Safety — The Bottom Line We Adhere To
Our project strictly complies with national and university regulations. All iGEM team members receive comprehensive training, and we eliminate any risk of exposure or leakage in the selection and handling of experimental materials. We collaborate with laboratory safety advisors to ensure that experiments are conducted safely under supervision. These measures provide a controlled and responsible environment for the implementation of our project to the greatest extent.
Safety Engineering System
In the engineering of this project, our technology simplifies antibiotic detection into quantifiable fluorescence signal intensity by constructing a "cell-free, lifeless, vector-free" in vitro system. This fundamentally eliminates the inherent biosafety concerns of traditional biosensors in one go: the system contains no live bacteria, viruses, or cells, completely preventing pathogen transmission and laboratory-acquired infections. The detection system consists of static oligonucleotides tens of bases long, which cannot replicate, transpose, or undergo horizontal transfer naturally, making it inherently immune to genetic escape and ecological pollution. Oligonucleotides degrade within hours in the environment, with no accumulation or selective pressure, causing zero interference to soil, water, or microbial communities.
Risk Identification and Control
Due to the use of a cell-free system, our project does not pose any biological risks. Nevertheless, we remain vigilant and are committed to identifying all potential risks throughout the project. We use antibiotics in the project, which may cause irritation or allergic reactions to operators. Waste liquid containing antibiotics that has not been properly inactivated, if directly poured into drains, could enter the water cycle and exert selective pressure on environmental microbial communities, potentially promoting the development of drug-resistant bacteria in the environment. Other potential risks arise from contact between operators and components such as aptamer DNA and enzymes. In response, we believe that strict laboratory safety precautions and proper handling of experimental waste liquid can successfully control project risks.
Biosafety and Chemical Safety Facilities
In this experiment, personnel must wear gloves and lab coats as required while conducting experiments. Experiments are carried out inside a fume hood or laminar flow cabinet, providing a safe and sterile working environment for laboratory personnel.
For fire safety, fire hydrants, fire extinguishers, fire doors, fire shutters, smoke alarms, and emergency lighting are uniformly installed in public areas on the floor. Firefighting equipment is within its validity period and ready for use at any time. Additionally, emergency showers, eyewash stations, and chemical shower rooms are set up in public areas.
Figure1. Fume Hood
Figure 2: Personal Protective Equipment
Figure 3: Fire Safety Facilities in Public Areas
Figure 4: Emergency Shower and Eyewash Facilities
Standard Operating Procedures
All experimental personnel must undergo training before experiments and be familiar with the standard rules and regulations of biochemical laboratories. During experiments, all operations were performed in inside a fume hood or laminar flow cabinet. Liquid waste (such as buffer solutions) must be disinfected by soaking in chlorine-containing disinfectant (effective chlorine concentration ≥1000 mg/L) for more than 1 hour before being discharged into the laboratory wastewater system.
Usage Safety
The biosensor system developed in this project consists only of oligonucleotide chains, containing no live bacteria, viruses, or cells, and is non-pathogenic. During use, there is no need to construct additional biological systems, making it convenient and efficient to use.
