Operations Core

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OPERATIONS CORE ABSTRACT: The Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) within the Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) at the University of Pittsburgh is the biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) hub for infection biology. The mission of the RBL is threefold, to work on pathogen emergence, evolution and host-to-host transmission, to study the pathogenesis of emerging infectious diseases and to accelerate pre-clinical development of novel interventions and medical countermeasures for pandemic preparedness and biodefense. Our vision is to be a globally recognized, highly- collaborative, creative and forward-facing team of infection biologists who are poised to respond to emerging biological threats both at the national and international level. The entire facility is registered with the Division of Select Agents and Toxins (DSAT). It brings together infection biologists and clinicians from a variety of disciplines who require BSL-3 and animal (A)BSL-3 facilities for their wide ranging viral and bacterial research programs. The Operations Core will be responsible for the formal operationalization and development of our existing structures. These have evolved from the time the RBL was established, and although they have served their purpose, require modernization to ensure they will remain current and operationally fit-for-purpose. Biocontainment work is operationally complex, infrastructure-dense, and comprehensively regulated. Running BSL-3 laboratories safely, securely and successfully demands having a well-organized and highly integrated team of administrators, scientists, biosafety/biosecurity professionals, engineers/facilities staff and veterinarians/zootechnical staff. This is especially important in multi-pathogen, multi-user research facilities that study standard and select agent BSL-3 pathogens. The Operations Core will provide overall management and budgetary responsibility for the RBL. It will administer the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly BSL-3 activities essential for the support and services arms of the RBL to function. This will ensure that the BSL-3 laboratories are run and maintained at the highest standards and they are safe and secure. Operational support for the RBL in Pittsburgh will ensure we are ready to support any national response to a range of emerging infectious diseases in the event of another pandemic or bioterrorism attack. Supporting this cohort of BSL-3 scientists, who can pivot to work on new pathogens in an emergency, is certain to pay dividends.