The Department of Homeland Security announced the finalists for the possible location of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in August of 2008. The five locations reported as finalists are:
Australia’s CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) opened its high-throughput diagnostic emergency response center in Geelong in July of 2008. The leading edge laboratory will provide rapid testing of samples for animal diseases such as foot and mouth or equine influenza. Providing a core diagnostic area, a test development and validation facility, and space for predictive biomodeling, the secure facility is able to perform serology tests on up to 10,000 samples per day in the event of an outbreak.
The Department of Health occupied its 5,285-sf BSL-3 laboratory in Washington, D.C., on May 29, 2008. Planning for the $9.6 million project began in 1999. The facility will support rapid identification of emerging disease agents and potential biological threats with the capacity to perform up to 30,000 tests per year.
The Hunan Provincial Government is partnering with Microbix Biosystems to construct an influenza vaccine manufacturing complex in the Hunan Liuyang Biomedical Industrial Park in China. The $200-million jointly-owned project, one of the largest flu vaccine production facilities worldwide, will be managed by Microbix and will utilize the company’s VIRUSMAX technology.
Tufts University is building the $25.9 million Regional Biocontainment Laboratory in North Grafton, Mass. Part of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the facility is funded in part by $19.35 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The 38,000-gsf facility is sited on 5.4 acres in the Grafton Science Park and will include 23,290-sf of mechanical and basement space.
Ark Therapeutics Group opened a $19.1 million GMP-3 manufacturing facility in Kuopio, Finland, in July of 2008. The commercial scale production plant is connected to Ark's existing laboratory suites and will manufacture gene-based medicines. The BSL-2 facility features a 547-sm cleanroom with HEPA air filtration. The duration of construction for the project was three years.
The University of Minnesota will construct a plant pathogen laboratory with greenhouses on its St. Paul campus. The project was approved by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in June of 2008 and will accommodate research on diseases such as the virulent stem rust Ug99. The secure facility will feature advanced air filtration and containment technologies.
The University of Alabama’s $64 million Science and Engineering Complex in Birmingham is slated for completion in July of 2009. Built by B.L. Harbert International, the three-story project is comprised of 235,000-sf teaching and research facilities, including a BSL-3 laboratory. Davis Architects of Birmingham are the project design consultants. The facility will house classrooms and laboratories for biology and chemistry and includes the expansion of an existing energy plant and relocation of cooling towers.
The Select Agent Program and Biosafety Program Improvement Act of 2008 (S 3127) was proposed by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Richard M. Burr in June of 2008 to reauthorize the Select Agent Program to improve oversight at biocontainment labs. The bill would update the list of regulated pathogens to include genetically engineered strains as well as setting safety and worker training standards.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia initiated construction in early summer of 2008 on a SR320 million National Health Laboratory in Riyadh. Slated for completion by year-end 2009, the 132,000-sm facility will be comprised of five towers and will support testing for diseases, blood, food, and medicines.
The University of Arkansas opened the $2.4 million Leland Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fayetteville on June 12, 2008. Housing disease testing for poultry, cows, horses, and other animals, the facility is operated jointly by the University’s Division of Agriculture and The Poultry Federation. The 7,365-sf diagnostic laboratory features a drive-through drop off window for poultry samples and a hydraulic lift for large animal transfer.
The District of Columbia opened the $8 million DOH Public Health Lab Annex in Washington’s DC Village in early June of 2008. The BSL-3 facility will provide testing and identification capabilities for infectious diseases and potential bioterror threats. The 5,200-sf laboratory was funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will begin testing operations in late summer of 2008.
Colorado State University’s $30 million Rocky Mountain Regional Biocontainment Laboratory received select agent research approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May of 2008. Sited on the Foothills Campus in Fort Collins, the 38,000-sf facility houses BSL-3 laboratories for infectious disease research. The laboratory features a $600,000 mass spectrometer, autoclaves, seven-layer epoxy floors, and rigorous HEPA air filtration.
Cornell University broke ground on the $80 million New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center in Ithaca in May of 2008. Slated for completion in late summer of 2010, the 126,000-gsf facility will house over 200 researchers, consolidating operations currently dispersed in 12 locations. The three-story building will house BSL-2 and BSL-3 labs, diagnostic labs, wet labs, and a state-of-the-art necropsy facility able to accommodate large animals.
The State of Utah broke ground on the 81,000-sf Unified State Lab in Taylorsville in May of 2008. The hazard preparedness facility will house laboratories for air, water and soil testing; infectious disease testing; chemical and bioterrorism preparedness; alcohol and drug testing; and toxicology. The $31 million secure facility features sophisticated HVAC systems and is slated to open in October of 2009. The project team includes VCBO Architecture, Smith Group, and Big-D Construction.
