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The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded eight regional centers to organize and conduct research on infectious agents that could have a significant, negative public health impact. The University of Washington was selected by the NIH in 2003 as one of the eight Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease (RCE), the only one selected on the west coast. While treatments are available for the diseases under study at the University, vaccines to prevent them are not, and University researchers hope their work will lead to the development of such vaccines. The commitment by the federal government to understand the disease processes and develop vaccines to counter them on a large scale is a relatively new endeavor caused in part by the events during 2001, especially those related to anthrax.
Researchers at the University of Washington are among the world's leaders in studying infectious diseases. The UW received over $56 million in 2004 from NIAID to study various aspects of infectious diseases. The decision to apply for NIAID funding for a Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) was a natural extension of this expertise. The type of facility needed to conduct research on many so-called 'priority pathogens' is very specialized and must be built to complex specifications for design, facilities, operations, maintenance, and operating procedures that ensure a high level of safety and security. The Centers for Disease Control and the NIH establish safety standards for various types of biological agents studied in these facilities. In addition, the research and the safety and security requirements are reviewed and must be approved by the UW's Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and the UW Department of Environment Health and Safety. These specialized requirements ensure that the research can be done in a manner that assures safety for the research, the researchers and the adjacent communities. Part of the additional assurance of safety for the RBLs is the provision of extra security measures that are not typically found in laboratories.
Nationally, there is a critically short supply of such facilities. Since the federal government is prioritizing biodefense research, more specialized facilities must be built to house the kind of research funded by the RCE grant. Currently, work being done on the grant is occurring at various sites throughout the UW and the region. These facilities were either retrofitted or constructed years ago, before various standards for dealing with infectious agents were in place, particularly for security. While space has been renovated to meet safety and security standards, doing so is difficult and costly. It is much more efficient to house research for these types of organisms in one, stand-alone building that is built to appropriate specifications for security, safety and containment. Such a facility will also help position the UW as a regional leader and provide the maximum in research flexibility for attracting future research dollars to the UW and the region. The latest technology will be utilized to build the facility with systems and redundancies to ensure a safe environment for researchers as well as the neighboring staff, faculty, students, and the general public. Safety and security will be the foremost concerns, and creating a new, high-tech environment specially dedicated to managing infectious agents is key.
The type of facility for which the UW is requesting construction dollars is designated as a Biological Safety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory. Such a facility would enable the University to continue with and expand research currently underway. This facility could not be used for the study of diseases that require a BSL-4 level of protection, such as Ebola viral hemorrhagic fevers. Current UW research that requires biosafety level 2 and 3 includes research on HIV, vaccine strains of tularemia, simian herpeviruses, adenoviruses, syphilis, tuberculosis and others.
Recent federal requirements have made additional laboratory worker and facility protection a requirement for research on disease organisms related to biodefense. These organisms are labeled "select agents," and no research can commence on such organisms unless specific requirements for safety, security, and personnel are in place and the laboratory facility meets prescribed design standards.
The proposed Northwest Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (NWRBL) is expected to be available to provide scientific expertise as well as support facilities to the public health efforts of the region in the event of any major infectious disease emergency. In such times, it is anticipated that the existing public health laboratory capacities can be quickly overwhelmed, and the assistance from the NWRBL will be extremely important. This is one of the attractions this facility holds for the state Department of Health (DOH). The UW already works closely with DOH on a number of public health issues through the School of Pubic Health and Community Medicine, the Environmental Health and Safety Department, and the medical centers. This facility will be another opportunity for cooperative partnership.
While the need for such a facility is compelling, a number of questions remain, including identifying additional sources of funding and siting issues. As indicated in the grant application, the UW has a plan to broaden public discussion of the project among various constituencies including faculty, staff, students, and neighboring communities. All appropriate and necessary information will be gathered in this process before a final decision is made about proceeding with the project. University committees will be briefed in January, February and March, depending on committee schedules and agendas. Part of this plan builds on existing relationships and community interactions. For example, meetings have already begun with state health officials, the Governor's Office, the Seattle Mayor's Office and other city officials. The City-University Community Advisory Committee (CUCAC) meeting in February will also focus on this project, and two public forums will be held for community members to learn more about the proposal and express their views on it. The first will be held in Kane Hall room 220 on February 23rd, the second at Magnuson Park Community Center, March 1st, both at 7:00 pm. In addition, the UW plans to consult with the various communities throughout the process on planning, design and operation of the facility, should it eventually receive NIAID funding and decide to proceed with the project.
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