Biocontainment

The Department of Defense has awarded The Christman Co. a $12.5 million contract to build the Hazardous Materials Response Facility on the Pentagon Reservation in Arlington, Va. Designed by Lord, Aeck, and Sargent, the 28,000-sf facility will house a BSL-3 laboratory, offices, and equipment for responding to biological threats. Construction will begin on the project in spring of 2009 with completion slated for summer of 2011.

The National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program will offer biosafety training in Kent State University’s Cunningham Hall in Ohio. Providing education for professionals working in BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories, the facility is the second location in the country to provide training in high level biocontainment operations.

Georgia Southern University is constructing the Public Health Core Research Lab in Statesboro. Part of the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, the facility is comprised of two BSL-3 research labs, two teaching labs, and two chemistry labs. Completion is expected in 2010.

The Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health is initiating a $16.5 million expansion and renovation of its Winnipeg research facility. Designed by Smith Carter and built by PCL Constructors, the project includes a 1,600-sm, three-story laboratory addition and infrastructure upgrades to the National Microbiology Laboratory and the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease. Completion is expected by March of 2011.

The Haffkine Institute is installing a pre-fabricated BSL-3 laboratory in Parel, Mumbai. Created by M+W Zander, the facility will support infectious disease testing for HINI, avian influenza, and other zoonotic agents. The laboratory will include biosafety cabinets, advanced air filtration, and a dedicated effluent decontamination system.

SAFC Pharma completed the expansion of its $12 million contract manufacturing facility in October of 2009. Located in Carlsbad, Calif., the BSL-2 project features two fully segregated viral product manufacturing suites. Utilizing disposable bioreactor technologies, the expansion will enable SAFC Pharma to produce biologics, viral vaccines, and gene therapies in commercial-scale quantities. The facility includes dedicated cell expansion, bioreactor production, purification, and cleanroom suites. The project added 8,000-sf to the existing 44,000-sf building.

Purdue University dedicated the $33 million Wayne T. and Mary T. Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology in October of 2009 in West Lafayette, Ind. The 65,690-sf facility will enable researchers to develop innovative vaccines and disease treatments. Housing the Markey Center for Structural Biology, the building includes eight specialized labs, eight general labs, offices, and conference rooms. The facility provides suites for NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, as well as a biocontainment laboratory.

The National Research Council released a report in late September of 2009 entitled ‘Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins’. The report recommends the grading of microorganisms and toxins according to their potential risk and developing a culture of trust and responsibility within research laboratories. For more information, visit the National Academies Press to read the report.

The Trans-Federal Task Force on Optimizing Biosafety and Biocontainment Oversight issued a report in September of 2009 recommeding mandatory biosafety training for workers in biocontainment laboratories. The report also details a system of credentials for lab personnel and suggests that oversight of biosafety protocol should be managed by a single federal organization.

The Office of Health and Safety of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently planning the 11th International Symposium on Biosafety to be held in Atlanta on January 23-27, 2010. The focus of the symposium is “Management Challenges for Safe Operation of BSL3/ABSL3 Facilities.” In addition to the symposium, there will be two days of pre-conference courses.

Aushon BioSystems opened its renovated headquarters and laboratory facility in Billerica, Mass., in September of 2009. Housing an expanded laboratory and manufacturing center with increased automation for improved performance, the facility will support Aushon's multiplex immunoassay manufacturing operations as well as testing and development services. The CLIA-certified laboratories include cleanrooms, cold rooms, and a BSL-2 facility.

Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, proposed the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Prevention and Preparedness Act in September of 2009. The bill would restructure the Select Agent Program by creating a tiered system to enhance security requirements for more dangerous pathogens and lessen controls on others.

Brock University broke ground in September of 2009 on the $111 million Niagara Health and Bioscience Research Complex in St. Catherines, Ontario. The 169,000-sf project will house Canada's only research-dedicated CL3 biocontainment facility. Designed by architectsAlliance in association with Payette, the complex is being built by EllisDon with Crossey Engineering as electrical and mechanical consultant, MHPM as project manager, and Halsall Associates as LEED consultant.

The Institute of Animal Health is planning a £100 million redevelopment of its animal disease research laboratories in Pirbright in the United Kingdom. Supporting research on emerging, existing, and vector-borne infectious diseases in animal and human populations, the project is slated for completion in 2013.

The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) broke ground in late August of 2009 on a $680 million headquarters and biocontainment laboratory in Frederick, Md. Located at Fort Detrick, the BSL-4 facility will support research on infectious diseases and pathogens. Occupancy is expected in May of 2014. The five-story, 800,000-sf facility will house up to 952 researchers, administrators, and technicians.