Ben's lecture Flashcards
Were there any examples of leaks?
Anthrax leak in Russia, 1979
Foot and Mouth at the Pirbright in 2007
Smallpox keeps showing up
Rapidly draw the hierarchy at the UZH for biosafety
Researcher then PI, Biosafety Officer, and Institutional Biosafety Committee
Which offices rule over the UZH’s biosafety?
The AWEL, then the BAFU (FOEN, ECOGEN)
What’s the AWEL purpose?
Overseeing the lab infrastructure, and doing regular inspections.
What’s the BAFU’s purpose?
Federal office, overseeing everything biotechnology wise.
FOEN is part of BAFU. What exactly does it do?
Does everything related to laws and guidelines, then advises the cantons on how to enforce it on a federal level. They’re also the ones ruling the recommendations for safety regarding the GMOs.
Before commencing a new activity, what are the steps to do?
First, carry a risk assesment.
Then, apply the safety measures to protect humans, animals and environment.
Record all the relevant information.
Determine if this activity must be registered with the relevant authorities.
What parameters go into a risk assesment?
What the damage to people and environment would do
How easily transmissible the disease is
If any genetic material (modified) can be passed on and spilled through the environment
Assess the probability of the damage.
Risk assessment requires a bit of a classification… What is it?
You assign the organism to a group.
You assign the activity to a class.
Sometimes, pathogen classifications vary between countries. Why ?
Well, regarding climate and occurrence of the pathogens in the environment. It’s a bit moronic to put a pathogen in class 4 when you are more likely to catch it outside the lab than inside.
Why are certain cell lines classified in higher groups than group 1?
Well, primary cell lines can contain some weird stuff that is not necessarily evident. Also, some cells have some viral sequences like SV40 promoters etc… Therefore group 2. Other cell lines, like our dear MT4 cells, are virus producing cells. So.. Cat 3.
Groups are not always clear cut. There’s the group 3**. What does it mean?
It means it has a quite limited risk of infection for employees. For example, HIV: it’s not aerosol, if you’re good enough at not stabbing yourself regularly, it’s hard to infect yourself. Also, the availability of a vaccine or a treatment can influence that.
What are the main differences between BSLII and III?
The lab must be isolated. The room must be sealable. A specific ventilation system is in place (pressurize, HEPA filters, and controlled ventilation). The lab has an anteroom, with a shower. The lab has a specific sewage system. The lab has an autoclave.
What are the key differences between BSL3 and 4?
The airlock is the main one, with a shower.
The hoods can be class 3, or class 2 with the sealed respiratory equipment.
There is also need for monitoring equipment to be sure you’re not half dead on the ground for a few days.
What must you think about when you’re starting to work on a pathogen to assess its risk?
First of all, how pathogenic is it (specific dose to get sick)?
Then, evaluate the possible routes of transmission. How is it transmitted (aerosol?), is it stable in the environment, can it be transmitted by vectors present in the region, can it infect animals etc.
Also, have you modified it so it’s even more of a pain to work with?
Finally, is there availability of any treatments for the disease locally?
