Tufts University School of Medicine will begin construction in fall of 2012 on the 1,700-sf Arnold 8 Biosafety Laboratory. The BSL-3 facility will be located in the Biomedical Research and Public Health Building in Boston and will support interdisciplinary research on tuberculosis. The estimated cost of construction is $3.5 million. Completion is expected in 2013.
The Department of Defense is expanding its biocontainment laboratory at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. A 41,000-sf addition to the 33,150-sf Lothar Salomon Life Sciences Test Facility will provide BSL-3 lab space for the development of threat mitigation technologies for biological weapons and infectious disease agents. The expansion will also provide administrative space and a conference room. The general contractor for the $22.6 million project is Big-D Construction of Salt Lake City.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has awarded three contracts for the creation of pandemic influenza vaccines and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures for national emergency preparedness.
The Department of Health is building the $218 million Consolidated Forensic Laboratory in Washington, D.C. The eight-story building includes two floors below grade and features a BSL-3 laboratory and a forensic biology research suite. The project team includes general contractor Whiting Turner, construction manager Jacobs Engineering, design architect HOK, and Vanderweil Engineers.
Southern Research Institute announced in May of 2012 that it will collaborate with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to develop and validate a high-volume, high-throughput screening platform within BSL-4 containment space at Galveston National Lab. High-throughput screening (HTS) involves the process of rapidly screening and testing large numbers of different chemical compounds against select disease targets.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is building the J.C. Wilt Infectious Diseases Research Centre in Winnipeg. Designed by Smith Carter Architects and Engineers and built by PCL Constructors Canada, the $42 million project includes renovation of an existing structure to provide BSL-2 research space for the adjacent National Microbiology Laboratory. The construction cost of the facility is $23 million. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. Occupancy is expected by February of 2013.
Virginia Tech opened the $105 million Infectious Disease Research Facility at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg in November of 2011. Construction began on the 16,000-sf BSL-2 facility in August of 2010. Also under construction is the $14.1 million, 33,000-sf Veterinary Medicine Instructional Addition. Work began on the building in July of 2011 and occupancy is expected in August of 2012. The facility will house faculty offices, teaching labs, and flexible instructional space.
The Institute for Animal Health will invest $126 million to build additional biocontainment laboratories in Pirbright in the United Kingdom. The project will support research in infectious diseases affecting poultry and livestock and will promote the development of diagnostic tools and vaccines. Occupancy is expected in 2016. The project represents a second phase of development at the Pirbright campus in addition to a $157 million biocontainment lab currently under construction and slated for occupancy in early 2014.
CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) opened the Collaborative Biosecurity Research Facility in November of 2011. Located at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, Victoria, the facility houses biocontainment research space for the study of infectious diseases and pathogens. The CBRF includes PC3 and PC4 laboratories, a dedicated training area, large and small animal suites, an insectary, and advanced microscopy equipment. The construction of the facility was supported by $8.5 million from the Australian government.
Primus Solutions has been awarded a contract to provide facility operations and maintenance support services to the Department of Homeland Security at Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Orient Point, N.Y. The contract, which has one base year plus four one-year options, is valued at $85 million.
The Institute of Animal Health celebrated the topping out of its £100 million biocontainment laboratory in Pirbright, U.K. Housing over 150 investigators and support staff, the facility will support research on emerging, existing, and vector-borne infectious diseases in animal and human populations. The general contractor for the project is Shepherd Construction. Occupancy is expected in 2014.
The University of Saskatchewan opened the $140 million International Vaccine Center (InterVac) in Saskatoon in September of 2011. Designed by Smith Carter of Winnipeg, the 145,000-sf facility houses BSL-3 containment laboratories for infectious disease and vaccine research. Commissioning is expected to reach completion within five months and occupancy is expected in spring of 2012. InterVac will support research on pathogens including avian flu, SARS, West Nile virus, bovine tuberculosis, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
NanoViricides is expanding in West Haven, Conn., with the acquisition of an 18,000-sf facility. The building will house laboratories and a cGMP pilot plant for production of nanoviricide pharmaceutical candidates for clinical trials. NanoViricides is engaged in creating anti-viral drugs for H1N1, H5N1, seasonal influenza, hepatitis, rabies, Dengue fever, and Ebola.
Fraunhofer USA's Center for Molecular Biotechnology was awarded $1.5 million in September of 2011 by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Fraunhofer will provide the United States government with a sustainable source of reagents for advancing critical research aimed at developing countermeasures to combat potentially devastating biological pathogens. These reagents will also be valuable for surveillance and diagnostic purposes.
Methodist Hospital Research Institute will complete construction of a BSL-4 imaging suite in its Houston facility in August of 2011. The $8.6 million project was created in partnership with Philips Healthcare and will enable patients with highly infectious diseases to be imaged in a contained environment. The suite includes an MRI, a PET/CT scanner, and a SPECT/CT scanner. The equipment will be located in airtight compartments to prevent the spread of pathogens.
