Team:Hong Kong-CUHK/3.3

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CH3.3 - Laboratory Safety and Useful Techniques

iGEM pays special attention your safety preparation about your biobrick, lab, and team in relation to the community, environment and safety issue of synthetic biology.

To be qualified and meet the iGEM standard for safety, you need to:

1. Follow the iGEM safety requirement in all steps
 Getting started: http://partsregistry.org/Help:Distribution_Kits
 Requesting part: http://partsregistry.org/Help:Requesting_Parts
 Safety concern: https://igem.org/Safety and https://2012.igem.org/Safety
2. Obtain a certificate for Safety Level 1 from an educational institution
3. Work in a qualified lab examined by a local biosafety group
4. Research the safety proposal of related standard parts on the iGEM page called “Registry of Standard Biological Parts”.
5. Read the safety manual from WHO to understand biosafety and biosecurity
6. Search for the safety information about your project
7. Check previous team’s safety approach for more information
8. Answer the safety questions from iGEM in details
9. Try to create and design new safety approach.

These 3 links are provided from 2012 iGEM as reference, and Step 4, 5 and 6 are important and helpful in designing Biobrick and constructing the protocol of the project.

Below are some basic laboratory rules and techniques which you may refer to and apply in your laboratory preparation.

Basic Laboratory Rules

1. Wash your hands with detergent and dry them with paper towel upon entering and prior to leaving the laboratory.
2. Tie back long hair to minimize the exposure to the flames.
3. Wear long trousers, lab coat and closed shoes to protect you from contamination of bacteria or accidental spill of chemicals.
4. Do not drink or eat in the laboratory.
5. Take off gloves and lab coat before touching any fixtures in the lab
6. Wear glasses instead of contact lenses whenever possible.
7. Leave only essential items only on the bench.
8. Understand the protocol and know all of the steps before the star. Sometimes preparation should be done ahead but is not always mentioned in the beginning of the protocol.
9. Label all the containers and materials to avoid confusion.
10. Add date and name of the person who made the materials in labeling the solutions and bacterial culture.

Aseptic Technique

Aseptic means the absence of the significant contamination, and aseptic technique is the performance to process laboratory work under a sterile condition by using flame, autoclaved equipment, and disinfectants. It is to keep the sample from contamination as well as to limit the risk of infection to our body.

1. Autoclave the necessary equipment and material prior to use.
 Pipette tips, Centrifuge tubes, eppendorf tubes, and other containers
2. Use 70% of ethanol in water as disinfectant to wrap the table before start.
3. Never take culture out of the laboratory.
4. Light up a burner set an aseptic zone while working with microorganism.
5. Work within the aseptic zone and flame the equipment before and after use.
6. All laboratory wastes should be autoclaved prior to disposal.

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