Team:Macquarie Australia/Safety

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Use this page to answer the questions on the [[Safety | safety page]].
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<center><td><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2013/thumb/2/29/Wiki_safety.jpg/599px-Wiki_safety.jpg" width=550 height=550></td>
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<br><br>
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<font size = 5><b><h1>iGEM Safety Questions</h1></font size><br><br>
 
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<font size = 3>1. Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of:</font size></b><br><br>
 
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• researcher safety,<br>
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<font size = 5><b><h1><center>iGEM Safety Questions</h1></font size><br><br>
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• public safety, or<br>
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<font size = 3><center>1. Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues?</font></b><br><br>
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• environmental safety<br><br>
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<font size = 1><b>Guidance:</b><br>
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<font size = 4><b>Project Safety concerns</font size></b><br><br>
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There are three recommended steps in addressing this question.<br><br>
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<left><b>1.</b> To start, please list organisms you are using and organisms from which your parts are derived, indicating the risk group or biosafety level for each. For help, see Table 1 and 2 of the World Health &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Organization (WHO) Laboratory Biosafety Manual. You are welcome to use your national standards if you prefer. If national standards do not use the WHO 1-4 scale, please provide a link to an explanation of your standards.<br><br>
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<b>2.</b> Then consider risks to team members, publics and environment if the project goes according to plan. Please describe risks posed by lab equipment and chemicals as well as biological parts and &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;organisms. How are you addressing these issues in project design and lab work? Have you received biosafety training and other laboratory safety training? If so, please briefly describe the training.<br><br>
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<b>3.</b> Then consider risks to team members, publics and environment if the project does not go according to plan. What are risks if safety measures such as containment procedures go wrong and organisms or parts are released? What are risks to security from malicious misuse? How are you addressing such risks?</font size><br><br><br>
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<font size = 4><b>Project Safety concerns:</font size></b><br><br>
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To minimise risk of contamination or harm to researchers participating in the study or the environment, all students involved in the iGEM Macquarie University 2013 team received safety information according to the Macquarie University’s safety guidelines. The team also experienced an induction on how to operate specific machines within the lab, for example how to safely use the electroporator when dealing with chemicals and containers. We were supervised at all times by a senior member, or professor when working within the labs. A few examples of safe practices we employed to avoid biological material contamination include; disposal of biological waste in biohazard bins,  correct labelling of materials, disinfect (with ethanol) the benches both before and after use and adhere to safe laboratory practices (including wearing lab coats, glasses and enclosed shoes etc.). Also to protect personnel and the environment, the chemicals involved in the lab work were used according to MSDS standards. <br><br>
To minimise risk of contamination or harm to researchers participating in the study or the environment, all students involved in the iGEM Macquarie University 2013 team received safety information according to the Macquarie University’s safety guidelines. The team also experienced an induction on how to operate specific machines within the lab, for example how to safely use the electroporator when dealing with chemicals and containers. We were supervised at all times by a senior member, or professor when working within the labs. A few examples of safe practices we employed to avoid biological material contamination include; disposal of biological waste in biohazard bins,  correct labelling of materials, disinfect (with ethanol) the benches both before and after use and adhere to safe laboratory practices (including wearing lab coats, glasses and enclosed shoes etc.). Also to protect personnel and the environment, the chemicals involved in the lab work were used according to MSDS standards. <br><br>
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The host cells we used were Escherichia coli Star, which is categorised as a Biosafety Level 1 according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Thus this E. coli strain has a low health risk to humans, the community and the environment. The plasmid pSB1S3 was provided by iGEM and is identified as a low safety risk (BSL1). The gBlocks, vector DNA and chlorophyll genes (which originated form Chalymodmonas reinhardtii) and were meticulously handled according to the gene regulations of the Australian Government’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, whom abide by the Gene Technology Act 2000.<br><br>
The host cells we used were Escherichia coli Star, which is categorised as a Biosafety Level 1 according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Thus this E. coli strain has a low health risk to humans, the community and the environment. The plasmid pSB1S3 was provided by iGEM and is identified as a low safety risk (BSL1). The gBlocks, vector DNA and chlorophyll genes (which originated form Chalymodmonas reinhardtii) and were meticulously handled according to the gene regulations of the Australian Government’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, whom abide by the Gene Technology Act 2000.<br><br>
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Pathogenic sequences? Search GenBank.<br><br>
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Pathogenic sequences? Search <font size = 2>
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<a class="three" href='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/'><b>Genbank</b></a></font>
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<br><br><br>
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<font size = 3><b>2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise safety issues?</b></font size><br><br>
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<font size = 3><b><center>Potential BioBrick safety concerns:</center></b></font size><br>
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We are not aware of any dangers with any of the biobrick parts that we are using in the project. We will continue to monitor for any issues with the parts as the project progresses.</font size><br><br><br>
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<font size = 3><b>3. Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?</font size></b><br><br>
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<font size = 2>Macquarie University Ryde, NSW Australia does have a Biosafety Committee; information on the committee can be accessed by the links below</font><br><br>
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<font size = 2><center>
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<a class="three" href='http://www.research.mq.edu.au/for/researchers/how_to_obtain_ethics_approval/biosafety_research_ethics'><b>Macquarie University - Bioethics approval</b></a><br>
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<a class="three" href='http://web.science.mq.edu.au/intranet/ohs/hazsub/biosafety.htm#Biosafety'><b>Macquarie University - Biosafety</b> </a></center></font>
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<br><br>
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<font size = 2>The committee complies with the Australian Government regulations and strongly urges researchers to be familiar with the Gene Technology Regulation Act (2000) and the Gene Technology Regulations (2001) as well as the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) which hold regulations and requirements to keep notifiable risks to a minimum. Experiments involving cloning or transformation of organisms must pass approval by the Biosafety committee in which we were granted (approval number REF: 5201001087EX) for the expression of genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis in-vitro <i>Escherichia coli</i>. </font><br><br><br>
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<font size = 3><b>4. Do you have any other ideas how to deal with safety issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?</font size></b>
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<font size = 3><b>2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise safety issues? If yes,</b></font size><br><br>
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<br><br>
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• Did you document these issues in the Registry?<br>
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• How did you manage to handle the safety issue?<br>
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• How could other teams learn from your experience?<br><br>
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<font size = 1><b>Guidance:</b><br>
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As we are modifying genetic material, we have considered control options and switches if the modified organism were to be exposed to the environment or used industrially. Whilst considering these factors are important, the shipping and receiving of biological items, such as BioBricks is also a key factor that needs to be understood in order to understand the regulations and specificity required based on a country and world wide as a market. Using this, future teams can devise control and safety protocols.
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Please reference the biosafety level of parts. If you are working with anything other than a BSL1 organism, take extra care with this question. Your nation regulates handling and transfer of pathogens and parts associated with pathogenicity. For a list of regulated organisms, see the Australia Group website.</font size><br><br>
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<br><br>
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Samples must pass quarantine checks in many countries around the world. The various quarantine measures enforced by each country varies heavily, this results in not only highly varied shipping and receiving times, but also fees for processing potential biological materials. So we have decided to aid in increasing awareness of possible quarantine measures performed within countries which have competing iGEM teams.
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<font size = 4><b>Potential BioBrick safety concerns:</b></font size><br><br>
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<a class="three" href='https://2013.igem.org/Team:Macquarie_Australia/Quarantine'><b>Quarantine Link</b></a>
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We are not aware of any dangers with any of the biobrick parts that we are using in the project. We will continue to monitor for any issues with the parts as the project progresses.</font size><br><br>
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<font size = 3><b>3. Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?</font size></b><br><br><br>
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<br><br><br>
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• If yes, what does your local biosafety group think about your project?<br>
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• If no, which specific biosafety rules or guidelines do you have to consider in your country?<br><br>
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<font size = 1><b>Guidance:</b><br><br>
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<font size = 5> Submitted Safety Forms </font>
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The iGEM Safety Committee is not a substitute for national and local university institional biosafety committees<br><br>
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<b>1.</b> Does your university have a Biosafety Committee or equivalent? Please provide a link to regulations and local requirements.<br>
 
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<b>2.</b> Is your project in compliance with national regulations and university requirements?<br>
 
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<b>3.</b> If you are working with any organisms or parts requiring containment arrangements above BSL 1 or equivalent, have you consulted with your Institutional Biosafety Committee regarding your project?</font size><br><br>
 
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<font size = 3><b>4. Do you have any other ideas how to deal with safety issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?</font size></b><br><br><br>
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[[File:Safety1MQ1.png|140px|thumb|left|Our safety forms - Part 1 (<i>Click to Enlarge</i>)]][[File:Safety2MQ1.png|140px|thumb|left|Our safety forms - Part 2 (<i>Click to Enlarge</i>)]]
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<font size = 1><b>Guidance:</b><br><br>
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[[File:Safety3MQ1.png|140px|thumb|left|Our safety forms - Part 3 (<i>Click to Enlarge</i>)]]
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This is an open-ended space for you to consider and suggest ways of improving safety or safety awareness at iGEM and beyond. Some iGEM teams have offered ideas (and sometimes full projects) to limit gene flow, to create software for screening pathogens, and to reduce reliance on antibiotic resistant markers. Other iGEM projects have discussed concerns that might arise if the project succeeded and became widely used, as commercial product or other means of distribution. Some iGEM projects have discussed risks that might materialize if the knowledge generated or methods developed were to become more widely available.</font size>
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[[File:Safety4MQ1.png|140px|thumb|left|Our safety forms - Part 4 (<i>Click to Enlarge</i>)]]
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[[File:Safety5MQ1.png|140px|thumb|left|Our safety forms - Part 5 (<i>Click to Enlarge</i>)]]

Latest revision as of 17:27, 27 September 2013




iGEM Safety Questions



1. Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues?

Project Safety concerns

To minimise risk of contamination or harm to researchers participating in the study or the environment, all students involved in the iGEM Macquarie University 2013 team received safety information according to the Macquarie University’s safety guidelines. The team also experienced an induction on how to operate specific machines within the lab, for example how to safely use the electroporator when dealing with chemicals and containers. We were supervised at all times by a senior member, or professor when working within the labs. A few examples of safe practices we employed to avoid biological material contamination include; disposal of biological waste in biohazard bins, correct labelling of materials, disinfect (with ethanol) the benches both before and after use and adhere to safe laboratory practices (including wearing lab coats, glasses and enclosed shoes etc.). Also to protect personnel and the environment, the chemicals involved in the lab work were used according to MSDS standards.

The host cells we used were Escherichia coli Star, which is categorised as a Biosafety Level 1 according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Thus this E. coli strain has a low health risk to humans, the community and the environment. The plasmid pSB1S3 was provided by iGEM and is identified as a low safety risk (BSL1). The gBlocks, vector DNA and chlorophyll genes (which originated form Chalymodmonas reinhardtii) and were meticulously handled according to the gene regulations of the Australian Government’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, whom abide by the Gene Technology Act 2000.

Pathogenic sequences? Search Genbank


2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise safety issues?

Potential BioBrick safety concerns:

We are not aware of any dangers with any of the biobrick parts that we are using in the project. We will continue to monitor for any issues with the parts as the project progresses.


3. Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?

Macquarie University Ryde, NSW Australia does have a Biosafety Committee; information on the committee can be accessed by the links below

Macquarie University - Bioethics approval
Macquarie University - Biosafety


The committee complies with the Australian Government regulations and strongly urges researchers to be familiar with the Gene Technology Regulation Act (2000) and the Gene Technology Regulations (2001) as well as the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) which hold regulations and requirements to keep notifiable risks to a minimum. Experiments involving cloning or transformation of organisms must pass approval by the Biosafety committee in which we were granted (approval number REF: 5201001087EX) for the expression of genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis in-vitro Escherichia coli.


4. Do you have any other ideas how to deal with safety issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?

As we are modifying genetic material, we have considered control options and switches if the modified organism were to be exposed to the environment or used industrially. Whilst considering these factors are important, the shipping and receiving of biological items, such as BioBricks is also a key factor that needs to be understood in order to understand the regulations and specificity required based on a country and world wide as a market. Using this, future teams can devise control and safety protocols.

Samples must pass quarantine checks in many countries around the world. The various quarantine measures enforced by each country varies heavily, this results in not only highly varied shipping and receiving times, but also fees for processing potential biological materials. So we have decided to aid in increasing awareness of possible quarantine measures performed within countries which have competing iGEM teams. Quarantine Link


Submitted Safety Forms


Our safety forms - Part 1 (Click to Enlarge)
Our safety forms - Part 2 (Click to Enlarge)
Our safety forms - Part 3 (Click to Enlarge)
Our safety forms - Part 4 (Click to Enlarge)
Our safety forms - Part 5 (Click to Enlarge)