Regional Biocontainment Laboratories Facility and Building System Upgrades Support

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Project Summary/Abstract: The Duke Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) was constructed with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support basic research necessary to develop drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines for emerging/reemerging infections and biodefense. The state-of-the-art biocontainment facility, designed to support lab and small animal research, was fully commissioned and opened for operation in 2007 on the Duke University Medical School Campus in Durham, NC. The Duke RBL facility supports grant/contract-funded investigators and also provides biocontainment labs, innovative host monitoring assays and small animal models through Core Service Center Units on a cost recovery basis. Fourteen years of use and time have rendered some of the Duke RBL facilities, systems and critical core research equipment obsolete, or in need of repair, replacement or modernization. We have identified six critical deficiencies of the facility’s existing physical infrastructure that limit biosafety, security or threaten the provision of services it offers and research-related activities it supports. We will address these deficiencies in our three Specific Aims: 1) Modernize Building Air Control Systems – Upgrade obsolete BSL3/ABSL3 building controls systems, pressure monitors and software. Rebalance, test, validate and re-certify all impacted BSL3/ABSL3 space; 2) Modernize Biosafety and Security Systems - Replace aged/damaged biosafety cabinets in BSL2/BSL3/ABSL3 laboratories. Repair and upgrade components of the BSL3 chemical effluent treatment system. Replace damaged or obsolete closed circuit security cameras, cabling and integration with building security control systems; and 3) Modernize Research Resources – Replace the obsolete high-containment cell sorter and custom Bioprotect hood in the BSL3 Cell Sorting Core facility. Upgrade the blower control modules on the Allentown Biocontainment mouse cage racks in the ABSL3. These Aims/Goals will be accomplished by a highly integrated project management team with solid institutional support and trusted contractors/vendors that were part of the original design and construction of the facility and/or have been part of the continuous maintenance, repair and certification of the facility for the past 14 years.