Team:The Webb Schools/Safety
Safety
General Safety
Our lab is classified as Biosafety
Level 1, which means that the laboratory uses microbes that pose little to no threat of infection in healthy
individuals. However, we followed strict laboratory rules. Like first, we should only use mechanical
pipetting equipment, and should never use a mouth to pipette it. Second, we should safely handle sharp
things like knives or something. Third, splashes and aerosols should be avoided. Fourth, we should make sure
to decontaminate the work surface after completing the work. Fifth, we should wash our hands after every
work. Finally, food and drink should not be allowed in the lab.
Besides, we use DH5alpha(a kind of
E.coli) as our engineering bacteria, which is quite safe. Throughout the experiment, we also have Ms.
Yangyang Kong is our instructor who trains us on how to operate the lab instruments, gives us instructions，
and oversees the whole experiment.
Specific safety
During the experiment, we choose to
extract plasmids from E.coli and edit them,
which makes the editing process more controllable and safe. It also lowers the effect of any accidental
leakage during the editing process. Besides, we use restriction enzymes like Sapi, Sami to help edit
plasmids, which are all enzymes that are within the safe amount and would not cause much harm to the human
body. Apart from this, the genes that we use during the editing process are efeB and amilGFP, which both are
harmless to the human body.
Product safety
Our product uses the gene-edited
E.coli to help produce the antioxidative enzyme to help treat depression. Since we use E.coli as our
engineering bacteria, which is a kind of bacteria that would not cause much harm to our body, there is no
need to worry about getting a disease after using our product. Apart from this, the fluorescent protein
expressed by amilGFP gene would cause almost no effect on the human body(except for some allergies), as well
as the antioxidative enzyme expressed by efeB gene. Thus, our product’s safety can be assured.