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Industry News
Department of Agriculture Completes Philippines Avian Influenza Diagnostic Labs
The Department of Agriculture, Region 7, completed construction of bird flu diagnostic laboratories in the Philippines in September of 2007. The Avian Influenza Diagnostic Laboratory in Cebu City, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga will be managed by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and will facilitate the detection of the AI-virus and provide immediate testing of both live and dead samples. The new diagnostic labs were funded from a grant from the Japanese Trust Fund and will comply with international biocontainment standards.
Senate Funds Maryland Biodefense Expansions
The U.S. Senate passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs 2008 spending bill in September of 2007. Providing over $963 million for military facility projects in Maryland, the bill will fund a two-stage expansion of the existing U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) laboratory. The completed $1-billion facility will be comprised of 1.1 million sf and will accommodate 1,300 employees. The first phase of the project will reach completion in 2012 with the second phase culminating in 2016.
University of Maryland Dedicates Bioscience Building
The University of Maryland, College Park dedicated the 134,000-gsf Bioscience Research Building on Sept. 18, 2007. The $69 million laboratory and teaching facility contains 35 labs and accommodates approximately 30 researchers in the disciplines of pathology, neuroscience, and genomics. The building also houses two BSL-3 containment labs and the Maryland Pathogen Research Institute for the study of infectious diseases. The project began construction in 2004.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Opens Microbial Sciences Building
The University of Wisconsin-Madison opened the 330,000-sf Microbial Sciences Building on Sept. 14, 2007. Housing the departments of Bacteriology, Food Microbiology & Toxicology, Medical Microbiology & Immunology, and the Food Research Institute, the six-story facility features two atria to foster interaction and collaboration among an estimated 500 researchers. Designed by Plunkett Raysich Architects in Milwaukee with support from CO Architects of Los Angeles, the facility was built by general contractor C.D.
CDC Power Outage Prompts Congressional Consideration of Biocontainment Security
The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing in early October of 2007 to evaluate the safety and security issues of biocontainment and infectious disease research facilities. Prompted in part by the June 15, 2007 power failure at the CDC’s new $214 million laboratory in Atlanta, the session will investigate recent releases and incidents at high containment sites.