Our team always puts the safety of team members, the public, and the environment first. We have comprehensively evaluated and developed security measures from three aspects: laboratory operation safety, environmental safety, and product safety.

Laboratory safety:
  1. Safety is the cornerstone of all our experimental design and operations. We conducted all experiments in the BSL-1 laboratory under the full guidance of experienced mentors.
  2. Before entering the laboratory, all members received systematic safety training, including laboratory layout, location of safety exits, and usage of emergency equipment (emergency shower devices, fire extinguishers, first aid kits). All laboratories have emergency contact numbers posted (including supervisors, laboratory managers, and hospital emergency numbers).
  3. We strictly wear lab coats, disposable gloves, and goggles as required when conducting any experiments. Wear chemical or biological laboratory uniforms or gloves, do not enter or exit non experimental areas, and do not touch public items (such as door handles and elevator buttons) while wearing laboratory gloves.
  4. It is strictly prohibited to store a large amount of hazardous chemicals and hazardous waste in the laboratory. Hazardous chemicals should be classified, partitioned, and stored separately according to their hazardous characteristics. Hazardous waste should be collected and stored separately. Mixing and collecting incompatible hazardous waste is strictly prohibited,
  5. Dispose of laboratory waste according to the prescribed methods, including the experimental bacteria used, ensuring thorough sterilization and unified disposal, and then send it to the designated location.
  6. When handling toxic or volatile reagents, they will be carried out in a fume hood and protective masks will be worn.
  7. It is prohibited to place products unrelated to the experiment in the laboratory, and eating and drinking water are also prohibited in the laboratory.
  8. Before leaving the laboratory, organize the laboratory supplies, clean the laboratory bench, and check if all instruments and equipment are turned off or in a safe working condition.
Product safety:
  1. Our main product of engineered plants is plant cuticle wax, especially ultra long chain alkanes. This is a pure natural compound that is widely present in the wax coating of most plants (such as apples, cabbage, blueberries). Wax itself is non-toxic and inert.
  2. The product we envision is mainly used in the field of industrial raw materials, such as bio based lubricants; Coatings and polishing agents; Biofuels; waterproof material
  3. The target wax product will be extracted and purified from plant materials. The final industrial product will be a pure compound, completely separated from any genetic material (DNA/RNA) or other cellular components, making it inherently safe for its intended use.
  4. If this technology needs to be scaled up in the future, we propose that it must be implemented in strictly controlled and enclosed agricultural systems, such as fully enclosed and monitored greenhouses, as well as vertical farms with indoor multi-layer planting systems isolated from the external environment. And we can also adopt geographical isolation to plant in areas where the wild relatives of the selected crops do not grow, in order to prevent cross pollination.
Environmental safety:
  1. All experiments involving genetically modified bacteria (Agrobacterium) and genetically modified plants are conducted in a controlled laboratory environment.
  2. Genetically modified plants are cultivated in dedicated plant incubators or enclosed greenhouse compartments, which are isolated from pollinators or other insects. The incubator is placed indoors, providing a solid physical barrier.
  3. We chose Nicotiana benthamiana as the chassis organism. It is a non edible research model plant, which greatly reduces its risk of accidentally entering the food chain.
  4. All experimental designs are ensured to be completed within the nutritional growth stage of plants. We will never allow experimental plants to bloom or bear seeds. All plant materials produced have been thoroughly destroyed through high-pressure sterilization and have never left the laboratory. This completely eliminates the risk of gene drift with wild relatives through pollen or seeds.
  5. Our modification is only intended to enhance the natural pathways (wax synthesis) present in the plant itself, and does not introduce novel metabolic pathways or traits that may give it a competitive advantage in the wild.
  6. After the project is completed, all surviving genetically modified plants and bacterial materials will be inactivated and subjected to high-pressure sterilization treatment. The incubator and all workbenches will be thoroughly disinfected. Unless for authorized and controlled follow-up research under supervision, all GMO materials will not be stored or taken away from the laboratory.