Difference between revisions of "Team:Purdue/Safety"

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<h2>Safety in iGEM</h2>
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<h1>Safety in iGEM</h1>
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<h2>In the Lab</h2>
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<p>We worked with E. coli and yeast. The risk of infection working with yeast is minimal, but we followed safety level one procedures, sterile technique, and always wore lab coats and rubber gloves.</p>
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<h2>In the World</h2>
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<p>Our genetically modified yeast could escape into the surroundings via an unknown spill. Although we have planned for and constructed a "killswitch" mechanism consisting of a kill sequence downstream of a oxygen repressible promoter sequence (which may control the genetically modified organism from propagating downstream into an anaerobic bioreactor), there is no way to know if our organism leaks out of the system. Since the long-term operation and properties of our genetically modified organism are not fully understood, a spill of our organism may cause a variety of unknown effects on the environment, from infection to horizontal gene transfer and mutations.
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To reduce these risks, we may look into implementing engineered auxotrophy into our organism so that it would only be able to survive in the presence of a cheap material, reducing the chance that it will survive in an environment outside its intended vessel in the case of a spill. In addition, other strains of yeast with inherent oxygen/other compound dependence may be used to design a more robust containment system. However, we will have to work around optimization of safety and utility/economy as these steps may inhibit the purpose of our organism either by lowering it's activity or requiring large quantities of compounds to fulfill auxotrophic requirements.</p>
  
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<p>Please visit <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Safety">the main Safety page</a> to find this year's safety requirements & deadlines, and to learn about safe & responsible research in iGEM.</p>
 
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<p>On this page of your wiki, you should write about how you are addressing any safety issues in your project. The wiki is a place where you can <strong>go beyond the questions on the safety forms</strong>, and write about whatever safety topics are most interesting in your project. (You do not need to copy your safety forms onto this wiki page.)</p>
 
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<h4>Safe Project Design</h4>
 
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<p>Does your project include any safety features? Have you made certain decisions about the design to reduce risks? Write about them here! For example:</p>
 
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<li>Choosing a non-pathogenic chassis</li>
 
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<li>Choosing parts that will not harm humans / animals / plants</li>
 
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<li>Substituting safer materials for dangerous materials in a proof-of-concept experiment</li>
 
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<li>Including an "induced lethality" or "kill-switch" device</li>
 
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<h4>Safe Lab Work</h4>
 
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<p>What safety procedures do you use every day in the lab? Did you perform any unusual experiments, or face any unusual safety issues? Write about them here!</p>
 
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<h4>Safe Shipment</h4>
 
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<p>Did you face any safety problems in sending your DNA parts to the Registry? How did you solve those problems?</p>
 
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Latest revision as of 01:08, 20 November 2015

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Safety in iGEM

In the Lab

We worked with E. coli and yeast. The risk of infection working with yeast is minimal, but we followed safety level one procedures, sterile technique, and always wore lab coats and rubber gloves.


In the World

Our genetically modified yeast could escape into the surroundings via an unknown spill. Although we have planned for and constructed a "killswitch" mechanism consisting of a kill sequence downstream of a oxygen repressible promoter sequence (which may control the genetically modified organism from propagating downstream into an anaerobic bioreactor), there is no way to know if our organism leaks out of the system. Since the long-term operation and properties of our genetically modified organism are not fully understood, a spill of our organism may cause a variety of unknown effects on the environment, from infection to horizontal gene transfer and mutations. To reduce these risks, we may look into implementing engineered auxotrophy into our organism so that it would only be able to survive in the presence of a cheap material, reducing the chance that it will survive in an environment outside its intended vessel in the case of a spill. In addition, other strains of yeast with inherent oxygen/other compound dependence may be used to design a more robust containment system. However, we will have to work around optimization of safety and utility/economy as these steps may inhibit the purpose of our organism either by lowering it's activity or requiring large quantities of compounds to fulfill auxotrophic requirements.