Difference between revisions of "Team:Sydney Australia/Safety"
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<center><h1>Safety Design</h1></center> | <center><h1>Safety Design</h1></center> | ||
| − | < | + | <h4>Issue: Mouse Convulsion Testing</h4> |
| + | <h4>Solution: Assays using human tissue culture / ELISA assays</h4> | ||
| + | <p>In testing whether our insulin produced was the correct structure and functioned in the correct way, we decided to avoid performing a mouse convulsion test which is the standard method used. In order to avoid the ethical issues surrounding induced murine fatality, we decided to test our insulin using an ELISA assay with an antibody specific to human insulin. This would determine whether our proinsulin had the correct three-dimensional structure. </p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <p>As our single chain insulin will have a different structure, we do not expect it to interact with an insulin specific antibody. We will further test our insulin performing assays on human tissue culture – adipocyte tissue and/or pancreatic tissue. These assays were performed alongside insulin manufactured from different pharmaceutical companies to compare the response. These two assays will prevent the need to use live biological organisms. Importantly, using human cell lines will allow us to determine directly whether our single-chain insulin and proinsulin interacts with the correct insulin receptor in stimulating the correct response. An adipocyte assay will thus provide us with the same results as a mouse convulsion test without the same ethical issues. | ||
| + | </p> | ||
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<center><h1 class="tag-title">Safety In the Lab</h1></center> | <center><h1 class="tag-title">Safety In the Lab</h1></center> | ||
| + | <h4>Issue: insulin can cause fatality when injected</h4> | ||
| + | <h4>Solution: prevent handling of any needles and handling of small amounts</h4> | ||
| + | <p>As insulin can actually cause fatality in humans, when administered to the body, we decided to avoid the potential of injecting insulin by avoiding needles completely in all of our assays. Our insulin was kept in culture for the majority of the time and when purified, was stored in sealed bottles All sharps were removed from the area in which we handled insulin. | ||
| + | </p> | ||
| + | <p>As insulin is primarily lethal in high doses, we also minimised the handling of large amounts of insulin. However, as our project is focused on optimising the production of insulin, our initial assays before transferring to large scale fermentation involved small media cultures. This ensured that we were not handling dangerous levels of insulins at any point in time until our project design was validated. </p> | ||
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Revision as of 05:37, 18 October 2017
Safety Design
Issue: Mouse Convulsion Testing
Solution: Assays using human tissue culture / ELISA assays
In testing whether our insulin produced was the correct structure and functioned in the correct way, we decided to avoid performing a mouse convulsion test which is the standard method used. In order to avoid the ethical issues surrounding induced murine fatality, we decided to test our insulin using an ELISA assay with an antibody specific to human insulin. This would determine whether our proinsulin had the correct three-dimensional structure.
As our single chain insulin will have a different structure, we do not expect it to interact with an insulin specific antibody. We will further test our insulin performing assays on human tissue culture – adipocyte tissue and/or pancreatic tissue. These assays were performed alongside insulin manufactured from different pharmaceutical companies to compare the response. These two assays will prevent the need to use live biological organisms. Importantly, using human cell lines will allow us to determine directly whether our single-chain insulin and proinsulin interacts with the correct insulin receptor in stimulating the correct response. An adipocyte assay will thus provide us with the same results as a mouse convulsion test without the same ethical issues.
Safety Shipping
Safety In the Lab
Issue: insulin can cause fatality when injected
Solution: prevent handling of any needles and handling of small amounts
As insulin can actually cause fatality in humans, when administered to the body, we decided to avoid the potential of injecting insulin by avoiding needles completely in all of our assays. Our insulin was kept in culture for the majority of the time and when purified, was stored in sealed bottles All sharps were removed from the area in which we handled insulin.
As insulin is primarily lethal in high doses, we also minimised the handling of large amounts of insulin. However, as our project is focused on optimising the production of insulin, our initial assays before transferring to large scale fermentation involved small media cultures. This ensured that we were not handling dangerous levels of insulins at any point in time until our project design was validated.
