away from equipment that requires air flow or ventilation to prevent overheating

1. Disposal - Students are responsible for the proper disposal of used material if any in appropriate containers

1. Equipment Failure - If a piece of equipment fails while being used, report it immediately to your lab assistant or tutor. Never try to fix the problem yourself because you could harm yourself and others

1. If leaving a lab unattended, turn off all ignition sources and lock the doors

1. Never pipette anything by mouth

1. Clean up your work area before leaving

1. Wash hands before leaving the lab and before eating

1. Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of:

1. researcher safety,

1. public safety, or

1. environmental safety

In our project we are using yeast which does not raise any researcher, public, or environmental safety issues. Yeast is Risk Group 1 (no or low individual and community risk). Yeast is a microorganism that is unlikely to cause human or animal disease.

Before transforming the DNA into yeast, we are using E. coli to clone the plasmids, which could raise safety issues for the researcher if handled improperly.

2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise safety issues?

1. The luciferase and renilla part that was created involves firefly luciferin as well as renilla which are found naturally in the environment and pose no threat to the public or research team.

1. The second part that is being created will use a DNA segment to express the receptor for FGF on the surface of first the E. coli and then the yeast. The specific segment is FGFR1-IIIC. This gene is expressed naturally in humans and will not cause any potential risk if changed or exposed.

1. Both parts created originated from E. coli that was transformed to become antibiotic resistant which could cause a safety concern however, once the plasmid is transformed into the yeast, the safety concern is removed.

3. Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?

1. If yes, what does your local biosafety group think about your project?

1. If no, which specific biosafety rules or guidelines do you have to consider in your country?

Since we are a high school group, our high school does not have any type of biosafety group, but there are specific safety procedures and precautions we are required to take as a school. We do have instructors present who are there to maintain and ensure that we are conducting procedures properly and never mishandling any piece of equipment or wet lab materials.

We also visited the biological labs at IUPUI and learned safety procedures and protocols that they use to ensure proper handling of materials.

4. Do you have any other ideas how to deal with safety issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?

1. In order to improve safety for future iGEM teams, for each level (high school and collegiate) there should be a checklist to follow before being able to receive the beginning kit or any parts from the registry. The checklist would ensure that all teams are aware of a general protocol to follow in addition to the committee or advisors that would be monitoring safety protocols as well.