Tradeline, Inc. filters and categorizes new-construction and industry news from regional and professional journals across the country. Here you will find new projects, products, and regulatory updates.
Industry News
SAFC Pharma Opens BSL-2 Facility
SAFC Pharma completed the expansion of its $12 million contract manufacturing facility in October of 2009. Located in Carlsbad, Calif., the BSL-2 project features two fully segregated viral product manufacturing suites. Utilizing disposable bioreactor technologies, the expansion will enable SAFC Pharma to produce biologics, viral vaccines, and gene therapies in commercial-scale quantities. The facility includes dedicated cell expansion, bioreactor production, purification, and cleanroom suites. The project added 8,000-sf to the existing 44,000-sf building.
Purdue University Dedicates Structural Biology Building
Purdue University dedicated the $33 million Wayne T. and Mary T. Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology in October of 2009 in West Lafayette, Ind. The 65,690-sf facility will enable researchers to develop innovative vaccines and disease treatments. Housing the Markey Center for Structural Biology, the building includes eight specialized labs, eight general labs, offices, and conference rooms. The facility provides suites for NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, as well as a biocontainment laboratory.
NRC Releases Report on Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins
The National Research Council released a report in late September of 2009 entitled ‘Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins’. The report recommends the grading of microorganisms and toxins according to their potential risk and developing a culture of trust and responsibility within research laboratories. For more information, visit the National Academies Press to read the report.
Biosafety Task Force Issues Report on Biocontainment Training and Safety
The Trans-Federal Task Force on Optimizing Biosafety and Biocontainment Oversight issued a report in September of 2009 recommeding mandatory biosafety training for workers in biocontainment laboratories. The report also details a system of credentials for lab personnel and suggests that oversight of biosafety protocol should be managed by a single federal organization.
CDC Plans 11th International Symposium on Biosafety
The Office of Health and Safety of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently planning the 11th International Symposium on Biosafety to be held in Atlanta on January 23-27, 2010. The focus of the symposium is “Management Challenges for Safe Operation of BSL3/ABSL3 Facilities.” In addition to the symposium, there will be two days of pre-conference courses.