Our team shares iGEM values and high standards for biosafety and security, and our project is in full compliance with all relevant safety rules and policies of the iGEM competition, our university and other authorities.

The team was included in the laboratories of Prof. Dr. Matthias Feige of the Technical University of Munich. We have received specialized training concerning laboratory work in biosafety level 1 (S1) environment and lab safety working with cell cultures. Our experiments follow previously tested protocols and are conducted only after proper communication with our supervisors. During the project, our team has only worked with white-listed cell lines and organism strains, including E. coli DH5-alpha and mammalian cells Expi293, ExpiCHO, HEK293T, COS7T. Biological materials and hazardous chemicals were exclusively handled in the specialized working areas with the appropriate safety equipment, for instance inside biosafety cabinets and chemical fume hoods. Most chemicals used in our projects did not require additional safety precautions, with the few exceptions of standard molecular biology lab hazardous materials like polyacrylamide, DNA stain, antibiotics, and high concentration acids and bases. We received guidance on decontamination and autoclaved all contaminated material, and made certain to safely dispose of our chemical waste products according to provided protocols.

We have also introduced risk management strategies minimizing the dangers posed by the human factor by strongly adhering to the lone worker or out of hours policies, requiring the use of personal protective equipment, and introducing physical access controls and medical reporting (for example concerning lab accidents or any infectious diseases like COVID-19).

We are informed on and adhered to all regulations concerning laboratory work in Germany and at TUM, particularly the guidance BGI 850-0, §14 of The Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV), and safety policies of the TUM Department of Chemistry concerning various additional topics such as chemical transportation or usage of glassware. We are also aware of emergency and safety contacts of our institution. In any situation that our project put us in involving a potential for a hazard or risk, we would immediately contact the safety officer of our laboratory, Anna Miesl. For further inquiries, we would contact the safety officer of our chemistry department, Dr. Raimund Marx.

A more detailed description of all safety aspects of our project can be found in the Safety Form.

All safety aspects of the possible implementation of our project are described on the Implementation page.