Biosafety Bulletin Vol 4 Issue 1 – April 2017
A quarterly newsletter from the BU Office of Institutional Biosafety Committee
See the PDF of the April 2017 Biosafety Bulletin
Workshop on How to Navigate RIMS and Submit an IBC application
On February 3, 2017, Dr. Sajal Ghosh led a workshop that provided participants with hands-on training for how to navigate and submit an IBC application in RIMS. Participants from the Charles River Campus, the Medical Campus, and the Framingham Heart Study Group attended the session held on the BU Medical Campus. The IBC plans to host another workshop on the Charles River Campus this fall.
IBC Member Training Sessions
The IBC hosted two presentations this past quarter. In March, Dr. Gustavo Mostoslavsky presented on a recently published research paper that described an occupational HIV infection in a research laboratory with an unknown mode of transmission and explained how replication incompetent HIV‐1 particles and various lentiviral vectors are generated in the lab. He also shared best practices to avoid exposure. In April, Mr. Andre Lowe provided an overview of the regulatory requirements for inactivating materials derived from a select agent or toxin that requires BSL-3 or BSL-4 containment.
Laboratory Acquired Infection (LAI) List Updated
The LAI subcommittee met on February 14, to review eight agents listed in a new IBC pathogen storage protocol from the NEIDL. Six agents were recommended for inclusion in the LAI list, which has been updated and posted on the IBC Forms and Policies webpage.
Preparing for Summer Student Researcher
University Policy requires that all individuals engaged in research laboratory activities complete laboratory safety training and receive medical clearance from the Research Occupational Health Program (ROHP) before performing any research activities. Since the clearance process can take up to 4 weeks, a campus-wide broadcast email was send to all BU investigators outlining the steps to onboard Student Summer Researchers, including information on the volunteer agreement and the university policy on minors in laboratories, ahead of the summer break.
Member Retirement
Dr. Natalie Broude, Ph.D. is retiring from BU and after serving on the IBC for over 10 years is stepping down. The Committee greatly appreciates the time and effort that she devoted to the IBC.
Helpful Tips
- Please remember to submit Annual and 3-year Renewals in a timely manner due to the time it takes to process them. RIMS automatically sends multiple reminders to PIs well in advance of the expiration date. A Protocol Expiration Notice is sent out on the day of expiration if a protocol has not been approved by that date.
- As required by institutional policy and the NIH Guidelines, when a protocol expires it is no longer approved and all research activities associated with the protocol must stop. Working on a lapsed protocol may be reportable to NIH’s Office of Science Policy (OSP) and is a violation of institutional policy.
- If a 3-year Renewal was submitted on time but the post-meeting comments are not resolved before the expiration date, a Protocol Expiration Notice will be sent out on the expiration date. Please be mindful of the time requirements for the review process and be sure to submit Renewals by the submission deadline stated in the RIMS reminder.
- Please remember that all animal work involving a BSL-2 component (e.g., rDNA work, viral vector work or creation of transgenic animals) requires IBC approval before the IACUC can approve the protocol. When an IBC protocol expires, access to animals on the associated IACUC approved protocols will be revoked until the protocol is approved.
- For all 3-year Renewals, Annual Renewals and Amendments, please make sure to answer the two new Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) questions at the bottom of section VI of the IBC application in the RIMS. Applications without a response or an incorrect response will be returned to the PI and may delay the approval process.
The Biosafety Bulletin is a quarterly newsletter that is distributed to PIs and is posted on the IBC website. The Biosafety Bulletin highlights changes to IBC Policies, provides updates to the online application and protocol management system (RIMS), and offers helpful hints for completing IBC applications, annual renewals and amendments. Please feel free to email ibc@bu.edu with any topic suggestions.