Team:GeorgiaTech/Ethics and Safety

• researcher safety,
• public safety, or
• environmental safety?

Our idea involves the insertion of the AOX gene from the sacred lotus, which redirects energy from the metabolic system to be released as heat in response to a cold-shock. The protein product produced is directed to the inner membrane of the cell, and not released into the environment. As our research is confined to in vitro usage at this point, and the components used have no known adverse effects on the environment, there is very little risk associated with a potential accident involving our project. The research pursued does not pose any known safety hazards to researchers, the public, or the environment. The strains of E. coli we utilized were non-pathogenic, standard lab strains that are safely used in a Biosafety Level 1 laboratory setting.

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

• Did you document these issues in the Registry?
• How did you manage to handle the safety issue?
• How could other teams learn from your experience?

We constructed a bacterial plasmid containing the AOX gene with a targeting sequence, OmpA, and promoter, HybB, which have no known biosafety issues.

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

• If yes, what does your local biosafety group think about your project?
• If no, which specific biosafety rules or guidelines do you have to consider in your country?

The Occupational Health and Safety Committee and the Environmental Health and Safety Office of the Georgia Institute of Technology has approved Professor Eric Gaucher’s laboratory for Biosafety Level 1 Research.

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?

Our group has discussed the sharp learning curve associated with the first year of a team’s experience with iGEM. Although our institution offered, and we all attended, a biological laboratory safety class, there were many things we learned along the way, specific to research performed in the bacterial genetic engineering laboratory. We would propose a collaboration of iGEM members to produce an online, visual, one-hour introductory course on the basic biosafety issues that could arise during the iGEM research process.

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