Safety

All S&T iGEM members must be trained through our online and in-lab Lab Training Program before contributing to the project in lab. Our Lab Training Manual, which contains a variety of safety and procedure information, and our online lessons are currently being revised to better prepare future lab workers. The Lab Training Program culminates in the "mini-project," where trainees are given a small task and must produce a final product using parts from the iGEM DNA Distribution. Our goal is to train safe and productive lab workers by giving them a chance to try each procedure themselves under the supervision of an experienced member.

We used E. coli DH5α, a non-pathogenic strain, for all assembly and as the chassis for testing. We attempted to express the mevalonate pathway to produce (E)-beta-ocimene, a safe terpene with pleasant scent. We also used Streptomyces roseus, another non-pathogenic strain. The genome of S. roseus contains two genes of interest, leupA and leupB, which are potentially involved in the production of leupeptin, a protease inhibitor. Our final safety form may be found here.

While assembling our parts, we used a lac promoter to control expression. However, a different approach would be taken for use outside the lab. Ocimene indiscriminately inhibits microbial growth, so continuous production in a cave environment would have the potential to significantly impact the microbiome of bats' skin and the cave itself. We are investigating ways of sensing the causative agent of White-Nose Syndrome, P. destructans, as a potential future project. For real-world applications, sensing of the fungus would need to be coupled with either a kill switch or regulation of ocimene production. Before use for bat conservation, it should also be confirmed that ocimene has no adverse effects on bat species.

Lab photos credit: Bob Phelan, SDELC

Team:Missouri Rolla/Safety

Safety