Safety

Our team took extensive considerations in safety, not only in the laboratory but also in surveys and educational initiatives.

Laboratory Work

While working in a level 1 biosafety lab, we made use of autoclave, sterilizing sprays and labwear (goggles, lab coat and gloves) to ensure that lab material both organic and inorganic would not escape to the outside environment. All cultured cells were treated with antibiotics to ensure that only desired strains were grown. Dh5-ɑ cells chosen for the experiment are classified as “This chemical is not considered hazardous by the 2012 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard" (Biolabs, 2022). Prior to laboratorial work, our team was given an induction on lab safety, additionally all our laboratorial work was supervised by one of our primary investigators. Additionally, the enzymes we chose were primarily from plant sources such as the common grape vine (Vitis vinifera) and the thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). The thale cress in particular has been used as a model organism by plant geneticists for decades meaning we could be confident in its safety as a source for the 4-coumarate:CoA ligase gene (Meinke et al.,1998). The only gene not from a plant source is the Rhodotorula glutinis tyrosine ammonia-lyase which is from a yeast species. However, even this organism is used frequently in laboratories for the purposes of producing carotenoids and lipids (kot et al.,2016).

Education

Because we were interacting with those below the age of 18, we took extensive precaution to ensure that our presentations were appropriate for our target audience. Prior to ever meeting, our team explicitly mentioned the GDPR rules and regulations. Upon entering an institution, we provided a list of members of our team who would attend to ensure that supervisors of the event were fully aware of who were attending. Over the course of both the “Independent Schools Foundation in Hong Kong” and “Southbank International School UK”, we had a combined five meetings with teachers to go over the content to make sure that it was safe and appropriate for students.

Surveys and Human Practices

As detailed in our Human Practices page, our human practices efforts complied with relevant ethics and safety standards. Prior to publishing our wiki, we obtained consent from those who we have reached out to. We asked whether the discussion outcomes that we have written are allowed to be published. Most fully agreed and were happy to contribute, some wanted a few details to be edited, and one wanted their contribution removed. We complied with what made them feel the most comfortable. As for the survey we conducted, which was to view the general public understanding of AD and outlook on synthetic biology, during the planning stage and right before distributing, we consulted with our institution's research and ethics facilitator. She advised us on how to comply with the U.K. 's GDPR and Data Protection Act as well as helping us collect data the most efficient way possible. Changes in questions were made and details such as participants' anonymity were made explicit to participants.

References

Biolabs, N. (2022). NEB® 5-alpha Competent E. coli (High Efficiency). Retrieved 10 October 2022, from https://www.neb.com/products/c2987-neb-5-alpha-competent-e-coli-high-efficiency#Quality,%20Safety%20&%20Legal_Safety%20Data%20Sheets

Kot, A. M., Błażejak, S., Kurcz, A., Gientka, I., & Kieliszek, M. (2016). Rhodotorula glutinis-potential source of lipids, carotenoids, and enzymes for use in industries. Applied microbiology and biotechnology, 100(14), 6103–6117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7611-8

Meinke, D. W., Cherry, J. M., Dean, C., Rounsley, S. D., & Koornneef, M. (1998). Arabidopsis thaliana: a model plant for genome analysis. Science (New York, N.Y.), 282(5389), 662–682. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.282.5389.662

Riche, D. M. et al.,(2013). Analysis of safety from a human clinical trial with pterostilbene. Journal of toxicology, 2013, 463595. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/463595