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From 2012.igem.org

1. Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of researcher, public, or environmental safety?

The organisms used in our lab are well documented and generally regarded as safe (GRAS). These organisms are nonpathogenic and are not harmful for use in the lab. The GSU iGEM team follows lab safety very carefully. Lab goggles, long coats, gloves, and proper attire is always required while working in the lab. Additionally, all recombinant organisms were disposed of properly, ensuring no accidental release into the environment. Our project ideas did not raise any other safety issues.

2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise any safety issues? If yes, did you document these issues in the Registry? How did you manage to handle the safety issue? How could other teams learn from your experience?

Activities in the development of BioBrick parts did not pose an issue to the GSU iGEM team. We created out own linker piece to fit the iGEM standard with no issues. This linker piece can be used to make most all commercially-available vectors fit the iGEM assembly standard. We fully comply with the National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Recombinant DNA.

3. Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution? If yes, what does your local biosafety group think about your project? If no, which specific biosafety rules or guidelines do you have to consider in your country?

GSU has an Institutional Biosafety Committee. The team has complied with all safety rules and regulations throughout the project. All routine lab inspections were conducted by the Biosafety Officer, and all members have been properly trained on autoclaving, dishwashing, and disposal of biohazardous and chemical wastes. The link for the GSU Biosafety Website is: http://www.gsu.edu/research/ibc.html

4. 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?

In the future, iGEM could provide teams with mini, online courses to give an overview/introduction of biosafety regulations and guidelines. The courses could be followed by a small quiz that all participating teams must pass. This would ensure that students have a better understanding of safety in the lab. In conjunction with GSU, all members working in a laboratory must pass the CITI online training.

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