Biocontainment

The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) opened its newly renovated BSL-4 laboratories in August of 2011 at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. Construction began on the project in 2007 with completion in spring of 2011. The facility includes a medical incinerator and contains animal housing for rodents and primates. The renovation supports improved safety and security protocols to promote accountability for samples of select agents and pathogens.

Aviagen opened a 15,000-sf veterinary diagnostic and research facility in June of 2011 in Elkmont, Ala. The BSL-2 facility will provide laboratory space for genomics, serology, bacteriology, pathology, tissue sample processing, and molecular diagnostics. The secure facility is an authorized National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Laboratory and includes dedicated ventilation systems in exam rooms to prevent cross-contamination. Aviagen is based in Huntsville, Ala.

The Federal Experts Security Advisory Panel (FESAP) has released its proposed recommendations regarding the biosecurity measures of the CDC/APHIS select agents program. The proposed changes will be published in fall of 2011. The recommendations include:

• Tier I select agents and toxins
• Agents and toxins to be removed from the select agents list
• Enhancing and strengthening the SRA process
• Enhancing and strengthening physical and cyber security
• Ongoing activities of the FESAP

The University of California, Los Angeles is building the $32 million Global Bio Lab. Supporting research on infectious diseases and pandemic response, the 6,000-sf facility will feature advanced sample processing and storage systems. The BSL-3 laboratory is located in the California NanoSystems Institute and is created in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Global Bio Lab is expected to be fully operational in fall of 2011. 

Wright Patterson Air Force Base has awarded Four Seasons Environmental Inc. a $39,000 contract for biosafety commissioning and inspection. The facility being commissioned is the epidemiology laboratory at the U.S. School of Aerospace Medicine. 

The University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory celebrated the completion of a $28.5 million expansion and renovation project in May of 2011. The 76,000-sf building includes research and diagnosis labs, a 3,000-sf necropsy suite, and administrative offices. The biocontainment facility features alkaline digestion for tissue disposal. Ground was broken on the project in September of 2008.

The University of California, Davis broke ground on the $58.5 million Veterinary Medicine Research Facility 3B on April 29, 2011. The four-story, 76,000-sf facility will support interdisciplinary research on human, animal, and environmental health issues. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. Completion is expected in December of 2012.

New York Medical College is constructing a biotechnology and medical training center in Valhalla, New York. The first phase of construction will cost $12.55 million and includes renovation of an existing 120,000-sf facility to house a clinical skills training laboratory. The building will also include the Hudson Valley Biotechnology Center for Disaster Medicine and Emerging Infections, a facility with simulation mannequins and live actors for disaster response training. Completion is expected in December of 2012.

BioScale has relocated its corporate headquarters to a newly renovated 30,000-sf facility in Lexington, Mass. The facility houses BSL-2 labs and a cleanroom for MEMs sensor manufacturing and assembly. BioScale is a life sciences company that provides tools for protein research.

The Central Public Health Reference Laboratory (CPHRL) opened in March of 2011 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Created in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, the $100 million facility will enable rapid infectious disease detection and epidemiological surveillance. The CPHRL will support human and animal health research with 27,000-sf of laboratory space.

The University of Pittsburgh will renovate existing space in Langley and Crawford Halls to establish a biocontainment laboratory suite for the biological sciences department. The $6 million project will provide BSL-2 and BSL-3 facilities. Completion is expected by late 2011.

The Avian Influenza Control Project will create a BSL-2 laboratory in Kathmandu, Nepal. Developed in partnership with the World Health Organization, the facility will support sample processing and monitoring of the avian influenza virus. The Nepalese government has also established a National Influenza Centre for sample testing with the support of WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opened its expanded Anchorage biosafety laboratory in January of 2011. Doubling existing lab space, the $2.3 million project included renovations of the existing facility to provide additional space for the detection and study of infectious disease agents and bioterrorism threats. The center will include biosafety cabinets with negative airflow and decontamination showers.

BIA Separations will open its 43,000-sf biochromatography headquarters in March of 2011 in Ajdovscina, Slovenia. The manufacturing and training facility will support production of fast monolithic chromatography columns, a technology for the separation and purification of large biomolecules. The project includes a BSL-2 lab. The sustainably designed facility includes a 50kW solar power plant and geothermal heating and cooling.

The University of South Alabama is planning to construct a microbiology research building in Mobile. The facility will provide BSL-2 and BSL-3 research laboratories for the study of select agents and pathogens. The construction manager for the project is SA Group. Occupancy is expected in 2013.