From BSL-2Ag to BSL-4: Design and construction realities from VIDO's high-containment expansion

VIDO has recently completed a BSL-3Ag to BSL-4 conversion and is commissioning a new 43,000-square-foot BSL-2Ag multi-species animal facility — together establishing in vivo and in vitro capability across containment levels 2 through 4, a GMP-qualified vaccine development facility, and a permanent NHP colony. Cam Ewart shares the challenges, last-minute complications, and practical lessons learned from delivering both projects, offering ground-level insight for institutions navigating the design and construction demands of high-containment agricultural research facilities at the frontier of translational vaccine development.