The United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) temporarily suspended research at its Fort Detrick laboratory in early 2009 to perform a select agent inventory assessment. The inventory review will involve locating every sample listed in the laboratory’s database. Animal care and crucial animal research will continue at the facility during the inventory process.
Pennsylvania State University is planning to construct a BSL-3 laboratory on its University Park campus. The 15,000-sf facility will support biodefense, agricultural, and zoonotic research, enabling the university to compete for federal funding supporting select agent and infectious disease research. Penn State operates an existing BSL-2 research laboratory.
The Allegheny County Health Department will open a $5.6 million biocontainment laboratory in Lawrenceville, Pa., in February of 2009. Part of the CDC’s Laboratory Response Network, the BSL-3 facility will support testing of specimens and samples that may contain infectious diseases or potential bioterrorism agents such as anthrax. The two-story laboratory is part of the Clack Health Center.
The Department of Homeland Security has selected Manhattan, Kansas, as the site for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. Located at Kansas State University (KSU), the $650 million, 500,000-sf laboratory will accommodate research on zoonotic and foreign animal diseases. The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility will be comprised of two laboratory buildings and four outbuildings. The main lab will provide BSL-2, BSL-3, BSL-3Ag, and BSL-4 space with the second lab building housing small-scale vaccine and reagent production.
DNAVision, an applied genetics and genomics services company, completed an expansion of its campus in Charleroi-Gosselies, Belgium, in January of 2009. Doubling laboratory and office space, the project added five new lab areas for cell culture and nucleic acid extraction. Supporting the company’s RNA- and DNA-based analytical techniques, the expansion will enable DNAVision to provide GMP certified assays. Additionally, subsidiary DNAVision AgriFood will relocate to a new facility in early 2009.
The Philippines' Department of Agriculture opened a P7-million avian influenza testing facility in Zamboanga City in December of 2008. The laboratory is a joint project of the Department of Agriculture and the Japanese government. Zamboanga Peninsula is in an area considered vulnerable among by the National Avian Influenza Task Force (NAITF) due to its proximity to Malaysia and Indonesia.
The British Columbia Agricultural Council completed a $14 million CL-3 testing laboratory at the Animal Health Centre in Abbotsford in December of 2008. The veterinary diagnostic laboratory will test animal samples for infectious diseases and features sophisticated air filtration, waste handling, and decontamination systems. Construction began on the project in December of 2006. Operations will begin at the new facility in early 2009 following commissioning by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Yale University’s new BSL-3 laboratory will open in early 2009. Located on the ninth floor of the School of Public Health building in New Haven, Conn., the facility will support animal and non-animal research on infectious diseases including West Nile Virus, SARS, Yellow Fever, and anthrax. The laboratory features a single-pass airflow system, waterproof ceilings, and completely sealed penetrations.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture broke ground on a new animal health diagnostic laboratory in December of 2008. The BSL-3 facility is located near the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg and will provide laboratories for animal disease testing and diagnosis. The project is part of the statewide Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission which includes the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg, the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Penn State University, and facilities at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.
The CDC’s Division of Select Agents and Toxins has awarded SRA International a $24.9 million contract to provide laboratory support services to the Select Agent Program. Awarded in September of 2008, the five-year contract is a recompete of work the company has supported since 2002 through the acquisition of Constella Group. Under the contract, SRA will continue to help CDC track the possession, use, and transfer of select agents in the U.S.
Tulane University opened its $27.5 million Regional Biosafety Laboratory at the National Primate Research Center on December 5, 2008. Located in Covington, La., the 38,000-sf BSL-3 facility supports research on infectious diseases and airborne contaminants. The laboratory will house approximately 180 monkeys when research operations begin in summer of 2009.
The University of Missouri-Columbia dedicated its $18 million Regional Biocontainment Laboratory on November 15, 2008. Located adjacent to the Veterinary Medicine Complex, the 23,000-gsf BSL-3 facility contains 9,768 sf of research space for the study of zoonotic pathogens and emerging infectious diseases. The project was designed by PGAV (Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets) with Merrick & Company as MEP/FP/biocontainment consultant and George Butler Associates as commissioning consultant.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center is constructing the $74 million Durham Research Center II in Omaha. Construction began on the 10-story, 252,179-gsf facility in August of 2006. Featuring 98 technology-rich laboratories, investigator offices, and lab support, the facility will connect to UNMC’s existing Durham Research Center via a covered parkway.
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) dedicated the $174 million Galveston National Laboratory on November 11, 2008. The 186,267-sf facility includes flexible BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories, clinical facilities, and research support space. The building houses the Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research. Project design began in September of 2003.
The Department of Homeland Security dedicated the $143 million National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., in October of 2008. The 160,000-sf facility will be operated by Battelle National Biodefense Institute. Housing 40,000-sf of BSL-3 research space and 10,000-sf of BSL-4 space, the facility will accommodate 140 scientists when it opens in March of 2009. Construction began on the project in June of 2006.
