Potent Bioactive Research Compounds

Videlock Laboratory · lab-specific standard operating procedure

This is a laboratory-written SOP, not a UCLA EH&S template. It is pending review with EH&S (laboratorysafety@ehs.ucla.edu) before being filed in the Chemical Hygiene Plan. The signed copy of record, with the PI approval and training signatures, is in the lab safety manual.

This SOP covers small-molecule research compounds that are active at nanomolar to low-micromolar concentrations but whose vendor GHS classification reflects only the limited data available — typically “irritant” or no classification at all. The absence of a hazard classification here means the testing was never done, not that the compound is safe. UCLA’s Novel Chemicals with Unknown Hazards SOP is the closest banded document and should be read alongside this one. Use is subject to pre-approval by the PI.

Materials covered

Hazard description

These compounds were selected for potency against a conserved eukaryotic target — the vacuolar ATPase, Rho kinase, γ-secretase, the mitochondrial proton gradient. The same target exists in the person handling them. Potency in cell culture is a direct indicator of hazard, independent of what the SDS says.

Almost all are supplied as a dry powder in milligram quantities and dissolved in DMSO. DMSO is the critical variable: it crosses intact skin readily and carries dissolved solutes with it, so a DMSO stock defeats the barrier that would otherwise protect you. A splash of a DMSO stock is a systemic exposure, not a skin exposure.

Milligram quantities of an electrostatic powder are easy to lose control of. Opening a vial outside containment can distribute compound across a balance, a bench and a set of gloves in one motion.

Personal protective equipment

Lab coat Gloves Eye protection
Traditional white lab coat, buttoned, sleeves down. Nitrile gloves, double-gloved for powder handling and for any work with DMSO stocks. Change the outer glove immediately on contact. ANSI Z87.1-compliant safety glasses; goggles when handling volumes that can splash.

Engineering controls, equipment and work practices

   
Powder handling Open vials and weigh powders only inside a fume hood or a ducted balance enclosure. Where possible, avoid weighing entirely — dissolve the whole vial by adding solvent directly to the container the vendor shipped, and work from that stock.
DMSO stocks Treat any DMSO stock as capable of delivering the compound systemically. Double-glove with nitrile, change the outer glove immediately on any contact, and keep stock tubes closed and in a rack. Do not carry open DMSO stocks across the lab.
Designated area Designate a section of one bench or hood for these compounds, mark it, and keep the work there. This limits the surfaces that need decontamination and keeps others from encountering the compound unknowingly.
New compounds Before bringing in a compound not listed above, check whether it has a mechanism of action likely to be conserved in humans, and add it to this SOP. Record the decision in the lab notebook.

Labeling and storage

Store powders and stocks at the vendor-specified temperature in a labelled secondary container. Label every aliquot with the compound name, solvent, concentration and date — an unlabelled tube of DMSO stock in a −80 °C box is a hazard to whoever finds it. Keep an inventory of stock aliquots.

Housekeeping

Spills. Powder: do not dry-sweep. Dampen with an appropriate solvent-wetted towel and wipe from the edge inward; bag as solid hazardous waste. DMSO stock: absorb immediately with a pad — DMSO spreads and continues to penetrate whatever it contacts, including some glove materials. Decontaminate the surface with 70% ethanol followed by detergent and water. Notify the PI. For anything beyond a small vial, call EH&S at (310) 825-9797; for a large spill, evacuate and call 9-1-1 from a campus phone or (310) 825-1491 from a cell phone.

Decontamination. Wipe contaminated surfaces with detergent and water unless specified otherwise above. Dispose of contaminated towels as solid hazardous waste.

Waste

Collect solid residues, contaminated tips, tubes, gloves and towels as solid hazardous waste. Collect DMSO stocks and treated culture media as liquid hazardous waste in a labelled container — do not drain-dispose treated media. Treated cells and media may also fall under the lab’s biohazardous waste procedures; where both apply, use the chemical waste stream.

Refer to the UCLA Chemical Hygiene Plan for general waste accumulation requirements.

First aid and emergencies

   
Skin contact with a DMSO stock Remove gloves and any contaminated clothing at once and wash the area with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes. Report it — this is a systemic exposure and should be assessed even if the skin looks normal.
Skin contact with powder Brush off gently without raising dust, then wash with soap and water for 15 minutes.
Eye contact Flush at an eyewash for 15 minutes and seek medical attention.
Inhalation Move to fresh air; seek medical attention if any symptoms develop.
Reporting Report every exposure to the PI and notify EH&S at (310) 825-9797. Bring the compound name and the SDS to any medical evaluation, and state plainly that toxicology data are limited.

Emergency: 9-1-1 from a campus phone, or (310) 825-1491 from a cell phone · UCLA EH&S: (310) 825-9797

Training

Everyone who works with these materials reads this SOP and signs the training record held in the lab safety manual.

← All procedures · Exposure · Spill · Waste