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Fungal secondary metabolites are an important source for the discovery of novel drugs due to their pharmacological properties. The production of secondary metabolites in most cases involves a big enzyme that contains multiple catalytic domains. We aim to use a synthetic approach by modulating each domain separately, and generate a plethora of new compounds that have a tremendous potential in saving human lives. The production of lovastatin has been chosen as an experimental concept. Our end product is non-replicative and contains no genetic material.

As we known, Synthetic Biology is an interesting and promising scientific field. Nonetheless, it is still subject to inherent hazards which may affect the researchers, the public and the environment. So it is crucially important for anyone working in this field is thoroughly aware of these dangers and takes the necessary precautions to minimize any risks that might occur. This page will provide an overview of the issues related to biological safety and security which is related to iGEM 2013 by providing answers to several key safety questions.

iGEM Safety Questions

1.Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of:

researcher safety,
public safety, or
environmental safety

No, our project ideas pose no substantial risk to either researchers, the public or the environment. In this project, all the organisms including E. coli and Aspergillus niger strains belong to Bio-safety level 1. They are non-pathogenic, commercially available and lab-safe. All members of our team have been trained in both Good Microbiological Techniques and general and specific lab safety. Besides, The existing biological parts we used don’t raise any foreseeable safety issues, so do the parts we introduced ourselves. All in all, (see Fungi-related safety).
More about General safety...