Team:Hong Kong HKU/Protocol
Notebook
Safety
All of our team members have received safety trainings on June 2016.
The team submitted the "About our Project" Form and "About our Lab" Form on July 2016 and was approved.
Our project mainly concern on DNA nanostructure, while most of the experiments conducted in vitro, thus is less likely to be involved in dangerous chemicial or biological species that may trigger hazards.
Our risk level is level 1, meaning low risk.
We used non-pathogenic bacteria (E. coli DH10β) and DNA sequences that would not confer toxicity, pathogenicity, or selective growth advantage of the bacteria in the body of healthy adult individual.
Still worried? Scroll down stringent policies in our laboratory:
Before our project started in June 2016, all of our members attended a laboratory introductory session, or 'lab tour', where rules, guidelines and procedures of common equipment operations were given by the laboratory technicians from the School of Biomedical Sciences, HKU.
Laboratory sessions were always under supervisions of lab technicians.
During the kick-off period where most of the preliminary tests were performed, seeing bio-waste treatments are one of the common concerns, instructors were often present to first demonstrate the proper way for the set-ups then the proper disposal method.
We repeated the instructions using water once before the real things. We categorized the wastes into gel stain waste, bacterial waste and the others. Any doubts among the team were raised top instructors for clarification at all times.
Last but not the least, of course we would not forget about the basics – ensuring laminar airflow, wearing laboratory coats and gloves.
We also dispose of the gloves appropriately after each experiment according to the categories described above.
Additional Note:
Forwarding to our interview with Professor CHAN, Danny from the School of Biomedical Sciences, the University of Hong Kong (click here to learn more), we followed the suggestion from Professor Chan to do a risk assessment upon the strain of E. coli that we are working on.
We hope to make the best of our effort to make sure not a single bacteria that we are using gets out of the laboratory.
See the details of our risk assessment here.
In this project, we are going to let our DNA-nanostructure to synthesis and self-assembled in E.Coli, therefore our risk assessment will be focusing on the usage and storage of E. Coli.
However, before we begin, the type of E. coli we are using is DH10β, which is non-pathogenic bacteria.
In addition, the DNA sequences we are using would not confer toxicity, pathogenicity, or selective growth advantage of the bacteria in the body of healthy adult individual.
Therefore, the risk level is 1 only. For risk assessment, we are going to focus on E. coli and laboratory safety.
Escherichia coli is a member of the family Enterobacteriaceae and is a Gram-negative rod which can be motile by peritrichous flagella or nonmotile.
Although its risk level is level one only, direct contact may lead to serious aftermath. Direct contact with E. coli may lead to eye and skin irritation and harmful by inhalation or swallowed.
If anyone suffered from direct contact with E. coli, they are suggested to rinse the wound with plenty of water and call a physician if applicable.
In addition, before our project started in June 2016, all of our members attended a laboratory introductory session, or 'lab tour', where rules, guidelines and procedures of common equipment operations were given by the laboratory technicians from the School of Biomedical Sciences, HKU.
Laboratory sessions were always under supervisions of lab technicians.
During the kick-off period where most of the preliminary tests were performed, seeing bio-waste treatments are one of the common concerns, instructors were often present to first demonstrate the proper way for the set-ups then the proper disposal method.
We repeated the instructions using water once before the real things. We categorized the wastes into gel stain waste, bacterial waste and the others.
Any doubts among the team were raised top instructors for clarification at all times.
Last but not least, of course we would not forget about the basics – ensuring laminar airflow, wearing laboratory coats and gloves.
We also dispose of the gloves appropriately after each experiment according to the categories described above.
