Difference between revisions of "Team:Technion Israel/Safety"

 
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<a id="guidance"></a>
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<h2>Introduction</h2>
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<div class="col-md-12 col-sm-12">
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<h1 class="text-center"><u>Safety</u></h1><!--Headline-->
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<br>
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<!--6 text - 6 img div-->
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<h2>Introduction</h2>
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<div class="row">
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<p class="text-justify">
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<div class="col-md-6 col-sm-12 vcenter"><!--6 text-->
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Our project deals with developing a user-friendly kit for rapidly detecting numerous substances. The detection method
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<p class="text-justify">
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relies on the chemotaxis motility of E. coli, where a certain substance either repels or attracts the cells, resulting
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While working in the lab, safety was always our top concern.  
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in clusters that are visible to the naked eye.<br>
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<br>Lab safety includes everything from instructions regarding equipment,
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<br>
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through proper protective gear, such as gloves, glasses, lab coats etc.,  
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When working in the lab, safety was always on the top of our concern. Work safety includes everything from proper equipment  
+
to adequate preparations and proper disposal of chemicals and organisms.<br>
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such as protective gloves, glasses, lab coat etc., to adequate preparations and proper disposal of chemicals and organisms.<br>
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Aside from personal lab safety, we gave considerable thought to the subject
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<br>
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of product safety as we were designing a hardware product meant for use outside of the lab.
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As we are both, working with genetically modified organisms and designing a hardware, safety was exercised on the laboratory
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</p>
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scale (personal safety) and on the industrial scale (product safety).<br>
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<a class="pop ocenter">
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<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/b/bb/File-T--Technion_Israel-Safetysafety1.jpg" class="img-responsive img-center img-cont" width="200" style="cursor: pointer;">
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</a>
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<h2>Personal safety:</h2>
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<h4>Working at the IGEM Technion lab:</h4><br>
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<p class="text-justify">
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All members of iGEM have completed safety training, provided by our team instructors. It included all laboratory practices
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such as the hazards and risks associated with different chemical and biological issues. In addition, we received information
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about the location of fire alarm pull stations, safety showers, extinguishers and fume hoods.<br>
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<br>
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As part of the project our team primarily worked with the following strains of E-coli: UU1250, Top10, B275∆ ZRAS and B275∆ FILM. 
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Those strains do not exhibit any toxicity and belong to Biosafety level 1, which is the lowest risk level. Furthermore, the
+
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fact that they prefer temperatures around 37 °C makes it unlikely that they survive for a long time when accidentally released. 
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In addition, we obeyed to the regulations of the Technion [1] to govern biosafety in the lab.<br>
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<br></p>
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<h4>Minimizing Risks:</h4><br>
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<p class="text-justify">
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To minimize risks and conduct a responsible research certain rules were adapted in the lab:<br>
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<br>
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- Wearing personal protection equipment like lab coats, safety goggles and rubber gloves if needed
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- Consuming any food or drinks in the lab area is prohibited
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- Smoking in the lab area is prohibited
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- Autoclaving all waste that came into contact with biological material is mandatory.<br>
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<br></p>
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<h4>Dangerous Chemicals:</h4><br>
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<p class="text-justify">
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Ethydium Bromide- is a known carcinogen, used for DNA staining in agarose gel. Therefore gel preparation
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was done in designated marked areas, addition of EtBr was done in a hood, and special emphasis was placed
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on wearing gloves and lab coats when cutting bands from gel using UV.<br>
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<br>
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Liquid nitrogen- is intensely cold and can cause frostbite or cryogenic burns if it is not used, and handled,
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properly. Therefore, we always handled liquid nitrogen wearing protective clothing including safety goggles,
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cryo gloves and tongs.<br>
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<br></p>
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<h2>Product safety</h2>
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<p class="text-justify">
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Since the channel inside our chip is exposed to the air and not sealed, the modified bacteria can be spilled
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out of the chip if the user does not hold it properly. That kind of spillage can cause environmental problems.
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To solve this problem we can  try to look for a material to seal the chip.<br>
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<br>
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To make the final product even safer, we can use a kill switch to minimize the risk of accidental release to
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the environment. For that purpose, we aim to use the kill switch designed by Berkeley 2008 iGEM Team (BbaK112808).
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The bacterial solution located inside the chip will contain a certain concentration of IPTG.  Since IPTG is not
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metabolized by E.coli, its concentration remains constant. The kill switch turns on in absence of IPTG. in case
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of an accidental release of the bacteria to the enviornment, the bacteria will be exposed to low level of IPTG
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and the death rate will increase.The illustrated circuit can be seen in Figure 1.<br>
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<h2>Personal safety</h2>
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<a href="#intein_referances" data-toggle="collapse">Referances</a>
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1. <a href="http://safety.net.technion.ac.il">Technion Safety and Health Unit</a>.<br>
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2. ???
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<br>
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</p>
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 +
<!-- 12 text div -->
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<div class="row">
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<div class="col-md-12 col-sm-12">
 +
<h4>Working at the iGEM Technion lab:</h4>
 +
<p class="text-justify">
 +
All members of the team have completed safety training,
 +
provided by our instructors. It included detailed explanations
 +
regarding the hazards and risks, which can be found in the
 +
laboratory environment, with emphasis on different chemical
 +
and biological issues. <br>In addition, we received information
 +
about the location of fire alarms, safety showers, extinguishers and fume hoods.<br>
 +
</p>
 +
</div>
 
</div>
 
</div>
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<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/3/31/File-T--Technion_Israel-Safetysafety3.jpg" class="img-responsive img-center img-cont" width="500" style="cursor: pointer;">
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<div class="col-md-12 col-sm-12">
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<h4>Biological safety:</h4>
 +
<p class="text-justify">
 +
During the project, we worked with the following strains of
 +
<i>E. coli</i>: UU1250, Top10, B275∆ ZRAS ,B275∆ FILM and MG1655.
 +
These strains do not exhibit any toxicity and belong to
 +
Biosafety level 1, which is the lowest risk level.
 +
In addition, we obeyed the Technion's official regulations
 +
regarding biosafety in the lab.<br>
 +
</p>
 +
</div>
 +
</div>
 +
 +
 +
<!-- 12 text div -->
 +
<div class="row">
 +
<div class="col-md-12 col-sm-12">
 +
<h4>Minimizing Risks:</h4>
 +
<p class="text-justify">
 +
To minimize risks and conduct safe research, certain rules were adapted in the lab: <br>
 +
- Use of personal protection equipment, such as lab coats, safety goggles and rubber gloves if necessary.<br>
 +
- Consumption of food or drinks in the lab area is prohibited.<br>
 +
- Smoking in the lab area is prohibited.<br>
 +
- Mandatory autoclaving of all waste that came into contact with biological materials.<br>
 +
</p>
 +
</div>
 +
</div>
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<br><br><br>
 +
<!--6 text - 6 img div-->
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<div class="row">
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<div class="col-md-6 col-sm-12 vcenter"><!--6 text-->
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<h4>Dangerous Chemicals:</h4>
 +
<p class="text-justify">
 +
- Ethydium bromide - A known carcinogen, used in agarose gel. Therefore gel preparation was done in designated marked areas and with designated equipment. Addition of EtBr to the mix was done in a hood, and special emphasis was placed on wearing gloves and lab coats when handling gel.<br>
 +
<br>
 +
- Liquid nitrogen - Can cause frostbites or cryogenic burns if not handled properly. Therefore, we always worked with liquid nitrogen, while wearing protective clothing, including safety goggles, cryogenic gloves and tongs.<br>
 +
</p>
 +
</div><!--
 +
--><div class="col-md-6 col-sm-12 vcenter"><!--6 img div-->
 +
<a class="pop ocenter">
 +
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/7/72/File-T--Technion_Israel-Safetysafety5.jpg" class="img-responsive img-center img-cont" width="450" style="cursor: pointer;">
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<h2>Product safety</h2>
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</div>
 +
<!-- 12 text div -->
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<div class="row">
 +
<div class="col-md-12 col-sm-12">
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<p class="text-justify">
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FlashLab - the product which we designed, is a fluidic chip at its core. The channel inside the chip is not sealed, to allow the passage of oxygen through the chip. Due to this limitation, the genetically engineered bacteria can be spilt from the chip if the user does not handle it properly. That kind of spill can cause environmental problems. We looked into several ways to solve this problem:<br><br>
 +
1) Design approach: produce the chip as a complete standalone <b>sealed</b> kit, meaning that in the final product, the bacteria will be placed in a vial connected to the chip. The user will then have to simply break a seal connecting the two (same principle as a glow stick), to release them into the channel before adding the sample.
 +
This approach is not ideal, since the bacteria will still be in the chip after usage, meaning the risk of accidental release is not diminished. To increase product safety even further we looked into a second solution.<br><br>
 +
2) Biological approach: Using a kill switch system to prevent environmental risks, in case of release. For this purpose, we aim to utilize the kill switch designed by Berkeley 2008 iGEM Team <a href="http://parts.igem.org/Part:BBa_K112808" target="_blank">(BbaK112808)</a>. This kill switch depends on the concentration of IPTG in the environment. When the IPTG concentration in the medium is low, the kill switch will be activated. For this purpose, we would add IPTG, a substance not consumed by bacteria, into the medium. Upon release of the bacteria into the environment, the IPTG concentration that the bacteria sense will drop rapidly, leading to an increase in death rate.
 +
</p>
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</div>
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<p class="referances">
 +
References:<br>
 +
1. <a href="http://safety.net.technion.ac.il">Technion Safety and Health Unit </a>
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<br>
 +
</p>
 +
 +
</div>
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</div>
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<div class="modal fade" id="imagemodal" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="myModalLabel" aria-hidden="true">
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  <div class="modal-dialog">
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    <div class="modal-content">             
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      <div class="modal-body">
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<a id="back-to-top" href="#" class="btn btn-lg back-to-top" role="button" title="Up" data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="left"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/5/5a/T--Technion_Israel--up_arrow.png" alt=""></a>
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Latest revision as of 12:08, 19 October 2016

S.tar, by iGEM Technion 2016

S.tar, by iGEM Technion 2016

Introduction

While working in the lab, safety was always our top concern.
Lab safety includes everything from instructions regarding equipment, through proper protective gear, such as gloves, glasses, lab coats etc., to adequate preparations and proper disposal of chemicals and organisms.
Aside from personal lab safety, we gave considerable thought to the subject of product safety as we were designing a hardware product meant for use outside of the lab.

Personal safety

Working at the iGEM Technion lab:

All members of the team have completed safety training, provided by our instructors. It included detailed explanations regarding the hazards and risks, which can be found in the laboratory environment, with emphasis on different chemical and biological issues.
In addition, we received information about the location of fire alarms, safety showers, extinguishers and fume hoods.

Biological safety:

During the project, we worked with the following strains of E. coli: UU1250, Top10, B275∆ ZRAS ,B275∆ FILM and MG1655. These strains do not exhibit any toxicity and belong to Biosafety level 1, which is the lowest risk level. In addition, we obeyed the Technion's official regulations regarding biosafety in the lab.

Minimizing Risks:

To minimize risks and conduct safe research, certain rules were adapted in the lab:
- Use of personal protection equipment, such as lab coats, safety goggles and rubber gloves if necessary.
- Consumption of food or drinks in the lab area is prohibited.
- Smoking in the lab area is prohibited.
- Mandatory autoclaving of all waste that came into contact with biological materials.




Dangerous Chemicals:

- Ethydium bromide - A known carcinogen, used in agarose gel. Therefore gel preparation was done in designated marked areas and with designated equipment. Addition of EtBr to the mix was done in a hood, and special emphasis was placed on wearing gloves and lab coats when handling gel.

- Liquid nitrogen - Can cause frostbites or cryogenic burns if not handled properly. Therefore, we always worked with liquid nitrogen, while wearing protective clothing, including safety goggles, cryogenic gloves and tongs.

Product safety

FlashLab - the product which we designed, is a fluidic chip at its core. The channel inside the chip is not sealed, to allow the passage of oxygen through the chip. Due to this limitation, the genetically engineered bacteria can be spilt from the chip if the user does not handle it properly. That kind of spill can cause environmental problems. We looked into several ways to solve this problem:

1) Design approach: produce the chip as a complete standalone sealed kit, meaning that in the final product, the bacteria will be placed in a vial connected to the chip. The user will then have to simply break a seal connecting the two (same principle as a glow stick), to release them into the channel before adding the sample. This approach is not ideal, since the bacteria will still be in the chip after usage, meaning the risk of accidental release is not diminished. To increase product safety even further we looked into a second solution.

2) Biological approach: Using a kill switch system to prevent environmental risks, in case of release. For this purpose, we aim to utilize the kill switch designed by Berkeley 2008 iGEM Team (BbaK112808). This kill switch depends on the concentration of IPTG in the environment. When the IPTG concentration in the medium is low, the kill switch will be activated. For this purpose, we would add IPTG, a substance not consumed by bacteria, into the medium. Upon release of the bacteria into the environment, the IPTG concentration that the bacteria sense will drop rapidly, leading to an increase in death rate.

References:
1. Technion Safety and Health Unit

S.tar, by iGEM Technion 2016