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Team:Macquarie Australia/Quarantine
From 2013.igem.org
Quarantine
To help aid the iGEM committee and also the molecular biology community, we decided to investigate the importation requirements of various countries in regards to nucleic acids (which incorporates Biobricks) and biological materials.
Whilst researching the regulations of importing biological materials into countries, we discovered that the information was quite difficult to find. The information was not easily accessed, which further highlights the importance of our team creating a table that includes the key information for many countries in one easily accessed location for both iGEM and the larger molecular biological community. To aid our process we also contacted 22 different iGEM teams worldwide to see if they had any similar experiences or knew of their specific importation requirements of biological materials into their countries.
DNA code: HS 293499
| Country | Regulation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | For non-hazardous biological materials, packaging requirements include: leak proof primary receptacle, leak-proof secondary packaging and outer package of adequate strength. Package must be appropriately labeled. Required paperwork must also be attached. | UK Customs Link |
| Canada | Determine classification. Correct packaging of the biological material classification is needed. | Canadian Customs Link |
| China | Details are only available to premium members on the China customs website. No specific requirements, just a $15 tax. | Chinese Customs Link |
| Australia | The outermost container must be labeled with the name, address, and contact details of the person responsible for the dealings and the Import Permit for the package. The Permits cost, assessment of permit and lodgment of permit in total cost approximately $150. | Australian Customs Link |
Finding import regulations and quarantine concerns regarding DNA into various countries was extremely difficult. There was little DNA information, however, those concerned only genetically modified and recombinant DNA. Thus, DNA used in synthetic biological applications has not been addressed yet in any countries’ import regulations that we have investigated. As an ease of access for iGEM teams to observe the Biosafety regulations and ethics of other teams, more links or references to government gene regulation websites could be beneficial to post on wiki pages, rather than just a safety form requirement.
Some countries, such as Australian and the European Union, have the same regulations and thus, terminology so finding information is relatively easy. However, for countries which have alternative regulations and terminology, it is more difficult to investigate the implications of importing biological material (regards to synthetic biology) into other countries as they define different biological materials under different categories.
In essence, this table is the start of what can become a complete database of importation regulations of all the countries involved in iGEM. Future work can expand on this to identify the regulations of all the countries involved in iGEM. This will be advantageous to assist iGEMwith posting out the kits to teams around the world without hindrance and also it will be beneficial if any teams wish to collaborate together with projects.
