Safety/Learn More

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Safe Project Design

Video Tutorials

To learn about biological risk assessment and responsible research, you can watch the two videos below.



These two videos were made available through SynBERC. Videos produced by Terry D. Johnson, based on slides by J. Christopher Anderson, both of UC Berkeley Bioengineering.



Safe Lab Work

Working Safely with Organisms

Risk groups / safety levels

Working Safely with Parts

Toxins, virulence factors, dangerous functions, parts in combination

Safety Committee Red Flags

Non-Biological Hazards

Laboratories also have physical and chemical hazards, such as:

  • Fire
  • Sharp objects & broken glass
  • Extreme cold temperatures (e.g. liquid nitrogen)
  • Acids and corrosive chemicals
  • Toxins (e.g. acrylamide)

Follow your institution's rules about how to work safely with these hazards..

General Lab Safety Manuals

  • Synthetic Biology: A Lab Manual by Liljeruhm, Gullberg, and Forster: general guide to laboratory work in synthetic biology, with a chapter on basic safety practices. Purchase on Amazon
  • WHO Biosafety Manual: PDF format, in several languages (English, Français, Español, Português, 中文, Русский, Italiano, 日本語, Српски / srpski, Tiếng Việt)
  • Biosafety in Microbial and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL): a comprehensive guide to laboratory safety, published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Safe Shipment

Why are there laws about shipping DNA?

Packaging and Customs

Genes to Avoid Shipping

Australia Group List, U.S. Select Agents and Toxins List