Safety/White List

	White List (no Check-In required)	Check-In Required (examples only!)
Whole Organisms (including viral genomes)	Risk Group 1 microorganisms (For example: E. coli K-12, S. cerevisiae, B. subtilis, Lactobacillus spp.)	Risk Group 2 microorganisms (For example: Pseudomonas spp.)
	Bacteriophages T2, T4, T7, M13, P1, ΦX174 (Phi X 174), and λ (Lambda), unless containing a virulence factor (see below) Phagemids	Other viruses and bacteriophages
	Human and primate cell lines that have been tested and certified free of known pathogens (consult your vendor; see FAQ) Cell lines from plants, fungi, or animals that are not primates (such as CHO cells or plant cells)	Human and primate cell lines that may contain pathogens All primary isolated cells (that is, cells taken directly from the body of a multicellular organism)
	C. elegans (nematodes) Physcomitrella patens, Arabidopsis spp., Nicotiana spp.	Other multicellular organisms (animals, plants, insects, etc.)
		...and anything not explicitly listed
Parts	All Registry parts, except those with a Red Flag placed by the Safety Committee	Registry parts that have a Red Flag, which looks like this. A complete list of parts with Red Flags can be found here.
		Any part from a Risk Group 3 organism, regardless of its function
	Non-protein-coding parts in the following categories: Promoters, RBSes, Terminators Binding sites for transcriptional regulators, endonucleases, and other proteins that bind to DNA Aptamers and catalytic RNAs CRISPR guide RNAs, microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, and short hairpin RNAs that do not target human genes	CRISPR guide RNAs, microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, and short hairpin RNAs that target human genes Other non-protein-coding genes
	Cas9, except when it is genomically integrated into a sexually reproducing organism	Cas9 integrated into the genome of a sexually reproducing organism (including organisms that reproduce both sexually and asexually, such as yeast)
	Prions from non-mammalian organisms, such as yeast	Prions from mammals, such as human PrP
	Proteins or protein-coding genes from animals, plants, or Risk Group 1 / Risk Group 2 microorganisms, EXCEPT those in the list of "dangerous categories" on the right	Proteins or protein-coding genes in the following dangerous categories: Virulence factors (see FAQ) Factors that help pathogens evade or shut down the immune system Factors that help pathogens halt the host's DNA/RNA replication, transcription, or translation Factors that regulate the immune system, such as cytokines and interferons Proteins that are toxic to humans Enzymes that produce a molecule that is toxic to humans
	...and anything not explicitly listed

FAQs

What if I'm not sure whether my organism/part requires a Check-In?

Ask us! Contact safety AT igem DOT org. Alternatively, because the Check-In form is short, you could choose to send a Check-In even if you are unsure.

Where can I submit a Check-In?

Submit a Check-In here.

How do I find out the Risk Group of an organism?

Consult the Risk Group Guide.

Banned Organisms/Parts

Some of the most dangerous organisms and parts are not allowed in iGEM, even with a Check-In:

Whole organisms from Risk Group 3
Whole organisms from Risk Group 4
Parts from Risk Group 4 organisms

If you find that you want to use a banned organism/part, you should redesign your project to use a safer substitute. Consult your advisor or contact us at <safety AT igem DOT org> to get advice on choosing a substitute.

What if the White List changes during the summer?

As we learn more, we might add things to the White List, but we will not remove things from the White List until after the Jamboree each year. So, if something is on the White List now, it will stay on the White List for the whole 2015 season.

Our project is to detect a dangerous organism. In order to test our project, we want to handle the dangerous organism (or parts of it), but it will not be part of what we build.
Do we still have to send a Check-In?

Yes. The Check-In requirement applies to all organisms and all parts that you will handle in the lab, even if they will not be part of your final project.

What exactly counts as a "whole organism"?

For the purposes of this White List, a "whole organism" is an entire cell or multicellular organism, whether alive or dead. Intact, isolated viral genomes are also considered "whole organism", because many viral genomes can be pathogenic if they enter a host cell, even without the viral capsule.
(Isolated non-viral genomes are considered parts. Individual nucleic acids and proteins are also parts.)

What about experiments with human subjects, such as surveys or software user-testing?

If you conduct any experiments with human subjects, you must follow your country's laws and your university's rules. You must get approval from the appropriate authorities, even for non-invasive experiments like surveys.

We are going to handle an organism in lab, but we will only extract some DNA from it using PCR -- we won't use it as our chassis.
Do we still have to send a Check-In?