At New York University Abu Dhabi we take safety very seriously in all areas but specifically in the lab and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic that we know all too well.
To gain access to the NYU Abu Dhabi campus, all students, faculty, and staff are required to complete a COVID-19 return-to-campus safety course to ensure that all community members understand and adhere to the protocols in place to make the campus a safe space during the pandemic. Students and the administration are very aware of the threat at hand, which is why everybody on campus has been vaccinated against the virus. Additionally, only authorized community members are allowed to access the campus until the Ministry of Education deems it is safe enough to open campus access. Everybody must be PCR tested regularly and show their ID and green pass at entry points. Masks are worn at all times in an effort to protect one another and social distancing measures such as reduction of classroom and lab capacities are in place. Although the pandemic has made regular procedures more challenging than usual, our team has learned to adjust and be grateful that we have been able to make so much progress.
Our team's wet lab was divided across two different parts of NYU Abu Dhabi's campus due to the spacial needs of the team. The biology team's lab was situated in the Biology Teaching Lab located in A5 (Social Science Building) while the engineering team worked in Dr. Rafael Song's lab located in the Experimental Research Building (ERB). Because the Biology Teaching Lab is in a building separate from the main labs in the ERB, the biology team worked only under the supervision of one of our primary instructors, Ibrahim Chehade, who was always there to ensure our safety.
Proof of Concept Experiment: Using a microneedle patch to extract Bd DNA from raw steak. Raw steak has been used due to the high incidence of E.coli on its surface. However, in order to ensure safety, lab members used steak that has been handled by following proper hygiene and animal handling Food Company protocol that ensures removal of E.Coli EHEC (0157:H7) strain.
Despite our project focus being on fungi, which would require a BSL-2 lab, because the lab available to NYU Abu Dhabi iGEM is BSL-1, our team made sure to work only with low-risk microbes that pose little threat of infection in a healthy individual. Our team devided that working with a nonpathogenic strain of *E.coli* would be a safe and reliable option for conducting all of our wet lab experiments.
On top of the COVID-19 Return-to-Campus training that all community members at NYU Abu Dhabi had to complete, students working in the labs took and passed three courses related to the spaces and equipment we used. Students were only allowed to begin work in the lab once they submitted their certificates of completion for all the courses.
The courses that the NYU Abu Dhabi iGEM students completed included:
Planning
Prior to the start of the experiment, lab members were introduced to what working materials are potentially hazardous. This was essential in order to be prepared for the possible events of danger. Lab was fully equipped with shower, eyewash, spill kit, first aid kit, fire extinguisher and alarm pulls.
Safety Rules
The safety rules listed below have been followed throughout the experiments.
Clearing surfaces after use
After the use of the lab, all benches have been cleaned with 70% ethanol and wipes. This ensured that any spilled chemicals were removed in order to reduce potential hazard and contamination of future experiments.
Proper Storage
All material have been labeled and stored accordingly in designated areas. This ensured easier use and safety of lab members who used the materials.
Amphibian/Pathogen Handling
When handling amphibians who may be potential carriers of the disease, it is crucial that individuals wear gloves and other necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) not only for the safety of the amphibians but for the safety of the individual as well. When moving onto another amphibian, it is vital that the individual removes and changes their gloves before handling to be sure that the pathogen is not transmitting from one amphibian to another by their means. Although it is not known that the Chytrid Fungus would spread by contact, all precautions should be taken, especially since we are dealing with wild animals in their natural habitat.
Disposal Protocol
Non hazardous material and equipment used was disposed in trash bin while any labaratory glassware has been disposed in disposal box (broken equipment has been disposed in sharps container). Lastly, chemical waste has been regulated by following Hazardous Waste Disposal Program and has been disposed in designated chemical waste bin.
How our device is safe to use:
User's safety is our priority. Therefore, when developing Chytritect we ensured that no hazardous material is in contact with the user and that disposal of waste is easy. Most importantly, use of Chytritect does not pose a threat to the environment nor the tested amphibians. This is because the diagnostic tool is based on simple and regularly used DNA extraction that has been recognized as a safe and environmentally friendly method.
