Biocontainment

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.

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.