Wet Lab Documentation
As we worked on project CyanoSpectre, Team SUNY_Oneonta documented our progress and procedures. Our team also participated in this year’s InterLab Study. The results of this work can be found on our Contribution page. Our protocols and transcripts of our documentation are linked below.
Safety
It was a priority for our team to conduct our work in a safe and responsible manner. To properly equip our team members for the project, each member completed CITI Responsible Conduct of Research training. Additionally, throughout each interaction with stakeholders the team asked for guidance on how to safely work with cyanobacteria and cyanophage. We sought advice on how to handle these organisms and how to mitigate any potential risk that may come from them, such as ensuring that reproductive/infection capabilities have been removed from our phage shell. Before beginning any work on our project, we submitted a check-in form to the iGEM safety committee about our project and have received their approval.
Our team followed the SUNY Oneonta Chemical Hygiene Plan, which includes waste management protocols. All chemicals and potentially toxic materials were disposed of as toxic waste. Any cultures of E. coli or other biohazard organisms were neutralized prior to disposal as biohazard waste. The team has access to labs that have open benches and a biosafety cabinet that are regularly cleaned before and after use with 70% ethanol, to prevent contamination or spread of any materials used. Additional advice received from stakeholders identified the sensitivity of cyanobacterial growth to outside elements. When the team approaches this portion of the project, sanitation of instruments and spaces will continue to be carried out in accordance with their advice.
The cyanophage we intended to use had not been used by previous iGEM teams. We therefore consulted with the Safety Committee prior to beginning any of the design work on our phagemid to check for any potential hazards that we might be unaware of. We were informed that the Safety Committee did not see any excessive hazards and received their approval for our planned project. The complete record of our work in this area is explained on our Human Practices page.
