We are not directly using animal or human subjects for our project. However, our project is meant to impact patients in a surgical setting, as the removal and transportation of the graft from the bioreactor must be done without contamination. Graft production and transportation are done following the appropriate sterility protocol.

There are no dangerous chemicals used in any of our protocols. However, it is important that we handle the cells and collagen carefully, as they are subject to dying under compaction. This project does not require circuitry or high voltages. It is mostly focused on mechanical and mass transport design. Dangerous mechanical tools may include the dynastat machine which applies direct loads to the tissues placed in it. The load applied by this machine is typically very small, and it functions at a high frequency, but if this machine is mishandled it could be harmful to those using it or to the graft itself. Proper handling of biologics is related to the preparation of the collagen material as well as the handling of the bovine trabecular bone. In order to make sure we are able to prepare the graft correctly and handle this tissue safely, we have precise laboratory protocols associated with the preparation of our graft in the bioreactor.