Stimulus money headed to primate facility in Southborough Nov 14, 2009
To handle live Marburg and Ebola viruses, researchers must work in a Biosafety Level-4 lab, the most secure kind. The primate center's own grants including funding to improve vaccine and disease progression testing for HIV and its primate version; study alcoholism, drug addiction and neuropsychiatric disorders; examine ties between metabolic disturbances and the onset of diabetes and dementia; and determine the role of genes in susceptibility to AIDS.. (Allston Brighton TAB, MA)
Nigeria: Why GM Foods Are Yet to Enter Market - Nabda Boss Nov 12, 2009
The major reason behind the delay and circulation of Genetically Modified foods item into the Nigerian market is due to the lack of Biosafety Law in the country, the Director General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) has said. Professor Bamidele Solomon said this yesterday in Abuja at the diner organised in honour of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation board members. (allAfrica.com)
Europe rejects GE corn but Australia has 'no concerns' Nov 12, 2009
FSANZ has subsequently come under attack for its approval of the corn by the University of Canter-bury's centre for integrated research in biosafety in New Zealand. The research's leader, Professor Jack Heinemann, a prominent anti-GE campaigner, said FSANZ ignored the centre's detailed scientific analysis conducted over two years by 10 biosafety researchers and instead ''shopped around'' for alternative opinions which would cast a more favourable light on the corn's safety. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
BU student caught bacterial infection from lab, tests show Nov 10, 2009
The centerpiece of that project, a high-security Biosafety Level-4 lab, is in a completed but unoccupied building on Albany Street ... The researcher was working in a Biosafety Level-2 lab, which has less stringent safety procedures than Level-4 labs. (Boston Globe)
South Africa: GM Potato Gets Roasting Nov 6, 2009
South Africa is the only country in Africa to have commercially released GM food crops (maize and soya) and the only country in the world to have allowed the genetic modification of the staple food, maize, according to the African Centre for Biosafety, which campaigned against the potato. The appeal decision is expected within three months. (allAfrica.com)
The Effect of Transgenic Squash on ... Nov 5, 2009
Environmental Biosafety Research. 3(1):5-16 2004 ). (Suite101.com)
BU grad student develops infection Oct 30, 2009
A Biosafety Level-4 lab, where scientists can work on vaccines and drugs targeting the most lethal of germs, is the centerpiece of the project, largely underwritten by federal dollars ... He was working in a Biosafety Level-2 lab, which has less stringent safety procedures than Level-4 labs. (Boston Globe)
For safetys sake Oct 13, 2009
New biosafety laws will regulate the import, release and labelling of genetically engineered organisms. NINE years after signing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the country is now about to adopt a regulation that will scrutinise modern biotechnology activities ... The Biosafety Regulations (Approval and Notification) is likely to come into force early next year to facilitate the implementation of the Biosafety Act 2007 enacted by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
GAO report says labsnot safe enough Sep 23, 2009
The report calls for more oversight of the high-containment labs, designated as either Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) or the highest level of containment, Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) ... UGA has 16 BSL-3 high-containment labs in four campus buildings, according to UGA's Office of Biosafety ... UGA never has released any dangerous agents from one of its high-containment labs, nor had any mishaps that infected a lab worker, said Maria Kuhn, director of the Office of Biosafety at the university. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Gene therapy: An Interview with an Unfortunate Pioneer Sep 17, 2009
Books such as Building Public Trust and Biosafety in the Laboratory sit on the shelves, and IL-6 and TNF- are scribbled on the whiteboard abbreviations representing some of the very immune factors that fatally spiraled out of control in Gelsinger s body. These allusions to the past aren t surprising considering how drastically the clinical trial changed gene therapy and, in particular, the career of James M. Wilson, the medical geneticist who headed Penn s Institute for Human , where the test... (Scientific American)
GM Foods: Will Parliament Yield to US Pressure? Sep 1, 2009
Ghanas draft bill the Biosafety Act will authorize the deployment of GM foods and will be the second GM foods- related bill that Parliament will pass after it had earlier passed the Legislative Instrument on Biosafety (LI 1887) which along with other existing legislation could be used to start field trials of GM crops in Ghana ... As Parliament mulls over passing the draft Biosafety Bill, there are fears that some imported products made from GM crops, including rice, soya oil, and tinned... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Hawaii's Fastest 50: Akimeka takes the fast-growth track Aug 22, 2009
It involves managing a staff of 140 employees based in Maryland to operate a biosafety research laboratory for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. The size and scope of the two contracts represent the firm s growth. (Pacific Business News, HI)
K-State lab gives researchers the tools to study porcine circovirus associated diseases Aug 14, 2009
K-State's Biosecurity Research Institute is a biosafety level 3 and biosafety level 3 agriculture research facility. Research at the BRI will help scientists develop a deeper understanding of the pathogens and pests that threaten the U.S. animal- and plant-based agricultural systems so that vaccines and other countermeasures may be proactively developed. (EurekAlert!)
Pune institute in global race for swine flu vaccine Aug 12, 2009
The scientists are working out of a state-of-the-art facility that meets global standards, called BioSafety Level2, says the Indian edition of the 109-year-old magazine brought out by the CyberMedia group. "The flu transmission didn't stop even after the increase in the summer temperatures," said Suresh S. Jadhav, executive director with the Serum Institute and coordin 00004000 ator of the company's swine flu vaccine initiative. (India Times)
NIH contract a big boost for small ProSource Consulting Aug 3, 2009
The new hires, mostly biosafety engineering consultants and mechanical engineers, will provide the company with an entire new skill set and, Cooper says, broaden its scope of work. Most of the new hires will be in ProSource s Bethesda office. (Washington Business Journal, DC)
New biosafety lab will be addition to Wyoming Veterinary Laboratory (7) Aug 2, 2009
New biosafety lab will be addition to Wyoming Veterinary Laboratory ... The new addition will include a biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory and will be located on the University of Wyoming campus in West Laramie. (Great Falls Prairie Star, MT)
Forum: University committed to biosafety, transparency Jul 26, 2009
Our commitment to transparency is manifest in the Biosafety Community Liaison Committee, which includes community representatives and is an evolution of a group originally formed to ensure communication about the Animal Health Research Center. Mechanisms exist to ensure that BCLC members are made aware of even minor biosafety-related incidents in a timely fashion ... The university also is committed to having a state-of-the-art Biosafety Office and has dramatically expanded its staff during the... (Athens Banner-Herald)
IOS Press announces launch of Journal of Berry Research Jul 23, 2009
Contributions detailing possible pharmacological, medical or therapeutic use or dietary significance will be welcomed in addition to studies regarding biosafety issues of genetically modified plants. The Journal will feature reviews, research articles, brief communications, position papers, letters and patent updates. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Editorial: UGA has lost credibility on biosafety Jul 23, 2009
But that affirmative step did little to bolster the university's lagging credibility on any supposed commitment to strict attention to biosafety issues. In this latest incident, the university was cited for incinerating disease-infected animal carcasses at the College of Veterinary Medicine, the nearby Animal Health Research Center and the Poultry Diagnostic Research Center on College Station Road under a permit that did not allow the incineration of waste classified as medical/infectious by the... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Humans May Give Swine Flu To Pigs In New Twist To Pandemic Jul 11, 2009
The experiments were done under strict containment conditions (Biosafety Level BSL3+), to prevent any further transmission of the virus from the infected pigs. The scientists recommend that persons who are suspected of having swine flu should not be allowed to have contact with pigs and that regulatory bodies should agree on appropriate restriction measures for swine holdings where A/H1N1 infection is detected. (Science Daily)
If Swine Flu Weren't Enough, Now There's Swine Ebola Jul 10, 2009
Even so, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta considers it a biosafety level 4 pathogen, reserved for the most dangerous and exotic diseases. and the closely related Marburg viruses are highly contagious, causing vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding with death rates as high as 90 percent. (Scientific American)
Africa: GM Sorghum Test Approved Jul 6, 2009
The application by the Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) - and endorsed by South Africa's Minister of Land Affairs and Agriculture - was successful at the second attempt when the applicant supplied additional information that it would meet biosafety requirements for the laboratory trials ... Biosafety refers to the safe transfer, handling, and use of any living modified organism resulting from biotechnology ... "We respect the fact that decision-makers have an obligation towards... (allAfrica.com)
Cambridge is looking at its code again. Jul 1, 2009
The Cambridge Public Health Department wants to tighten any gaps when it comes to taking proper biosafety precautions and protecting the welfare of the city s residents. Environmental health officials have recently opened up public dialogue on new biosafety regulations for the city stemming from a request from the city council to review and reinforce Cambridge s existing guidelines and oversight ... The written regulation, still in its draft form and welcoming comments from the public, outlines... (Allston Brighton TAB, MA)
Govt to check dumping of biotech products Jun 30, 2009
Represented at the event by the Head of BioSafety Desk at the ministry, Usman Ademola Raheem, Odey, who acknowledged that biotechnology had several advantages, however identified certain issues that must be addressed for the safe deployment of biotechnology products, especially in agriculture and food production ... "Admittedly, these safety concerns have stalled our speed on the biotechnology track, especially in agriculture and medicine. However, they have given the inner peace and... (Guardian News, Nigeria)
Leading the life sciences revolution Jun 16, 2009
The center also has funded important capital projects that are helping towns and cities become "life sciences ready." These projects, totaling $15 million to date, have included the renovation of the Loeb Laboratory at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, the creation of the New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory in Grafton at Tufts Veterinary School, and improvements to the wastewater system at the Framingham Technology Park. The latter project is enabling Genzyme Corporation to... (Boston Globe)
Monsanto-Cargill promoting GM in Ghana - Update Jun 16, 2009
The Debate centered round Biosafety laws. The Biosafety law can be seen as a tricky one ... Proponents for the law say may say that Biosafety is required for the proper implementation of GM crops in fields to prevent for instance the incidence of cross-contamination. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
UW chancellor to hire more officers to review backlogged campus research Jun 5, 2009
The risk is that the NIH would see that we re not carrying out our responsibilities, our end of the deal, and they could penalize the university, said Paul Lambert, who is head of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, which reviews research projects that involve biological materials. They could deny us funding. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Neighborhoods: Word on the street Jun 5, 2009
Biosafety regulation meeting June 18. The Cambridge Public Health Department is holding a public hearing on the forthcoming Cambridge biosafety regulation and the associated Cambridge Biosafety Committee Policies and Procedures document on Thursday, June 18 from 2:30 4 p.m. in the Sullivan Chamber at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Mass. (Cambridge Chronicle, MA)
Taking genetic engineering from labs to African farms May 20, 2009
Charles Mugoya, the Regional Coordinator East and Central Africa Biotech and Biosafety Program says that GM seeds go through a rigorous testing system before they are rolled out to the market ... She said African countries need to discuss issues of biosafety and intellectual property rights, which are the main points of contention ... "Managing the opportunities and risks posed by GM crops, including trade related challenges, requires countries to have a well-functioning, efficient, and... (Xinhuanet, China)
Ghana: NGO Sounds Alarm Over GM Crops May 16, 2009
A Biosafety Bill that will establish a framework for the commercial growing of genetically-modified crops in the country is presently before parliament. Professor Walter Alhassan, a consultant for the Accra-based Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) - an umbrella organisation that brings together agricultural research organisations on the continent - told IPS that "the government needs to speed up the passage of the Biosafety Bill to the global trend to improve agriculture and food... (allAfrica.com)
* The suicidal harvest of new seed technology May 10, 2009
The creation of seed monopolies is based on the deregulation of seed corporations, including giving them oversight over biosafety ... In the case of genetically engineered seed, these companies are again seeking self--regulation for biosafety. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Rocky Mountain Labs master plan approved May 8, 2009
If that project moves forward, the building would become a new biosafety level 2 laboratory, with support and office space, in RML's central building complex known as The Quad. Last year, after years of construction, RML moved into its new integrated research facility, which houses the Laboratory of Virology, a biosafety level 4 facility that, pending Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approval, will feature studies of Ebola and bird flu. (Missoulian, MT)
RML scientist aids in Ebola exposure case May 8, 2009
Feldmann, chief of the RML s new Biosafety level-4 Laboratory of Virology, led the special pathogens program for the Public Health Agency of Canada in Winnipeg where he helped develop a vaccine effective in preventing the Ebola virus from spreading in laboratory animals, even when given after the animals had been exposed ... Still, Feldmann hopes that the incident will increase awareness of, and possibly funding for labs like his, where work on Ebola and other viruses will commence once the... (Great Falls Prairie Star, MT)
Farmers fear pigs may get "swine" flu from people May 2, 2009
To try to protect against such a scenario, industry groups and veterinarians this week warned farmers to step up their biosafety protocols, keeping pigs in barns behind security fences with access by any outsiders extremely limited. Purdue University veterinarian Sandy Amass said farmers should keep an eye on pigs for "coughing, runny nose, fever and a reduction in feed intake," and to have the animals tested immediately if they exhibit such flu symptoms. (Yahoo News)
FLASHBACK: CDC to mix avian, human flu viruses in pandemic study... Apr 28, 2009
Safety precautionsBecause of the obvious risks in creating viruses with the potential to spark a pandemic, the work will be done in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory at the CDC in Atlanta, Daigle told CIDRAP News ... CDC experiments with HPAI viruses have to pass reviews by the agency's Institutional Biosafety Committee and Animal Care and Use Committee, Daigle said ... CDC information on biosafety levels. (The Drudge Report)
Planned biolab delays opening again Apr 16, 2009
The centerpiece of the project - originally expected to begin welcoming scientists in late 2007 or early 2008 - is a Biosafety Level-4 lab designed to let researchers hunt for vaccines and drugs targeted at the highly lethal germs that cause such diseases as Ebola, Marburg, and plague. Residents sued in state and federal courts, arguing that a densely populated neighborhood is no place for a lab that specializes in deadly viruses and bacteria. (Boston Globe)
State releases $2.5 million to design biosafety lab at UH medical school Mar 24, 2009
5 million to design biosafety lab at UH medical school ... 5 million to design a Pacific Regional Biosafety Laboratory near the Biosciences Research Building at the University of Hawaii-Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kakaako, the state said today in a news release ... "Building a state-of-the-art biosafety laboratory will make Hawai'i a safer place to live and to visit, enhance the University of Hawaii's research focus on infectious diseases, and help drive the life sciences industry... (Honolulu Advertiser)
Pitt-led researchers create quick, simple fluorescent detector for TB Mar 20, 2009
"The development of reporter flurophages," Jacobs said, "allows us to bypass the existing method of diagnosing TB, which requires cultivating slow-growing bacteria in a biosafety level 3 environment, a time-consuming and costly process. By infecting live M. tuberculosis cells with a flurophage, a quick and highly sensitive visual reading can be done. We are optimistic that we can move the diagnostic process from several weeks to several days or even hours, which could have a significant impact... (EurekAlert!)
Einstein and Pitt researchers develop new TB test that will dramatically cut diagnosis time Mar 20, 2009
"The development of these reporter flurophages allows us to bypass the existing method of diagnosing TB, which requires cultivating slow-growing bacteria in a biosafety level 3 environment, a time-consuming and costly process," says William R. Jacobs, Jr., Ph. D., one of the authors of the study. (EurekAlert!)
$60m project will fund HIV-TB link Mar 20, 2009
The new $20 million, six-story research institute will include two floors of high-level biosafety labs. The lab will be integrated with the Doris Duke Medical Research Institute that Walker helped establish at the medical school. (Boston Globe)
Einstein researcher will help lead South African Research Institute for tuberculosis and HIV Mar 20, 2009
The institute will be located on the campus of the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine in Durban in a six-story facility that will include two floors of high-level biosafety (BSL-3) laboratories equipped for TB research. HHMI will provide $20 million (R218 million) toward the construction of the new building with UKZN and LIFE Lab, a biotechnology center of the government of South Africa, making substantial commitments for the project. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Our take on the Genetically Modified Crops (GMC) discourse! Mar 19, 2009
We think that a GMC program with a so-called Biosafety law cannot allow Ghana to catch up with the global world and improve agriculture and food security in Ghana, or anywhere in Africa, no matter what Professor Alhassan or Kenyas Florence Wambugu of the failed GM potato project tell us. Our take is, there is a lot of propaganda and misinformation from the GMC proponents even though low-cost organic and agro-ecological methods are being used to produce food, alleviate hunger, and... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Nigeria: Environmentalists Call for End to GM Cassava Trials [opinion] Mar 14, 2009
They and over 30 local civil society groups have called for an immediate end to the trials, to be conducted by the National Root Crops Research Institute with the reported approval of the National Biosafety Committee - a body that currently has no legal power to grant such an approval ... ERA/FoEN's position is premised on the recently reported approval of the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) for the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike to go ahead with plans to conduct... (allAfrica.com)
Nigeria: Controversy Over Genetically Modified Cassava Mar 9, 2009
ERA/FoEN's position is premised on the recently reported approval of the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) for the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike to go ahead with plans to conduct "contained" field trials of genetically-modified cassava on the banks of the Qua Iboe River, Abia State ... Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which Nigeria is signatory to, which seeks. (allAfrica.com)
Hopkinton hotel district plan to go before Town Meeting Feb 26, 2009
The board's warrant article stipulates that businesses cannot create excessive noise or noxious odors and must limit laboratories to biosafety level 1 or 2, the least dangerous categories. As with the hotel district, the Terry property plan requires a two-thirds vote at May's Town Meeting. (Hopkinton Town Crier, MA)
UT System's PBS series State of Tomorrow now available at www.stateoftomorrow.com Feb 22, 2009
More than 30 video segments address topics such as public health, homeland security, energy policy, economic development and education, biosafety, nanotechnology, and proton therapy. The Web site includes new video interviews with UT System institution faculty on groundbreaking research, and a new blog highlighting features available on the site and updates on research conducted on UT System campuses. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Construction starts on CDC lab Feb 21, 2009
The new space will include biosafety labs, with moderate to high-level containment systems. The labs will be located in vacant shell space located on the top floor of the CDC s existing, four-story building. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
Kenya: Govt Approves GM After Years of Delays Feb 20, 2009
Nairobi Kenya has become the fourth African country to allow the production and use of genetically modified (GM) crops after president Mwai Kibaki signed off on parliament's approval of new biosafety legislation last week (13 February). The Biosafety Bill 2008 sees the East African nation join Burkina Faso, Egypt and South Africa as African nations which permit genetically modified farming, following years of fine-tuning to the proposed regulations and mechanisms to monitor and regulate GM... (allAfrica.com)
Secrets Of Potential Bioterror Virus Uncovered Feb 18, 2009
Safety precautions make working with natural, "wild-type" Rift Valley fever virus difficult; at UTMB, investigations are restricted to a tightly secured biosafety level 4 lab, where researchers work in protective, full-body "spacesuits." By contrast, the vaccine strain of the virus that Ikegami modified, known as MP-12, can safely be handled inside a standard biosafety cabinet. Using the NSs-free mutant virus to perform a series of cell-culture experiments, the researchers found that NSs does in... (Science Daily)
Making Rounds Feb 16, 2009
Molly Stitt-Fischer, an Erie native, has each been awarded a two-year fellowship in the prestigious National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program ... It is designed to prepare biosafety and biocontainment professionals of the highest caliber to meet the needs of the biomedical, emerging disease and civilian biodefense research communities. (Erie Times-News, PA)
New Technique Developed For Quick Detection Of Salmonella Feb 12, 2009
Salmonella-contaminated produce -- contained in a biosafety cabinet -- are tested using Brehm-Stecher and Bisha's tape-FISH method. (Credit: Image courtesy of Iowa State University). (Science Daily)
Lingle holds biosafety lab funds Feb 11, 2009
5 million Pacific Regional Biosafety Laboratory are in jeopardy after the state failed to release its share of money for the project ... The federally funded biosafety level-3 labs were mandated for research and early-warning detection of lethal infectious diseases after Sept. 11, 2001 ... 5 million Pacific Regional Biosafety Laboratory are in jeopardy after the state failed to release its share of money for the project. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Army halts germ research at lab Feb 10, 2009
The facility is a Biosafety Level 4 institute, with the capability to store some of the deadliest viruses and bacteria, including smallpox, Ebola, plague and anthrax ... A government accountability report in October revealed inadequate security systems at several Biosafety Level 4 facilities. (Insight on the News)
Biopartnering Feb 8, 2009
In addition, a wide range of support services are offered from biosafety, through GLP immunoassay testing to in vivo studies. Web. (Nature News Service)
