Team:RHIT/Safety

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  SAFETY
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This past January, the Rose-Hulman iGEM team moved to its new home: a brand new synthetic biology lab located on the campus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN. Our iGEM team takes safety very seriously. This new lab is equipped with various features that ensure the safety of team members and members of the surrounding community, and protect the quality of our laboratory research. Scroll through the pictures below to see our new lab!

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Our laboratory space is a level two facility. It has controlled access, a biohazard disposal bin, an autoclave, a fume hood, a biosafety cabinet, an eyewash and shower station, and a fire extinguisher and fire alarm. Each team member has received laboratory safety training through previous coursework, and safety training specific to procedures used for this project was received on an as-needed basis. All team members working in the lab are required to wear proper attire, including long pants, closed-toed shoes, sleeved shirts or laboratory coats, and safety glasses, gloves, and masks when appropriate. In addition, special attention is paid to maintaining aseptic technique to minimize contamination and safety concerns. All chemicals used in the lab are stored, handled, and used as recommended by the manufacturer, and are disposed of in accordance with national, state, and local regulations and recommendations.

The organisms used in our project, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (BY4741) and Escheria coli (JW2004-1 and NEB5α), are both labeled Risk Group 1 organisms by the World Health Organization in their Laboratory Biosafety Manual. This means that these organisms are low risk, and do not cause disease in healthy adult humans. All microbial strains used in the lab are either rendered antibiotic resistant by transformation, or they harbor nutritional auxotrophies or other mutations that mitigate the risk of growth outside of the laboratory or the ability of the organism to cause disease in healthy humans or animals.Furthermore, none of our recombinant constructs produce any known contagion or toxin.