Team:elan vital korea/Safety
WETLAB
-Safety-
Safety First!
Saving the world starts with saving ourselves. You cannot save the world unless you’re in good shape. We put safety on the top priority
in any lab works. We have been informed accurately of the lab safety rules as well as bio-safety regulations at the
initial stage of the project in order to understand hazards and safety procedures. Also we received safety training from our instructor
before commencing our lab work. Even though our project is included Bio-Safety Level 1, we know very well that
there are still many risks that may be escalated into serious disaster. Furthermore, even when handling those risks that may not pose serious
threats to the experienced scientists, we as young learners should be extra careful.
The rule of thumb is:
1
Start with reading Safety Questions for overview.
2
Follow Elan Vital Safety Rules all the time.
3
Before entering the laboratory, read
GMS General Safety Rules
and GMS Extra Rules again and follow them
4
If you are unsure of the rules or confused,
ask lab assistant and/or
instructor before doing anything.
To The Top
We have conducted our experiments at Gachon University. Thus, we have always observed safety rules of the lab. We had Safety Education & Training Session
before starting our lab work. Also, when we conducted our experiments, Gachon University staff supervised our work.
Gachon University General Lab Safety Rule
1
200 mL LB prepared fresh,
non-autoclaved
2
3 g agar
3
Shake until all solids
are dissolved
4
Autoclave for 20 min within 2 hr
5
Keep it cool until it reaches
around 40-50 °C
6
Add 200 μL of 1000x chloramphenicol
and gently stir it. Be careful not
to shake the bottle too long/hard so that
bubbles are created.
7
Pour into empty petri dishes just enough
to cover the surface (~20 mL per plate).
In case that bubbles are in
the plate, heat the plate surface carefully
with a burner only until the bubbles are
burst but the solution is heated.
8
Leave the plates at room temperature
around one hour until it is solidified.
9
Solidified plates should be turned upside
down for a few hours at room temperature,
then stored at 4°C.
1
200 mL LB prepared fresh,
non-autoclaved
2
3 g agar
3
Shake until all solids
are dissolved
4
Autoclave for 20 min within 2 hr
5
Keep it cool until it reaches
around 40-50 °C
6
Add 200 μL of 1000x chloramphenicol
and gently stir it. Be careful not
to shake the bottle too long/hard so that
bubbles are created.
7
Pour into empty petri dishes just enough
to cover the surface (~20 mL per plate).
In case that bubbles are in
the plate, heat the plate surface carefully
with a burner only until the bubbles are
burst but the solution is heated.
8
Leave the plates at room temperature
around one hour until it is solidified.
9
Solidified plates should be turned upside
down for a few hours at room temperature,
then stored at 4°C.
To The Top
Third, we have developed the public awareness strategy for our project, “Early Detection of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Using Quorum Sensing”.
Incidentally, Korea has been hit hard by MERS virus as late as June this year, which greatly heightened
the public awareness – and fear – of the contagious pathogens, as well as the need to learn more of the cause and cure for
those dreadful diseases. We began our public awareness campaign by researching and studying the current methods
of detecting and tackling the antibiotic-resistant bacteria from Korean CDC, hospital guidelines and related research papers.
We have discovered that, compared to the strict and detailed action plan in place by the US CDC, the Korean CDC
has not – yet – established networks of hospitals and nursing homes that need to be closely monitored and promptly intervened as need arises.
Based on this finding, we have drafted letters and papers and sent them to Korean CDC and safety committees of
hospitals. We plan to continue our efforts on this area.
Fourth, we have put the strongest emphasis on the safe implementation of our project. Our project belongs to Risk Group 1, but we have observed
the lab safety rules and guidelines very tightly, and promoted the importance of observing the lab safety
based on deeper understanding of the biosafety guidelines. We have developed the Youtube video explaining the biosafety levels,
and encouraged people in lab environment to watch it. Finally, in an effort to promote the spirit of
cooperation, sharing and mutual contribution of iGEM, we have reached out to other teams joining the iGEM Jamboree, and hosted regional meet-up.
Even before and after the regional meet-up, we held discussions and mentorship with Korea University team on
lab works and iGEM experiences.
We also met with HAFS team and provided assistance on parts submission and using BioBricks and other
materials included in the Kit. We have shared with them our failure and misunderstanding we had experienced
last year which, we hope, would be entertaining if not informative.