Biocontainment

Thermo Fisher Scientific is expanding its manufacturing capabilities in Shanghai, China, to include the 1300 Series A2 biological safety cabinets. Designed to meet the needs of the Chinese market, this local manufacturing will ensure rapid availability of Thermo Scientific biological safety cabinets to regional laboratories. Designed for superior safety, comfort, and energy efficiency, the 1300 Series A2 biological safety cabinet uses DC motor technology to reduce operating costs as much as 75 percent compared to traditional biological safety cabinets.

AALAS has created a free comparison table for the 1996 vs. the 2010 Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The guide is available online as a download from AALAS. These changes will be explored in detail at a Tradeline pre-conference workshop on November 7, 2010.

The University of Texas Medical Branch began research operations at Galveston National Laboratory in August of 2010. The 186,276-sf biocontainment lab provides 14,000 sf of BSL-4 space and 29,000 sf of BSL-3 space. Supporting research on infectious diseases and select agents, the $174 million facility also houses the National Biocontainment Training Center. Design work began on the project in September of 2003 and the facility was dedicated in November of 2008.

Stony Brook University will construct an ABSL-3 research facility at the Health Sciences Center in Stony Brook, N.Y. Supported by $14.1 million in federal stimulus funding, the 16,140-sf facility will have a small animal suite, an insectary, and an imaging suite with an adjacent room for work with large animals. Accommodating research with select agents, the facility will include Class II biosafety cabinets, a pass-through cold room, cage and rack washers, ventilated animal housing equipment, and a pass-through autoclave.

Emory University will construct an ABSL-3 facility at Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta. Supporting research on infectious diseases and transplant medicine, the project will include secure laboratories and nonhuman primate housing. Featuring specialized housing facilities for immunocompromised animals, the project will include separate air handling systems for the transplant medicine and ABSL3 areas to eliminate the possibility of cross contamination. Construction of the facility is supported by $14.8 million in federal stimulus funding.

Medical University of South Carolina will renovate the second and third floors of its Basic Sciences Building in Charleston, S.C. Supported by $15 million in federal stimulus funding, the project will provide advanced laboratories for multidisciplinary research. A-13,700-sf area on the second floor will be renovated to provide labs for molecular therapy, biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, microbiology, and basic immunology. The third floor will provide 19,000 sf of pharmacology, drug discovery, and pharmacogenetics research space.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s Center for Molecular Medicine will open in September of 2010. Designed by Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, the $77 million facility will house research laboratories, containment suites, offices, an auditorium, and a vivarium for 40,000 mice. Ground was broken on the 116,500-sf project in March 2007. The facility will accommodate research in microbiology, pharmacology, and physiology.

President Barack Obama issued an executive order in July of 2010 requiring federal agencies to institute changes in the current implementation of the Select Agent Program and Regulations. The order directs federal agencies to take actions to improve the overall coordination, consolidation, and oversight of select agents and toxins (SAT).

Telstar, a Barcelona-based company that specializes in biological systems protection and air flow control technologies, has developed a biosafety cabinet for the handling and processing of nanoparticles. The CytoUltra safety cabinet has been verified as 100 percent effective as part of the European NanoSost project. The containment technology gives total protection to the operator when handling NaCl nanoparticles (sodium chloride) for biomedical and technological applications.

Washington State University broke ground on the $35 million School for Global Animal Health on June 25, 2010. The 62,000-sf facility is sited adjacent to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman. Housing research laboratories for the study of zoonotic diseases, emerging pathogen detection, and vaccine development, the three-story project is slated for completion in spring of 2012. The project team includes Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects and Bouten Construction Company.

The Interim Central Reference Laboratory opened its BSL-3 facility in Odessa, Ukraine, in June of 2010. Created in alliance with the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program, the biocontainment facility will enable scientists to secure and eliminate weapons of mass destruction in former Soviet states. The Interim Central Reference Laboratory will also support research on infectious diseases and pathogens. Other BSL-3 facilities are under construction in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

George Mason University dedicated its $42 million Biomedical Research Laboratory on June 11, 2010. Located on the Prince William campus in Manassas, Va., the facility is one of 13 Regional Biocontainment Laboratories funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The 53,000-sf project houses 20,000 sf of laboratory space, including BSL-3 labs for biological threat and infectious disease research. The facility will be operated by George Mason University’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases (NCBID).

The University of Iowa is planning to construct a $1 million biocontainment training facility at the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. The learning laboratory will include a fully functional BSL-3 suite and instructional space. The State Hygienic Laboratory is located in the UI Research Park and was dedicated in May of 2010.

Colorado State University will build an imaging facility for the study of BSL-3 pathogens and select agents in Fort Collins. Located in the Judson M. Harper Research Complex, the facility will part of the Infectious Disease Research Center sited adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Regional Biocontainment Laboratory on the Foothills Campus. The project is supported by $6 million in federal stimulus funding and will support biomedical research using animal models. LEED certification will be sought for the facility.

The $55.5 million Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory opened in Regina on May 18, 2010. Located in the University of Regina’s Innovation Place research park, the secure facility provides CL3 laboratories for the study of infectious diseases. Designed by P3 Architects, the laboratory is constructed with robust HVAC systems, HEPA filtration, vibration isolation, and an effluent decontamination system. LEED certification will be sought for the laboratory, which features an advanced building envelope, automatic lighting, and rainwater harvesting.