Difference between revisions of "Team:BostonU/Safety"

BostonU Project Gemini Safety Review

The greatest safety concerns that arose during our project surrounded the chasses used for both cloning and assaying our systems. Specifically, our chasses encompassed two distinct biological safety levels: BSL 1 and BSL2. Each level required a different safety protocols as well training, of which received from both the RIMS program at Boston University and our Mentors.

All cloning done by our team was done in Top10 Chemically Competent E. coli. For this reason, the work was all done on the benches of the BSL 1 area of the laboratory. This meant all scientist wore pants, closed toed shoes, lab coats, and gloves. Our samples were either stored in parafilmed plates, in -80 centigrade stasis, or were bleached. All chemicals used during the cloning process (i.e. miniprep waste and ethidium bromide gels) were disposed of in appropriately labeled waste containers located around the lab.

Our work with BSL2 materials centered around the HEK293FT cells. While HEK cells are generally a BSL cell line, the addition of a SV40 virus into out cells increased the biological safety concern. SV40 poses a cancer risk to those scientists working with it. With that being noted, all BSL 1 attire was worn in the BSL 2 Tissue Culturing room, as well as state certified eye protection. In addition to bleaching all samples upon the completion of experiments, all work was done within biological hoods with media traps. Every surface within those hoods was sterilized both preceding and at the conclusion of work with 70% ethanol.