Introduction
Security is an important aspect of the BIT team's experiments. This part describes the security of our project. It mainly includes the safety issues in the process of making this project, as well as some precautions for the use of our products. In addition, security is the way you protect your own safety and the safety of other personnel to avoid any injuries that may occur. And that goal will be meaningless if we do not adequately ensure the safety of the solution itself and our communities. As with any medical intervention, the first principle must always be to do no harm. Therefore, we strive to consider all aspects of the safety of our future products, as well as our practices in the workplace.
Project design safety
The reaction process of our project is that miRNA triggers the HCR reaction to cascade multiple stem-loops, and its product can trigger the CRISPR reaction, that is, fluorescence is generated after crRNA cleavage. The biological components involved in the experiment include H1, H2, H3, and other different probes, miRNA, crRNA, etc. Therefore, no biological components or microorganisms harmful to humans or the environment are involved in the experiment.
According to the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual, the risk involved in our experiment is Level I (no or very low risk), so we only need to conduct it on the open platform of the Level I biosafety laboratory.
Laboratory safety
All laboratories in China must be recognized by the Office of the Ministry of Environment in accordance with the requirements of the standard LST EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018. Team members must follow all necessary safety protocols before switching between laboratories. Before entering the laboratory, each team member needs to be familiar with the experimental manual in advance, and there will also be training on experimental safety, including but not limited to:
•Use laboratory equipment and devices correctly, pay attention to the operation of large equipment, learn the instructions in advance and pay attention to electrical safety, and turn off the power when not in use.
•Take necessary measures to prevent any fire hazard, including implementing official instructions in case of fire.
•Follow strict hygiene regulations (for example, there shall be no food or drink in the laboratory, long hair must be tied behind, any type of work to ensure proper ventilation of the laboratory space, etc.).
•Dispose of biohazardous materials under the control and supervision of trained staff.
•Steps to be taken and personnel to be contacted in case of biohazard material spillage and(or) human contact.
•Properly handle and store hazardous and(or) flammable materials.
•Do not dispose of waste randomly, put waste in special containers, and the waste disposal must comply with relevant regulations.
•Pay attention to the disinfection of the test bench and experimental equipment, and the equipment in contact with biological materials shall be autoclaved.
Besides, the students doing the experiment will wear lab coats and masks strictly in the laboratory. During the actual experiment of the whole project, BIT team members received relevant training from laboratory teachers. In addition, the team members who carried out the relevant experiment for the first time experimented under supervision, and they were allowed to complete the experiment independently until the supervisors believed that they had the required quality.
The equipment used in the actual project process includes thermostats, centrifuges, electrophoresis apparatus, microplate reader, etc., which are commonly used experimental equipment. And the experiment does not involve the use of special equipment or special chemicals, so it is necessary to pay attention to the more general laboratory safety during the experiment.
Our experiment team strictly abides by the following experiment manuals or regulations throughout the experiment:
WHO, Laboratory Biosafety Manual（2004）
https://wenku.baidu.com/view/3f946f5b31687e21af45b307e87101f69e31fba9.html?fr=aladdin664466&ind=1
Classified Catalogue of Medical Wastes in China (October 10, 2003)
https://wenku.baidu.com/view/ba9b15f77c1cfad6195fa770.html
Standard for special packaging bags, containers, and warning symbols for medical wastes (November 20, 2003)
http://www.mee.gov.cn/gkml/zj/wj/200910/t20091022_172239.htm
Administrative Punishment Measures for Medical Waste Management (2004-05-27)
http://www.mee.gov.cn/gkml/zj/jl/200910/t20091022_171825.htm
Ethical issues in the medical laboratory
In fluorescence detection, if the intensity of visible light in the surrounding environment is too strong, the high sensitivity of fluorescence may not be reflected, which is prone to the risk of inaccurate evaluation. Our numerical results will be combined with the subjective feelings of patients to assist doctors in diagnosis.
Hardware safety
Every time we do hardware experiments, we will pay attention to the following conditions to ensure the safety of our personnel:
• Ensure the sealing effect, prevent fluorescence leakage, and avoid discomfort to people's eyes.
• The temperature control circuit board has a certain life, which can be used about 100,000 times generally. To ensure the normal use of the system, it should be replaced in time after a long time of use.
• Check the switch surface and edge of the temperature controller for obvious damage and exposed wires before use.
• The temperature controller will generate a certain amount of heat under the working condition, so the instrument shall be kept away from other heat sources and combustible substances during use.