Team:Groningen/Safety

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==Safety in the lab==
 
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Students working with microbiology at the university of Groningen are from the beginning of their study career informed on safety aspects of microbiology. They are required to get a VMT certificate that demonstrates that they are able to safely work with microbiology. The bases for this certificate are the 10 commandments for VMT (safe microbiological techniques) and every iGEM member from our team is required to know these rules and uphold them when working in the lab.
 
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===10 COMMANDMENTS for Safe Microbiological Techniques===
 
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*1. All VMT related work can only be performed by those people that have permission from the Biological Safety Officer (BVF). Work according to the rules, even if you believe there is no apparent risk.
 
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*2. During VMT related work all doors and windows have to be closed. Verify that insects and other pests are not present in the lab.
 
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*3. Wear a closed laboratory coat. Do not take this labcoat outside the VMT area unless it is absolutely necessary for the experiment. In case of a contamination of the labcoat, sterilize the labcoat first, with bleach or by autoclaving, before washing.
 
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*4. Clean and sterilize spills immediately. Report serious contamination immediately to the BVF.
 
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*5. It is absolutely prohibited to eat, drink or smoke, or to have cups, plates, mugs or silverware in the VMT area.
 
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*6. Pipetting by mouth is prohibited. Used pipettes are collected in a disinfecting solution.
 
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*7. Prevent aerosols. These may be created by -splashing drops; -pouring of liquids; - discharging pipettes; -opening of moist plugs; - using inoculating loops that are too hot. Use needles only if there is absolutely no alternative.
 
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*8. Glassware and instruments that have been in contact with GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms, GGO’s in Dutch) have to be sterilized or disinfected before being washed, reused or discarded. Biological waste has to be collected in autoclavable plastic bags, which are autoclaved before discarding (use indicator tape to demonstrate that the bag was autoclaved).
 
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*9. Wash hands with soap and water after work and before leaving the room. Bench surface areas have to be cleaned and disinfected daily. Keep area clean and organized.
 
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*10. Record the general nature of the work clearly in a lab journal.
 
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===Micro-organisms involved===
 
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* We worked with bad meat, a versatile environment for the growth of ''Pseudomonas, Salmonella, E. coli'' and other harmful bacteria. In order to work as safely as possible, we performed our rotten meat experiments in closed bottles and used our flow cabinets and procedure masks when taking meat samples. All of the meat was assumed to be biological waste, so we put everything in the autoclave to ensure that our researchers worked as safe as possible. You can read more about food safety in the [[Team:Groningen/Safety#Food_safety | dedicated chapter]] below.
 
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* ''Bacillus subtilis'' - Food grade bacterium. Considered as safe as ''Lactococcus lactis'' in yoghurt.
 
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* ''Escherichia coli'' - Standard laboratorium bacterium, widely used as chassis for synthetic biology. This bacterium is considered moderately safe, however, may cause infections and therefore has to be treated carefully.
 
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===More to consider===
 
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* Ethidium bromide is a carcinogenic compound that we used when we worked with agarose gels. To ensure our safety, we created a specific ethidium bromide region in our lab; in this area was clearly indicated that our researchers should use gloves and keep all the contaminated equipment in the EthBr area.
 
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==Genetical engineering and safety==
 
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===Our project===
 
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During our project discussions and our presentations to the public, it became clear that the association of meat and bacteria being close to each other, is not easily accepted. That’s why decided to take extra care when we designed our indication sticker. To be absolutely sure there is no possibility that our ''Bacillus'' or its spores are able to come in the environment or on the preserved meat, we asked specialized companies to share their knowledge with us. A good idea for preventing exchange of GMO’s to the environment, is the use of nano pores.
 
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But not only the sticker design ensures the safety of the public, also the nutrient composition in the sticker ensures ''Bacillus'' will only germinate and grow when the sticker is still intact.
 
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And even when our ''Bacillus'' is exposed to a environment that is favorable for growth, the production of the pigment will ensure that the bacterium kills itself, because the pigment is toxic for ''Bacillus''.
 
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===Environmental safety===
 
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===The BioBricks===
 
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===The biosafety group===
 
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Every research facility has staff responsible for the safety of the labs where people work with GMO. We invited Dr. Juke Lolkema to give a lecture about GMOs and safety in the lab. As associate professor, Dr. Lolkema is responsible for the maintenance of safe microbial techniques in the whole Linneausborg. 
 
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==Food safety==
 
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For our project, we did some research on food safety and the European regulations on this subject, especially around our subject, minced meat (results of research will follow). We took some of this regulations into practice by measuring the Total Aerobic Microbial Count of meat left at room temperature for different times. You can see the results [[Team:Groningen/Wetwork#When_is_food_rotten.3F | here]].
 
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[[File:RR_20120807_TAMCpic.jpg|600px|center]]
 
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==Safety issues and the future of the iGEM competition==
 
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Find an alternative system for the antibiotic resistance markers used nowadays (in the BioBricks). This could be a pigment instead of cloning bacteria with antibiotic resistance. By horizontal gene transfer these resistance genes can be passed to other bacterial species. 
 
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Use this page to answer the questions on the  [[Safety | safety page]].
 
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<div class="cte">
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<div class="ctd">
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<z1 >General Safety</z1>
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</div>
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</div>
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<br>
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<br>
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<p>
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With the emergence of the field of Synthetic Biology, certain ethical questions must be considered.
 +
The debate on the safety and ethics of synthetic biology is still ongoing, and it is therefore no surprise
 +
that every iGEM team is obliged to consider these issues. The iGEM organization asks questions about the safety
 +
aspect of a team's project, pertaining to the safety in the lab, the environment, and the public. We tried to
 +
answer these questions to the best of our ability. Most of our team members have lab experience and are aware
 +
of the safety regulations pertaining to working in a lab with GMOs, but we decided to explore the safety issue
 +
more in depth. In order to do so, we invited two authorities to give lectures and to assist in considering the
 +
need of safety during our iGEM project: Dr. J.S. Lolkema, biological safety officer at the Rijksuniversiteit of
 +
Groningen (RUG), as well as Prof. Dr. ir.  J.D. van Elsas, member of the Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification.
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<br>
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<br>
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We divided our safety page into four different sections. On the first page we focus on
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<a class="inlink" href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Groningen/10com">safety in the lab</a>,
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we  address the rules and regulations of lab work at the RUG pertaining to researcher safety and all things concerning
 +
the lab such as: the biobricks, microorganisms and the biosafety group.
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<br>
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<br>
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On the  <a class="inlink" href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Groningen/publicsafety">public safety page</a>
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we explore the safety of our sticker design and the public perception of the Food Warden system.
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<br>
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<br>
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On the <a class="inlink" href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Groningen/environment">environmental safety page</a>
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we elaborate on the risk and hazards of the our genetic modification. Furthermore we address possible effects
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on the environment and share our thoughts on developing a system to kill the Food Warden bacterium if it were
 +
to be released into the environment or after use.
 +
<br>
 +
<br>
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On our last safety page we discuss <a class="inlink" href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Groningen/foodsafety">food safety</a>.
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We answer questions like: "How does one define rotten meat?" and show the importance of prevention of eating spoiled meat.
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<br>
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<br>
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<br>
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There is one question from the iGEM headquarters which was hard to put into one of our safety sections, which we would like to address here.
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<br>
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<br>
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<z5>"Do you have any other ideas how to deal with safety issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions?
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How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?"</z5>
 +
<br>
 +
<br>
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We think it is important to find an alternative system for the antibiotic resistance markers used nowadays in the
 +
BioBrick system. Such a selection marker could be a harmless pigment, or other systems such as the widely used
 +
Red-White or LacZ screening methods. This takes away the risk of spreading antibiotic resistance by horizontal gene transfer.
 +
<br>
 +
<br>
 +
When using proper lab techniques, safety measures, and of course common sense, a lot of possibly dangerous situations
 +
can be avoided. However, this is not always as straightforward as it seems. Every iGEM team that does wetwork has its
 +
own lab in the university, just as we do. Therefore, a random safety inspection by the iGEM organization would ideally
 +
be a good way to check if everyone does meet the basic safety regulations. However, since iGEM is a huge competition,
 +
we understand it would be troublesome to send a delegation to travel all over the world to do this. Nonetheless it could
 +
be an option to send iGEM judges or supervisors to neighboring universities, or make it obligated that iGEM teams are
 +
visited by an official Safety Officer.
 +
<br>
 +
<br>
 +
<br>
 +
</p>
 +
</body>
 +
</html>
{{Template:SponsorsGroningen2012}}
{{Template:SponsorsGroningen2012}}

Latest revision as of 21:21, 26 September 2012





General Safety


With the emergence of the field of Synthetic Biology, certain ethical questions must be considered. The debate on the safety and ethics of synthetic biology is still ongoing, and it is therefore no surprise that every iGEM team is obliged to consider these issues. The iGEM organization asks questions about the safety aspect of a team's project, pertaining to the safety in the lab, the environment, and the public. We tried to answer these questions to the best of our ability. Most of our team members have lab experience and are aware of the safety regulations pertaining to working in a lab with GMOs, but we decided to explore the safety issue more in depth. In order to do so, we invited two authorities to give lectures and to assist in considering the need of safety during our iGEM project: Dr. J.S. Lolkema, biological safety officer at the Rijksuniversiteit of Groningen (RUG), as well as Prof. Dr. ir. J.D. van Elsas, member of the Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification.

We divided our safety page into four different sections. On the first page we focus on safety in the lab, we address the rules and regulations of lab work at the RUG pertaining to researcher safety and all things concerning the lab such as: the biobricks, microorganisms and the biosafety group.

On the public safety page we explore the safety of our sticker design and the public perception of the Food Warden system.

On the environmental safety page we elaborate on the risk and hazards of the our genetic modification. Furthermore we address possible effects on the environment and share our thoughts on developing a system to kill the Food Warden bacterium if it were to be released into the environment or after use.

On our last safety page we discuss food safety. We answer questions like: "How does one define rotten meat?" and show the importance of prevention of eating spoiled meat.


There is one question from the iGEM headquarters which was hard to put into one of our safety sections, which we would like to address here.

"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?"

We think it is important to find an alternative system for the antibiotic resistance markers used nowadays in the BioBrick system. Such a selection marker could be a harmless pigment, or other systems such as the widely used Red-White or LacZ screening methods. This takes away the risk of spreading antibiotic resistance by horizontal gene transfer.

When using proper lab techniques, safety measures, and of course common sense, a lot of possibly dangerous situations can be avoided. However, this is not always as straightforward as it seems. Every iGEM team that does wetwork has its own lab in the university, just as we do. Therefore, a random safety inspection by the iGEM organization would ideally be a good way to check if everyone does meet the basic safety regulations. However, since iGEM is a huge competition, we understand it would be troublesome to send a delegation to travel all over the world to do this. Nonetheless it could be an option to send iGEM judges or supervisors to neighboring universities, or make it obligated that iGEM teams are visited by an official Safety Officer.


Our sponsors:

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