Safe Project Design

 

As our project include animals; safety is the main part of our experiments. We only use E. coli strain dH5a and BL21. (Risk Group 1) We don’t use organisms from Risk Group 3 or 4.

 

***Risk Group 1 (RG1): Agents that are not associated with disease in healthy adult humans. Examples of RG1 agents include asporogenic Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus licheniformis, Escherichia coli-K12, and adeno-associated virus (AAV) types 1 through 4.”

 

Behaviour Experiments

 

We're working with bee larvae. Since, they don't have stings, there is no risk for us to be injured. Moreover, varroa mites stick to male bees more than queen bees. Male bees don't have stings. By that, we prevent stings, too. Additionally, we shelter varroas on the bee larves and the bee larves on their hives for not damage their life cycles and living conditions.

 

We visited Angara Beekeeping School to talk with the owner Kursad Ceseroglu. We talked about varroa mites and collected some varroa samples. We wore beekeepers' outfit; a helmet and gloves etc. We educated about the life of varroas and how the beekeepers treat varroasis.

 

At the end of the circuit we did a kill switch design which is dependent to Arabinose for cell burst. In summary, the cell undergoes destruction and can not spread out the environment. We paid much attention to experimenters’ laboratory habits because they make a difference to biosafety around the labs.

 

Safe Shipment

 

We did all the procedures carefully so we didn’t face with unusual experiments, or face any unusual safety issues. We did our behaviour experiments more carefully. We wore gloves and we worked with varroas when we wore lab coats.

 

Department of Biological Sciences Biology, Molecular Biology and Genetic, Middle East Technical University is responsible from safety of biological labs and it is a member of National Biosafety Coordinating Committee. When we did experiments in lab Okan Can Arslan; who is research asisstant at METU and who is trained about bees; helped us. When we were in lab always our advisers and instructor are with us, too. Also, we completed all the safety forms.

 

Safe Lab Work

 

First of all, we’re aware that fire is the most common serious hazard that one faces in a typical laboratory and microorganisms.  While proper procedures and training can minimize the chances of an accidental fire, we should still be prepared to deal with a fire emergency should it occur. In dealing with a laboratory fire, all containers of infectious materials should be placed into autoclaves, incubators, refrigerators, or freezers for containment.Secondly, we always take cognizance of labeling everything clearly. All cultures, chemicals, disinfectants, and media should be clearly and securely labeled with their names and dates. If they are hazardous, we label them with proper warning and hazard information.

 

Many laboratory exercises involving bacteria require that all equipment be sterilized before use.  Sterilization is a method used to kill all bacteria on the equipment so that residual bacteria will not contaminate the sample we use in experiments. In addition, we have two primary methods of sterilization are to use chemicals, such as alcohol, or to use high heat, usually in an autoclave. We autoclave or disinfect all waste material. Also, our team members sterilized their hands, before all the experiments we did in lab while we are working high fire and E.coli.

 

In lab we take precautions in order to work safer. We work in a lab which has risk level 1 (low risk) and the organism E.Coli strain DH5. Open bench and laminar flow hood are our working areas in lab.

 

When using an autoclave, we’re sure to follow all instructions carefully since the steam is extremely hot and can cause severe burns. 

 

We balance a centrifuge load by distributing the samples evenly. Prevent exposure of workers to biohazardous. Centrifuge doors must be interlocked to prevent workers from coming into contact with spinning rotors. We never open the access cover  until the head has stopped.

 

We always clean the working areas with a 70% ethanol solution before and after an experiment. Also when proceeding an experiment we use lab coats, gloves and glasses.

All of the team members are trained about lab safety and handing of chemicals. We clean up spills with care. Cover any spills or broken culture tubes with a 70% ethanol or 10% bleach solution; then cover with paper towels.

 

The items sterilized at 103 kPa (15 psi) for 20 minutes at 121°C.  We separate the waste which we collect during experiments and throw it as 'medical waste' in order to prevent contamination. Bleach, if spilled, can ruin your clothing. Either alcohol or bleach can be dangerous if splashed in the eyes. We know where the nearest eyewash station and sink are located.