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From 2012.igem.org

The project

Researcher safety

• 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 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.

• Bacillus subtilis

• Escherichia coli

• 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.

Public safety 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.

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. 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.

The BioBricks

The biosafety group

Safety issues and the future of the iGEM competition

Use this page to answer the questions on the safety page.