Safety

At AIS-China 2025, ensuring the safety of both our team members and the wider community is a top priority. Our project—HullGuard, which aims to develop an eco-friendly antifouling solution using synthetic biology—was designed and carried out under strict biosafety and ethical standards. We follow international guidelines (iGEM Safety and Security Policy, WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual) and local regulations, ensuring that all procedures minimize risks to human health, the environment, and society. In addition, we released a series of laboratory-safety outreach videos on our WeChat Channels to reinforce best practices among students and the public.

At the beginning of our design phase, we discussed whether the antifouling coating should directly contain engineered E. coli (BL21/DH5α) capable of continuously producing Zosteric Acid (ZA). Although this approach might provide sustained ZA release, we ultimately decided against it due to several safety and regulatory concerns:

1. Environmental escape: Even Risk Group 1 laboratory strains (E. coli DH5α and BL21) are not naturally present in marine ecosystems. If unintentionally released, they could persist or interfere with native microbial communities.

2. Unpredictable survival: Engineered E. coli may acquire genetic material from the environment or adapt in unintended ways, making biocontainment strategies (such as kill switches) insufficient for open-sea applications.

3. Regulatory limitations: The deliberate release of genetically modified E. coli into natural environments is highly restricted under international biosafety frameworks, making this option impractical for real-world deployment.

For these reasons, we chose to use purified ZA as the final active ingredient in the antifouling coating, while restricting E. coli (BL21 and DH5α) for lab-scale production only under controlled BSL-1 conditions. This decision ensures environmental safety, regulatory compliance, and long-term sustainability.

In addition, to better mimic natural marine conditions, we used Vibrio natriegens ATCC 14048 as a model organism for biofilm formation experiments. V. natriegens is a fast-growing marine bacterium, also classified as Risk Group 1, and it is increasingly used in synthetic biology research as a safe alternative host. Its use in our project was strictly limited to laboratory settings, with no environmental release.

These strains are internationally recognized as safe for laboratory use and pose minimal risk to human health or the environment. Our project does not involve any pathogenic organisms, toxins, or antibiotic resistance genes that would increase biosafety risks.

All experiments were conducted under Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1) conditions. Before entering the laboratory, every team member completed formal lab safety training, which included:

1. Correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE: gloves, lab coats, goggles).

2. Standard operating procedures for handling Risk Group 1 organisms.

3. Proper waste management (segregation, sterilization, autoclaving, and compliant disposal).

The training ensured that all team members were familiar with both the theory and practice of laboratory biosafety. Additionally, we conducted practical safety drills, including mock spill clean-ups and emergency evacuation exercises, to prepare team members for unexpected situations.