Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) Animal and Tissue Culture

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The Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Animal and Tissue Culture Core facility will provide the physical environment, equipment, and ancillary support personnel for scientists to work with Category A, B and C pathogens or toxins as part of biodefense research initiatives. The core facility will include both laboratory space and animal housing within a single containment facility. The facility will provide security required for possessing these select agents. It is the intent of this core facility to provide sufficient laboratory and animal capability so that any work with biological materials containing live pathogens can be performed within the facility. The objectives for the BSL-3 Core are: 1) to provide immediate access to secure BSL-3 laboratory and animal housing for regional NERCE scientists and to provide training for personnel handling category A, B and C agents; 2) to provide trained scientific staff to support investigators in their biodefense related research involving category A, B, and C agents; 3) to provide the infrastructure, administrative support and personnel for management of a secure BSL-3 facility; 4) to train NERCE scientists and technical personnel in the proper use of BSL-3 facilities; 5) to serve as a resource for local, State and Federal agencies in the event of a regional release of hazardous biologic agents or toxins. The Core will provide a number of services that are essential for work with category A agents and that will enhance the ability of investigators from New England to conduct productive research on these pathogens and their toxins. The services provided include: 1) a securerepository of characterized stocks of category A select agents; 2) propagation of working stocks of these pathogens; 3) laboratory animals for immunization and challenge experiments requiring BSL-3 containment; 4) equipment and technical expertise to conduct immunological analyses without removing biological materials generated in challenged animals from a BSL-3 environment; 5) quality control of biological materials to be removed from the BSL-3 facility to ensure that these materials do not contain viable pathogen.