IGEM

As outstanding progress has been made after all these years in the field of synthetic biology, an increasing number of scientists have been devoted to the creation of artificial bio-system even a life. While just like every coin owning two sides, this novel technique could also bring calamity if it were mis-used or beyond control. As iGEMers, it is our duty to reflect more about the safety to ensure the potential negative influence would hardly hinder human’s daily life and jeopardize environment.

Potential Risks

To humans, as one species of symbiotic bacteria in human’s gut, if engineered Escherichia Coli enter the gut of the mankind due to the incorrect operation, the disorder of normal metabolism may get induced.

To the environment, the culture and some kind of reagents may cause contamination to water and soil. In addition, inserted genes may get leaked and insert into other creatures’ genome, which may cause unknown risks.

Our project contains a facilitating module in our project which makes use of CRISPRi system to repress certain gene. If this novel repression tools were mis-used by either evil individuals or criminal groups and were targeted on house-keeping genes of human, severe harm would been done to human’s prosperity.

Safe Operations

All in all, it is necessary for us iGEMers participating in wet lab to receive special training over operation and basic information about the lab. Distinguished trainings were carried out every term in our experiment classes. Most operations of instruments, some kind of the dangerous included, have been taught during classes, and so does the usage of some kind of hazardous reagents such as EB. Moreover, waste disposal and protection wearing such as gloves and lab coats were introduced and required during the classes. Besides, some unknown molecular biological experiments were taught and trained by Instructors and Advisors. After safety lectures held by our Instructor, a test was arranged, and only those people who have surpassed certain score could gain access to the laboratory.

Here is the Link to its model page: Model Construction Page.